Let’s not rush to pronounce judgment
on others before first looking at ourselves in the mirror.
I agree that
what Kanhaiya Kumar and his associates did at JNU is debatable, questionable
and condemnable. I also agree that the way the Modi Sarkar is handling the issue is debatable, questionable and
condemnable. I agree further that Rajdeep Sardesai’s definition of who may be
an ‘anti-national’ is set in the context of the political and constitutional
debate that rages on in the country.
But what
about you and me – the millions on social media who are passing judgment on
Kanhaiya, NaMo, Rajdeep and whoever else? How national and patriotic are you
and I?
I
believe the right way to define a true national and patriot is someone who does
not – violate traffic rules, drink and drive, pay a bribe, watch pirated
content online, evade taxes, avoid voting, throw garbage on the streets or
circumvent the process of law in any manner. I can add a few more criteria but
even at the most basic level, a large part of our population will fail on at
least one of these fronts. For instance, in Chennai, we have a High Court
ruling that bans the riding of two-wheelers – by both the driver and the
pillion rider – without helmets. And yet everyone, including my own daughter,
rides without a helmet. We have a High Court ruling again in Chennai saying
autos must ply by metered fare only. But neither do auto-drivers follow that
ruling, nor do we users follow it – including me, everyone pays over the meter.
So, technically, we are flouting the law, aren’t we? I must confess I have paid
bribes – to Train Ticket Examiners, to traffic cops, postmen and linemen from
BSNL and the Electricity Board – in a past Life. I don’t both have the means or
the intent any more to pay bribes but that does not absolve me of my
anti-national past. And, sadly, most Indians watch pirated movie content
online. In every way that tantamounts to stealing of intellectual property – simply,
it is theft. And that’s a crime as defined by a designated law in our country.
If all
this isn’t anti-national, what is? We have this very glorified,
holier-than-thou attitude which makes us believe that anyone acting against the
interests of the country in matters concerning national secrets or acts of
violence alone is ant-national. Any action against national interest – in any
respect – is anti-national. Period. So, if you don’t dispose of your garbage
responsibly – which 99 % Indian’s don’t do – you are anti-national. If you
drink and drive – which most Indians almost always do – you are anti-national.
If you pay a bribe – which every Indian does – you are anti-national. If you
don’t wear a seat belt and/or speak on your mobile while driving, you are
endangering your Life and the lives of several others – and that, clearly, is being
anti-national!
Truly,
therefore, in some manner or the other, every Indian, wittingly or unwitting,
acts against the interests of India. It is because of our collective lack of
righteousness that our country’s poor continue to get poorer, that our
politicians continue to be more brazen and corrupt and our country wallows (continuously)
in the cesspool of ‘developing nations’.
In the
Bowl of Saki, a guide for everday living, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882~1927),
teacher of Universal Sufism, says: “We are very good lawyers for our own
mistakes, but very good judges for the mistakes of others.” What he means is
that we must stop justifying (advocating) our actions and judging others and
instead judge ourselves first. So, my dear fellow anti-nationals, let’s stop opinionating
and preaching on social media. Be it Kanhaiya or NaMo
or Rajdeep or whoever, let’s look into the mirror first!
No comments:
Post a Comment