THE name Bharat denotes a nation, while the names of such provinces as Uttar Pradesh and Bengal do not denote it. Although a definite territory is a must and the first essential of a nation, a territory by itself does not become a nation. The existence of a nation depends upon an element which though invisible is felt with the greatest intensity. A nation has a personality just as an Individual has a personality. It is this national personality that keeps a nation alive.
– Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya
Festival of colours is around the corner with the beginning of Spring season. It signifies the role of colours bestowed by nature in our life. The celebration from time immemorial has many legends associated with it. It is also believed that Holi strengthens the social bonding and dissolves all kinds of
enmities in colours. While celebrating this festival of hope and happiness, the happenings around us are quite disturbing. Some of the challenges are real and pressing but most of them are the outcome of artificially cultivated animosity by the forces who are not in tune with our national personality.
The growing radicalism underscored by the encounter in Lucknow and the first ever strike in Bharat with the Islamic State (IS) link in a passenger train in Madhya Pradesh, are really shocking. The signs of ‘Khurasan Module’, till now discarded by many as an imaginary one, are visible in many states. The recent arrest of terrorist brothers by the Gujarat police is an indicative one. Educated youth getting carried away by the terrorising, fundamentalist and brutally violent ideology of IS, especially through social media networks, is a worldwide phenomenon that calls for a systematic approach to deal with. When Pakistan inspired module of Gazhwa-e-Hind gets coupled with the IS’s Khurasan, the issue becomes more complicated. It simply means the ideologies of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Maulana Masood Azhar are working together against Bharat.
The conviction of Prof G N Saibaba and others for abetting Maoist violence against Bharat is an indication of another variety of threat looming over us. The ‘red terror’ is no longer limited to the forests of Bastar or the Communist ruled Kerala but have successfully infiltrated into urban centres of Bharat through the academic route.
In addition to this, the ‘intolerant’ and status quoist people, whose only agenda is to deny the integrationist roots of Bharat, are hell bent on making each and every issue divisive. The tacit, sometimes even open, alliance of defeatist Congress, destructive Communists and fundamentalist Islamists is working day and night against the national interest in the name of opposition to the ruling
dispensation. Since the Modi led NDA Government has taken over the reins in 2014, every issue has been used for dividing the nation on binary lines with the selfish political interests. The NGOs using fraudulent means to divert foreign funding are working hand in glove with a section of media, especially from Lutyens Delhi, to establish the anti-Bharat narrative. Dragging the sacrosanct armed forces into these divisive tactics is the most unfortunate part.
All these anti-Bharat forces actually never understood the complete personality of Bharat. The real Bharat is
represented by the sons like Prahlad, who stood against his own father, Hiranyakashyap, for the cause of Dharma. The father of slain terrorist Saifullah, Sartaj Ahmad, refused to accept the body of his own son for being a traitor, symbolises the same spirit. The Bharatiya tradition goes beyond the binary of tolerance and intolerance and embraces the idea of acceptance and respect for all view points, but only on the parameters of Dharma. Let us hope that the sense of righteousness prevails over the short-term political interests and our inherent roots of integration are stregthened with the colours of Holi.
@PrafullaKetkar
