Nationalism Is Not For You

With neatly pressed uniform yet ample sleep still in his eyes, he joined the queue of equally sleepy kids for yet another tedious morning assembly. But as the music reverberated through the peaceful air, he felt the rhythm in every bit of his being. Ask the 8 year old, each hair on whose body stood up to attention on hearing the national anthem even though he understood little of it; if you claim you are a nationalist but refuse to stand up for a harmony that represents the entire nation then nationalism is not for you.

She had read about the achievements of ancient India all her life. But when suddenly Baudhayana changed to Pythagoras and Sridharacharya became Euclid among numerous other examples, she could not help but wonder if it was the education system that had failed or those being imparted with this education who had. Ask the 15 year old whose blood boiled upon realising that it was not just material wealth that the West had stolen from her country; if you claim to be a true Indian but deny the magnificence of ancient India charmed by western ideas, nationalism is not for you.

Leading his troop up the treacherous ridge, still short of their target position, he was not ready to face the enemy’s shower of iron. Yet with unparalleled courage he surged ahead of his troops and charged at the enemy with a battle cry that rang above the hail of the bullets. At the final point, the brave son succumbed to his injuries but not before winning the last bunker back. Ask the 24 year old who became an incarnation of Kalantaka the very moment he bellowed that “If death strikes before I proves my blood, I swear I will not deter from killing death!”; if you claim to be a patriot but your patriotism loads only during independence day and let alone die for the country you refuse to even live for it then nationalism is not for you.

Refusing a life that threatened to fall apart after her husband’s death, she took it upon herself live up to the flag he had died for. And when she looked up towards the heaven after the sacred Stars had been piped on her shoulders, she knew he was smiling at her. Ask the 30 year old who proved herself as an epitome of love, women power and nationalism all at once; if you claim to venerate the tricolour but think that the unfurling of another flag atop an Indian monument is forgivable, nationalism is not for you.

It was not the 15th of August. It was not even a national event. It was not the national anthem that was being played. Yet as the song proceeded towards its crescendo, not a single eye in the hall was dry and even the toughest of men had their hearts brimming with pride. Ask the 37 year old who penned the song when it threatened to become the reason of his death; if you claim to respect the country but naming Vande Mataram as the national song or calling the nation Maa Bharti threatens your shallow ideals of secularism then nationalism is not for you.

It was a day of celebration back at home. He eagerly waited at the door for his soldier son to return, only to realise that his footsteps will never be heard again. But when his bullet ridden corpse was recovered later on, the broken beyond redemption yet proud beyond comparison father resolved that he will dedicate both of his other sons to the forces. Ask the 60 year old who refused to be cowed down by a loss so immense and didn’t back out from sacrificing his entire legacy for that of the nation’s; if you know that you have been raised on this very land yet refuse to acknowledge all that you owe back to her, nationalism is not for you.

Enveloped by malignant forces on all sides she was, by all means, a lone queen fighting against an army of thousand kings. Yet when commanding for the reconstruction of one of the greatest shrines in her culture in a direct message of hostility, she did not fumble for she knew that it was only by uplifting her own heritage that she could keep the enemies at bay. Ask the 70 year old who had sworn to protect her country’s legacy till her last breath and did; if you claim that you love your country but refrain from actively promoting her glorious past in the fear that it might appear like you are supporting a particular supposed ‘religion’, nationalism is not for you.

     “Ae mere pyare vatan, 
      Ae mere bichhde chaman, 
      Tujhpe dil qurbaan. 
      Tu hi meri arzoo, 
      Tu hi meri abroo, 
      Tu hi meri jaan…!” 

India is not just a country. India is our mother. India has given us our past and we are the ones who shall give her a glorious future. Today we breathe in a free India owing to the numerous brave children of Maa Bharti who chose their motherlands over their mothers; who kept the love for their country above everything and when this nationalism cost them their lives, they embraced death with pride and smile. And the least thing we can do for them, for our India, is to love this land with all we have, without giving in to any political or social swing.

History is witness, that every time the sanctity of our motherland has been threatened, all her children have stood as one to defend her. And the years to come shall see that no matter how deep the darkness is, we shall not back out from offering our lives at the altar of this country’s freedom and dignity. Ask each and every citizen who is willing to sacrifice their life for their motherland; if you claim to love your country but do not identify as a nationalist, this land is not for you.

 [author title=”Megha Satapathy” image=”http://goachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_20210205_095950.jpg”]Journalist, Goa Chronicle

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