13 Aug. 2014
ASPIRATIONS
आकांक्षा
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15th August, 2014 Independence Day Celebration.
The lyrics of two compositions that throb the heart of Indian mind on 15 August seem to be the National Anthem and “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon”.
Aspiration may be considered as durable inspiration in the context of the stride of India in the 21st Century for fulfilling the aspirations of the common man.
“जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे” is the beginning lyric of the National Anthem of India. Written in highly Sanskritized (Tatsama) Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung in Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911. The heart of the Indian subcontinent was aspiring for freedom from the British occupation.since the 1650’s. At that time, the map of British ruled India was as shown below. This is the map outline that I drew in my Geography class as a highschool kid during 1942-1948. Geography being my most favorite subject in high school, I was well aware of the national borders. The drums of freedom were gradually sounding louder. However, towards 1946-47 there was whisper that the country may be divided on cow-pig religious issues.
During those years (1942-48), I was transitioning through the age of 10 to 16; secretly wishing that the map of India that I had fondly drawn in my geography class would remain intact. I had sensed that all people of my hometown, Nagpur, seemed to have similar body language and ways of entertaining life, although they spoke different languages and had different skin colors ranging from black, brown to fair. By virtue of being the geographic center of India, Nagpur always has had a generous presence of every religious and linguistic community of the country.
During early 1900, British rule had already spun off India, Burma and Ceylon as separate territories probably for easier governance. The territory of British Indian Empire as shown in the above map gained Independence on 15 August, 1947, but simultaneously fragmenting into India and Pakistan as two separate countries; the result of a bartered arrangement through the intermediary of the British. As a high school student at that time, I sensed that the fracture occurred primarily due to ego driven cow-pig squabbles. As a result, both India and Pakistan celebrate their Independence day on 15 August. A few decades later ( March 26, 1971) the Easter segment of Pakistan split away naming itself Bangladesh seemingly due to linguistic issues. Titan Ego that does not seem to dissolve easily, seems to invariably trounce over wisdom of the time !
Each country with its newly defined borders within the subcontinent embraced its own National Anthem. In the light of these developments, it seems that India’s National Anthem that was initiated in 1911 is being sung out of context as shown below.
The National Anthem of India in Devanagari Script:
जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मागे
गाहे तव जयगाथा
जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!
A simple question arises, why is the freed country still being identified as India, while addressing it as भारत (Bharat) in the National Anthem ? It was the spirit of this National Anthem that had united all Indians, irrespective of religious and linguistic differences, to aspire for Independence from the British rule ever since the Sepoy mutiny of 1857. Will someone identify where is Bharat and Sindh located in the current map of India shown below?
From my perspective ( Born in 1932 ) the map of current India looks as if my high school image of India has been chewed up by rats around.the upper half along the Eastern, Northern, and Western borders. It may not make an emotional difference for Indians born after the country’s Independence in 1947 because this is the map they will see and study in school.
While the country is free and independent since 1947, its mindset still displays residual signs of enslavement which is audible from the body language of its inhabitants. The educated that claim to be modernized seem to be woefully westernized and a big emotional gap exists between them and rest of the rural India. Take a walk of 100 kilometers ( 60 miles) on your own feet out of a big city limits to feel the difference. Would some of the so-called modernised, unconsciously sing the National Anthem in a customized way as follows (obviously I am exaggerating to make a point!).
जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
INDIA भाग्यविधाता
पंजाब INDUS गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मागे
गाहे तव जयगाथा
जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
INDIA भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!
India and Indus are clearly not words derived from Tamil or Sanskrit, which are the two oldest languages originating on the subcontinent and represent a distinct civilization. It is not the intent of this composition to survey the historical origins of these two words, Indus and India. .
It is time India wakes up to its inherent cultural identity, which is intertwined with the distinct civilization.of the entire subcontinent. Since ancient times, the entire subcontinent has been identified locally as Bharat (भारत) as well as Aryavarta (आर्यवर्त), which implies the land of the original inhabitants. Sadguru Vasudev of the Isha Foundation points out that the names Hindustan and Hindu Kush Mountains are ancient geographical identities similar to neighboring regions identified as Afghanistan, Waziristan, Turkistan, and others. The word Stan simply implies a place; a geographical identity.
Astronomical predictions peg the popular folklore about King Rama of Ayodhya around 8000 BCE; and Krishna of Mathura around 5000 BCE. The Carbon Dating System pegs the Mohenjo-daro civilization in the province of Sindh around 2600 BCE. Any old timelines have to be taken with a pinch of salt!
