“India alone was to be, of all lands, the land of toleration and of spirituality…in that distant time the sage arose and declared, Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti (He who exists is one; the sages call him variously). This is one of the most memorable sentences that was ever uttered, one of the grandest truths that was ever discovered. And for us Hindus this truth has been the very backbone of our national existence…our country has become the glorious land of religious toleration…The world is waiting for this grand idea of universal toleration…. This oneness is the rationale of all ethics and all spirituality.”
– Swami Vivekanand, Complete Works, Vol III, Pp 182 – 83)
Festivities are in our collective psyche, so are the associated rituals. Many tend to celebrate the Independence Day with the same ritualistic mindset. For some, it is merely a national holiday. If one goes by the media headlines, one would certainly raise a question about what is there to celebrate in this Independence. After 69 years of our journey being free from the colonial clutches, we are still grappling with the colonial mindset, caste based discrimination and atrocities continue to persist, intellectual divisiveness and political manoeuvring dominate the national discourse than the collective interest and negativity is infused from all sides to create doubts about ourselves. In this gloomy atmosphere, what we need is to cherish is the Idea of Bharat that goes beyond the state of being politically independent.
The idea of Bharat is rooted in the civilisational state. This is entirely different from the Western prism of nation-state system. Bharat and Bharatiyata is not associated with just the geographical entity but linked to the civilisational values that formed our nationhood. Adapting old ideas for the new age and adopting new ideas from the outside world to make them in tune with the indigenous values and systems have been the hallmark of this civilisation. Therefore, we see unparallel history of change with continuity in this society. Seeing oneness in diverse manifestation is another important aspect of our world view that is rooted in the dynamic concept of Dharma. Positivity approach embedded in the circular concept of life is another life conviction that allows us to sustain the difficult situation. Continuous reformation by questioning the values that get stagnant over a period has been our tradition.This has allowed Buddhas and Gandhis to emerge from time to time. These are the inherent values that allowed us to attain many heights in this new journey of reconstruction.
Courtesy this heritage, we successfully became a republic and developed a model of sustainable democracy, when many other countries who attained simultaneous independence failed to do so. Though there was a brief interruption of Emergency, it was also fought and successfully defeated with democratic means. Despite so much of diversity and disparity, we believed in the wisdom of masses and allowed them to participate in the decision making process. This process legitimately enabled the deprived sections of society to carve out their own position in the society. In spite of many loopholes in the political, legal and administrative system, we found our ways to prosper with society driven actions. Our inherent entrepreneurship skills with optimum utilisation of resources enabled us to innovate and adapt new technologies for the local situations. We are the fastest growing economy in the world. All these accomplishments are good enough to celebrate our political independence.
Though it is true that there are many gray areas that prompt us for introspection, they are mainly due to neglect of our national identity and needs. Ayurveda states, “For the disease in each place, a remedy suitable to that place must be found.” As we tried to blindly follow or impose foreign ideas and models that have created many disasters. Fortunately, the collective consciousness has prevailed and we are trying to reconnect with our roots. Yoga is being recognised as a complete therapy. Cooperative and decentralised model of federalism is being strengthened. The benefits of economic development are percolated to the poor and needy sections with effective use of technology. We are effectively using our soft power to shape the political and strategic decisions. What we are missing is the reformist zeal from within which was our inherent strength. Swami Dayanand or Vivekanand, all great sages of modern times gave a call to revive that tradition. This cannot come from above through political instrument but has to come from within the society. This Independence Day, we should appreciate our own remarkable journey and rekindle the societal spirit to make this Bharat peaceful, powerful and prosperous. This is possible only by celebrating the ‘Idea of Bharat’. @PrafullaKetkar
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