Sixty six years of India’s Independence: An Introspective Analysis

Before I begin this article it is essential that I make a few clarifications, as the nature of socio-political discourse makes it necessary.

Firstly, I am not an anti-Indian. Rather, as a concerned citizen of this nation, I consider it my moral responsibility to point out to the structural flaws and inequalities within our system, that has repeatedly corroded the prospects of the development of this country. Following the Anna Hazare thing, we have a radical and aggressive brand of nationalism that states either you profess Anna like views or you are an anti-Indian. (Much like George Bush’s Iraq war rhetoric, which stated: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.)

Secondly, I am not a Communist. In fact, I am an anti-Communist to be precise. I believe Communists don’t have a copyright of protesting against capitalism and neo-corporate globalization. Just like being anti-Anna doesn’t make you anti-Indian, being anti-Bush doesn’t mean you are with the terrorists, similarly, being anti-capitalist doesn’t make you a pro-Communist.

Talking about pointing to the structural flaws within our system, I could not think of a better day than 15th of August, the day of our independence, to do the job. Quite purposefully i wont enter into the debate whether we attained this independence, or was it a false one, given to us by our British masters at the cost  of a bloody partition of this country, which Arundhati Roy calls Britain’s final, parting kick to India. I find this debate useless and sinister. We cannot undo a decision taken sixty-five years ago by our forefathers. Its better we address the issues that confront us today. (I know its an un intellectual argument but its a practical one.)

So, on the 66th year of our Independence as the social networking sites get flooded with patriotic updates, as the tv channels throughout the day televise films and songs that boost up our nationalistic sensations( temporarily although), and as our soft-spoken, suave Prime Minister belts out his neatly drafted Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, let us have a close look at the ground realities of 21st century India.

A huge battallion of paramilitary forces armed with the most sophisticated ammunition, is closing in towards the forests of Central India, the heartland of this country. They are readying for a bloody war against an army which comprises of the poorest,(most of them haven’t seen a modern city, never travelled in a train or a bus) undernutritioned, malnourished people, the tribals and the adivasis of India. They have realised that their Government is too thick skinned to pay any heed to their non-violent protests against the forceful acquisition of their land and its natural resources, for the purpose of setting up Special Economic Zones. In despair they have joined the ultra-Left Maoist radicals who seek the overthrow of the Indian state through an armed revolution. The country is probably heading towards a civil war, or probably the war has already begun. Its a rich man’s war where the poorest of the poor fight and they die.

While the gala of the Independence Day celebration persists, we have a lady at the distant North-Eastern state of Manipur, stretching a world record few Indians bother to care about, and none feel proud about. Irom Sharmila, a Manipuri civil-rights activist and poet is on a hunger strike since 2 November, 2000, which makes her the person on the longest hunger strike in the history of the world. Her demand is the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act(AFSPA). AFSPA, a draconian law that is in operation in the seven North-Eastern states of India, and Jammu and Kashmir, entitles army personnel(except those of the lowest two ranks) to arrest without a warrant, shoot and even kill an individual, or a group of individuals, on the mere suspicion of being a terrorist. The act provides impunity to the army men from any prosecution or trial for their aforementioned acts. Under the garb of doctrine of necessity the AFSPA is essentially a license to kill.

Before I forget to tell you all, my friends and seniors hailing from Kashmir, like every year have told me that today, on the 15th of August, Kashmir has an unanimous strike and a blackout. 14th August, i.e. the Independence Day of Pakistan was celebrated with much pomp and show. The incident is a slap on the very ideals of equality and integrity that the Constitution of this country seeks to uphold. It shows how our successive Governments have badly messed up with an issue that required patience and a humane approach.

Politics in India seems to get murkier day by day. Today, we have a new brand of hate-mongering, incarnate politicians whipping up divisions along religious, casteist, and sectarian lines, thereby ensuring a polarized mandate, that facilitates and smoothens their road to power. Politics of hatred probably was never so much in the vogue in India, as it has been during the past few decades. I would refrain from citing examples of incidents of politics of hatred that have unleashed unimaginable proportions of atrocities, because they chill my spine.

As if this unending list of corrupt, hate mongering politicians who siphon out huge amount of money from the public exchequer and stash it up in their Swiss bank accounts, was not enough, we presently have an increasing number of CEOs and corporates hollowing out natural resources worth trillions of dollars from the forests and mountains of India. All this courtesy the two decades of liberalization and privatization in India, and also the large number of Memorandum of Understandings(which are secret documents and their terms and conditions have been concealed from the common people) signed between state Governments and these multinational corporations.

Unfortunately, the tragedy of this country does not end here. The youth of this nation, comprising the lion’ share of its population is a directionless mass, away from the realities of the day. Following the massive privatization of education, students have been turned into prospective buyers of University degrees. The policy in practice is: Throw your bucks and grab your degrees. Education, in India, today, is the most lucrative business. Thus, toeing the lines of its capitalist vanguards, the youth of today wears a ‘cool’ attitude, proudly declaring that it doesn’t care about politics, hardly realising that this depoliticisation is the biggest political happening of this decade.) It is enmeshed in the status-quo, oblivious to any sort of acts of resistance in unison against this capitalist exploitation.

The need of the hour is the development of awareness among the common mass. The youth of the country cannot afford to remain aloof from those very issues that affect us so seriously. It has to come forward and take up the cudgels of nation building. It has to think and prepare the roadmap of our future. Everyone has stakes in the future of this nation, come, let us realise it together.

P.S:- I did not attend the Independence Day function in my University. I find these symbolic events useless, they frustrate me. Present time demands persevering hard work rather than indulging in an hour’s show of flag hoisting and worthless rhetoric.

- By Riad Azam 

Why the Aligarh Activists' Society is formed?

Taking a leaf from the glorious traditions of student activism at the Aligarh Muslim University campus, the Aligarh Activists’ Society was incepted in August 2011 with an aim of providing active students’ participation and sensitizing them on the pertinent socio-political issues of our times.  During the past few decades, the educational institutes of our country have witnessed radical changes. Students’ politics, hitherto seen as a tool for realising students’ rights and preparing them for taking up the onus of nation-building in future, today has become synonymous with flagrant exercise of money and muscle power, nepotism and debauchery.

The AMU has had its own set of issues and problems. Issues like regionalism, naked exercise of money and muscle power among a plethora of others, have time and again plagued the healthy development of students’ politics and activism in this campus. Politics deprived of ideas and ideals have repeatedly lead to violent clashes amongst the students thereby jeopardising the prospects of growth and development of our University. Following the nightmarish events of student violence in 2007 which lead to the sine-die closure of the University, an urgency was felt among the AMU student fraternity for bringing about a change in the state of affairs.

The biggest change that we need to see in our campus is the development of a platform which would be a congenial medium for vibrant discourses on the socio-political issues that affect us. The lack of discourse over the years has lead to an intellectual stagnation which, we believe, is the root cause of all the problems that plague the Aligarh Muslim University today. We organise seminars, conferences, panel discussions, and workshops to develop awareness, and shape our opinion about the contemporary happenings. In future, we also seek to promote our ideas and ideals through more innovative mediums such as street plays, cartoons, wall magazines, etc.

We appeal to all the stakeholders of our University in joining us in building a better AMU which can realise the dreams and aspirations of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, an apostle of pluralism and educational empowerment. The writing on the wall is quite clear, “We can, We will”. Come, let us realise it together.