Vision of India
India that is Bharat is our beloved motherland. Our ancestors lived in this beautiful land for thousands of years, ever since the humans walked on this land. For us, she is not just a piece of land. She is the collective manifestation of lands, waters, flora, fauna and all humans living in her lap.
Since the oldest times known to humankind, our ancestors have toiled in her soil. Endowed with bountiful nature, she gave our ancestors all that is needed for the humankind to live and thrive. From the hunting-gathering mode of living, they gradually progressed to agriculture, domestication of animals and more settled life. Our ancestors knew how to live in harmony with nature; how to feed on fruits without harming the fruit bearer. They were the producers of surplus food and builders of physical structures. Their philosophy of social equality emanated from the producers’ perspective.
About 5000 years ago, they created one of the world’s earliest civilizations that flourished in our motherland. This civilization stretched from the regions around Indus river to the most of the modern-day India. Perhaps the first ever form of republic governance was practiced in our Indic civilisation. Archaeological studies of the civilisation suggest an egalitarian society, without social divisions or gender discriminations. It was matchless in its grandeur, prosperity and peace.
About 1500 BCE, Aryan pastoral-nomads migrated to India in numerous waves, over many centuries. The horse-riding Aryans, carrying weapons made of iron got the better of the prosperous and peace-loving Indic people. The texts written by Aryans are full of vivid stories of wars and fights between the Aryans and the non-Aryans referred to as dasas or dasyus (our ancestors, the original inhabitants of our motherland). The Aryans brought some undesirable elements to our motherland and polluted our egalitarian social fabric by introducing varna system, thereby creating social divisions and gender discrimination in the society. They used these texts to perpetuate their privileges and unequal social order. Terming our ancestors as Shudras, they accorded us the status of slaves. The society became fragmented, the prosperity and harmony in the society was lost and our motherland entered a dark phase in her history.
The light again dawned on our motherland in the second half of the first millennia BCE. Shramanic traditions gained ground, challenging the Brahminical supremacy and unequal social order and brought back some of the egalitarian and humane features and prosperity seen in Indic civilization. During the period of the great Ashoka, the Mauryan empire stretched from Iran to almost the entire Indian subcontinent. The rule of law and equality before law were the main pillars of his welfare governance, making it the golden period in our history.
The Mauryan empire was brought to an end by Pushyamitra Shunga, the commander-in-chief of the Mauryan army, with a coup, paving way for the re-emergence of the unequal social order and patriarchy. The caste system got more concretised with the codification of rules in Manu Smriti which led to more rigorous restrictions on caste based hereditary occupations, segregated settlements and endogamy, affecting the so called shudras most adversely. As patriarchy got reinforced, the social status of women deteriorated.
Around the same time, our north-west frontiers by saw attacks by foreign Greek Shakas. Then came the Kushanas and established their empire around that area. The central and southern parts of our country had kingdoms ruled by native people.
The attack from rulers from middle east began in the eighth century CE. The Persians began to refer to the people living east of Indus with the term Hindu. Thus, the word Hindu is an exonym, given to us (all the people living east of Indus) in a purely geographical sense and does not differentiate between religious groups that existed among the people. The attacks by early Turkish, Arab and Persian invaders paved way to their gradual settlement of in the northern part. The coming in of a new religion and culture with political power sent the society in a flux that resulted in unparalleled intermixing of people and faiths. During the Mughal rule, the society continued to be governed by caste divisions and patriarchy. The Mughal rule was run entirely by the aristocracy (ashrafs) among Muslims and its lower strata (mostly the converts from our ancestors) remained outside the corridors of power. In central and southern India, some notable tribal kingdoms flourished and continued during the Mughal rule.
Bhakti and Sufi movements, challenged the orthodox rituals, Brahminical supremacy and intermediacy between the god and the people. The saints such as Namdev, Basaveshawra, Tukaram, Ravidas, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Ghasidas, Janabai, Acchutanand, etc. discarded Brahminical supremacy and wrote and preached universal human values of equality, justice and comity. They influenced large masses of people in various parts of the country and kept the Indic ideology of equality alive.
Our motherland saw yet another foreign rule in the form of the British, that lasted for a century and a half. While the British continued to loot our resources, unlike the Mughals who left the masses to their way of life, the British gradually introduced laws that infringed upon the socio-cultural sphere of the masses.
In the modern historical times, Jyotiba Phule came up with his Shetji-Bhatji versus Shudra-Atishudra construct to expose the roots of exploitation, discrimination and oppression of the Shudras and the women. Along with Savitribai Phule, he fought all his life against unequal social order and discrimination. Dr Ambedkar, carrying on the legacy and the work of Jyotiba Phule, devoted his entire life to make life better for the millions of our people. Various icons such as Birsa Munda, Ayankali, Narain Guru, Ayothi Thas, E Ramasamy Periyar, Abdul Qayyum Ansari and many others, worked against the exploitation and discrimination of the disadvantaged.
Our ancestors, through such long and glorious past, gave us the values of human equality, liberty, justice and comity. After the independence of our country from the foreign British rule our constitution did a remarkable job by incorporating our historical values in its preamble. However, we as people could not translate these values into reality in our socio-cultural-economic sphere.
The subjugation of women for millennia never allowed half of our people to participate in the economic sphere. The caste based hereditary occupations never allowed majority of our people to rise to their fullest potential as per their intrinsic and acquired talents and thus crippled the progress of our nation. The caste system never allowed us a feeling of belonging to a common ancestry and our common glorious past. The caste system and patriarchy are the real elements of the victimhood of our nation. And thus, our vision of great civic nation cannot be realised without freeing our nation from the caste system and patriarchy.