Unfortunately in recent times, the province of Sindh was bartered away to Pakistan during the negotiations for Independence in 1947; which prompted the following note for this composition:
In the dawn of 1942, a little girl named Usha Butani was born in Larkana, Sindh, which was an integral part of British India then. However, when Usha was barely six years old,, her entire family had to leave their comfortable home in Larkana where her father,was a successful practicing Physician, The whole family had no option but to leave all belongings and resettle in the newly defined India for their own safety. During that upheaval,and migration, almost a million innocent lives were lost and families disrupted. The Butani family eventually settled in Delhi and learnt Hindi/Punjabi to adapt in the new environment. Usha grew up in Delhi while studying through school and University. For no mischief on my part, I fell in love at the very first sight with the disarming warmth and beauty of her unassuming simplicity; and we got married on 15 October, 1969.
The word Bharat * भारत “ is symbolic of an ancient self-enriching cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent. It has consistently entertained an all-inclusive universal philosophy and a way of life, which has been seeded by self-enlightened Masters of this soil. The self-enlightened Saints of Bharat such as Tukaram and Kabir passionately sang lyrics communicating universal wisdom such as “ My body is the place of worship of my divine Consciousness” (माझा देह, माझ्या देवाचे मंदीर).
Kabir who was a Muslim Fakir was once asked:
Kabir, do you know, who your God is?
Kabir coolly replied “ God knows me”.
Unfortunately, all traditional religions choose to ignore the free spirit of the saints, fakirs and mystics.
There was a conscious effort to incorporate the self-enriching universal philosophy of life in the Indian National Emblem with the inscription in Devanagari सत्यमेव जयते; "Satyameva Jayate" expressed in literal English. Its meaning “Truth Alone Triumphs “ is a mantra affirmation derived from the ancient scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Adopted as the National Motto, it is inscribed in Devanagari script at the base of the National Emblem. The emblem and the words "Satyameva Jayate" are also inscribed on one side of all Indian currency. The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka which was erected around 250 BC at Sarnath, near Varanasi in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
In a truly secular and free India, each individual may freely entertain the idea and ideal of a personal God, while being mindful and respectful of other enabling ideas and ideals. Freedom automatically implies responsibilities for mutual respect; and that is where good governance plays an effective role. In a truly diverse India, appeasement of none and legitimate freedom for all; has been voiced by the newly elected Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi.
With blurred self-identity, India seemed to have gone into a virtual coma for the past 1500 years. The blame game stops where it begins; at the Mind that surrenders its innate freedom and identity. With changing mindset and recently renewed aspirations, the country may come out of its coma and identify itself again as Bharat…. the land of the self-enlightened Masters (ऋषि, मुनी) that prompt exploring the immense possibilities of life here and now, as well as in the boundless Universe; seeking our true self-identity and its purpose.
It has been saddening to witness the wild weeds grown in the fertile soil of Bharat. Renewed hopes and aspirations through the national elections of 2014 hold promise, provided everyone participates actively and responsibly. No one has a magic wand !
By sheer demography, India is poised to become the World’s youngest population by 2020. Addressing the most precious asset of the country, the Youth, following pertinent remarks are appealing:
Mr. Narendra Modi reiterates “ Do not aspire to become someone; instead aspire to do something worthwhile in life”
Our Mother wrote a few decades ago, which appears in the book titled Seamless Generations “ The texture of thoughts condense into our actions and their consequences. We receive what we deserve, and not what we desire “.
While the drama of life within families and nations goes on unabated, our aspirations of an unfragmented Indian subcontinent may still become a reality in the 21st Century without even changing the borders of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma) and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). This may happen because people of the entire subcontinent speak the same body language and may start exchanging goods and goodwill, which they have subconsciously shared over the past several millenniums.
Unconditional love is deeper than the depths of the seas and the boundless skies. It is not the love of Hollywood, Bollywood or the wedding vows; but which is only expressed without a word. Only a Mother has the innate capacity to give expression to it. That may be why, the terms such as भारतमाता, मातृभूमी, जन्मभूमी, धरतीमाता, भू गर्भ , जननी, and Universal Womb are used to express the Motherly emotions. Yet, a child may have the audacity to emotionally disown the motherly love in favor of personal priorities ! The Indian subcontinent has its share of oddly behaving children!
All of us live in a borderless Universe, but unfortunately get bogged down by physicalities and their self-imposed limitations. International borders with controlled porosity may allow fresh air to pass through and invigorate both sides of the border. Self-enriching ideas and committed sustained efforts help realise youthful dreams faster.
सत्यमेव जयते !
ए मेरे तन, मन, और वतन के लोगों ~~~~~
Suresh M. Deo
sureshdeo32@gmail.com
Addison, Illinois.
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