We are resolved to the core of our hearts and minds to make our country the great civic nation. We will become a great civic nation when no child born in this land is discriminated based on her/his religion, caste, region, race, creed or economic status. When every child born in this land gets equitable and quality education and equal opportunity to rise to her/his fullest human potential. When no child is malnourished and no one dies of hunger.
We will become a great civic nation when all genders are treated equally and represented equally in all social, economic, religious, cultural sphere. When every girl born gets to live and live with human dignity. When there are no glass-ceilings stopping the growth of women. When the household chores and child care are not exclusively her responsibility. When she has right to make decisions affecting her life. When she does not need protection of her father, husband or her son. When she is able to walk freely on the streets without fear. When she has equal property rights, and equal opportunities to grow in career. When there are no gender biases in our infrastructure, languages, schools, books, stories, behaviours, thoughts, festivals, celebrations, sports, etc.
We will become a great civic nation when the youth of this country get quality education and an environment to grow as individuals and contribute to nation building. When they have livelihood and employment. When they earn enough to support themselves and their dependents. When they are able to follow and live their dreams.
We will become a great civic nation when every individual has right to belief, faith and worship, in real sense. When no person is looked down upon for having certain belief, or faith. When one knows her/his religion is not superior or inferior to any other religion. When belonging to a religion does not make one hate people belonging to other religion or people without religion. When the slogan of Jai Shri Ram doesn’t scare a follower of Mohammad and when the utterance of Allahu-Akbar doesn’t instil fear in a believer of Ram. When Hindus, Muslims, Koya Punemis, Sarnas, Christians, Animists, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others have equal respect for each other and equal place. When the daughters and sons of our motherland, irrespective of their religious belief or faith, live together in perfect equality and harmony as sisters and brothers in a family, then alone we will become a great civic nation.
We will become a great civic nation when there is no caste system. When our behaviour is not based on one’s birth but on one’s worth. When there is no untouchability of any kind and no notions of purity and impurity based on birth. When some people don’t corner all the socio-economic-religious privileges and the most do not have the only duty to serve. When the natural resources of our motherland are equitably available to all her children.
We will become a great civic nation when justice is available to everyone, irrespective of one’s social or economic condition. When justice is not bought and sold. When justice is done in time, without favour and fear. When the judiciary represents the diversity that exists in our society. When there is merit and transparent process in the promotion or elevation of judges to the state and national level judiciary. When the justice is delivered in the language of the common people.
We will become a great civic nation when we regain our ancestors’ ability to feed on fruits without harming the fruit bearer. When we stop cutting trees for our greed. When the air is free of pollution. When our rivers and ponds have clean water. When our houses and surroundings are clean and free of plastics. When we acknowledge and respect the right of every living being to live. When our posterity has enough resources to live on and pass on to their posterity.
We will become a great civic nation when our farmers get a dignified living. When farmers get respect and remunerative rates for the crops they grow. When every hand has work and every work has enough return to help them live a life of human dignity. When every labourer working in factory or on construction site has safe working environment and social security. When workers are not exploited and when the dignity of labour is acknowledged and respected.
We will become a great civic nation when all get free and affordable access to good health. When no one dies of a preventable or curable disease for want of money. When our health facilities treat the poor and the rich alike.
We will become a great civic nation when we have dignified house of every family. When we have safe drinking water and water enough to meet all our human needs. When the roads are clean and good. When transport is safe and dignified. When there are grounds to play and parks to walk.
We will become a great civic nation when our people develop scientific temper and are not victims of superstitions. When there is compassion in the hearts of all her children. When there is no shaming of people on their body types or sexual orientations or colour of skin. When our measures of goodness of a human character are based on humane values.
We will become a great civic nation when the people in our country have real freedom of speech. When the criticism of the governments or the voices against the social evils do not get termed as ‘antinational’ or ‘secessionist.’ When the human and constitutional rights of every citizen are respected and protected. When the borders of our country are secure and when her sovereignty and unity is not threatened by any forces, from within or without.
We will become a great civic nation when we have flourishing art. When we take pride in the artistic expressions of our ancestors- from the simplest carvings on the rocks of Bhimbetka to the splendid dancing girl figurines of Mohenjodaro, from the aesthetic paintings of the Ajanta caves to the elegant bronze sculpture of the dancing Nataraja. When the art and culture make life more interesting, meaningful and enjoyable. When we rejoice in celebrating various life events, change of seasons, good harvest of crops, etc. When these occasions bring us together to celebrate the human spirit and we share happiness with each other.
The various people and faiths that have come to our motherland, from Aryans to Shakas, from Kushanas to Persians and the British, have brought different cultures and faiths, and have enriched her in different ways. The Hindus, the people living east of Indus, from prehistoric times, have been egalitarian in their essence of life which is also reflected in their acceptance of such people and ideas, cultures and faiths that came from outside.
In today’s ever shrinking and globalising world, we as a nation cannot base our nationhood on the argument of religion or indigenousness. Our nationhood must base itself on our common historical golden past based on the humanistic values of equality, liberty, justice and comity.
In our vision of our motherland, we share her with all the beings living in her lap. No one has an exclusive claim over her. Our motherland belongs to all her children, and equally so. Our image of our motherland does not depend on our religions or races or beliefs or faiths. Just as she has accepted and made her own all the people who have come to her, invaders or migrants, over the last few thousand years, every one living in her lap is her equal child. Our motherland is adorned with the gems of equality, liberty, justice and comity. She is adorned with prosperity and peace. She is adorned with indomitable Indic humane spirit. Let’s resolve and work for making our country a great civic nation of our vision.
