If the government does its duty diligently, there would simply be no need to issue diktats for patriotic fervour.

By | Published: 21st Aug 2017 12:05 am 12:09 am

A photograph of the headmaster of Naskara LP School in Dhubri district of Assam with two children and another teacher hoisting the national flag standing in chest-deep water on the flooded school premises on Independence Day went viral on the social media. TV channels picked up the story with the photographs. Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma proudly posted it on Twitter expressing gratitude to them. Anchors of news channels presented the news with a tone of nationalistic pride.

The flip side of the story is that such enthusiasm for celebrating Independence Day is not visible in other non-Muslim majority areas of the State. Dhubri district shares a 134-km border with Bangladesh — the longest stretch of international border with Bangladesh in Assam. Around 79.67% of the total population of the district is Muslim as per Census 2011.

Proving Loyalty

The religious minorities of Dhubri district are sensitive of their identities. The Hindu nationalists refer Dhubri district as mini-Bangladesh within Assam. Apart from such allegations from the Hindu nationalists, most of them face harassments by the authorities; even their voting rights are curtailed under the ‘D’ (doubtful) voter direction of the Election Commission.

The Muslims of this district and also other minority-dominated areas of Assam generally celebrated Independence Day and Republic Day more enthusiastically to prove their allegiance to the Republic even in those days when people, in general, could not gather courage to hoist the national flag, defying the diktats of extremists groups of Assam and other States of the Northeast.

The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) along with other insurgent groups of the Northeast have been calling for a boycott of Independence Day and Republic Day functions every year since the last few decades. In 2004, a powerful bomb blast in Dhemaji College playground killed 18 children and injured many on Independence Day. The blast was the handiwork of ULFA. People were scared thereafter to participate in such State events. However, with the weakening of militancy in the State, the situation gradually changed.

Government Pressure

The pressure from the State government to compulsorily record every event, including Independence Day celebrations, on school premises and submit them to the authorities are also reasons for celebrating Independence day in the schools of minority areas in Assam defying flood. But isn’t it strange that the government has forced teachers and students to hoist the national flag on Independence Day in the flooded premises of schools compromising the safety and health of the children?

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has issued a circular asking schools to organise a set of programmes revolving around Independence Day. The circular also asked the schools to arrange an oath taking ceremony in which teachers and students would have to promise to rid India of poverty, corruption, terrorism, communalism and casteism by 2022. The Chief Minister of West Bengal ignored the directions of the HRD Ministry and said that such interference by the Centre in States is autocratic.

Patriotism cannot be instilled forcibly in citizens’ mind, the feeling of patriotism should come voluntarily. Merely unfurling the tricolor and saluting it is not patriotism. Rescuing the marooned people, giving them shelter and food are more important than unfurling the national flag during devastating floods.

Biting Reality

Mizanur Rahman, the teacher who was praised for taking and uploading the flag hoisting pictures on the social, media lost his 18-year old cousin within a few hours of the flag hoisting function. His cousin, Rashidul Islam, drowned near the school. Real patriotism is to save the lives of Rashiduls and other vulnerable people.

A quote from Charles de Gaulle, legendary French President, is relevant here — Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.

While patriotism is permanent, countries are not. India itself has been divided into three countries. The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have broken into so many countries. On the other hand, East Germany vanished from the world map. So, the fulcrum of patriotism shifts with the formation and annihilation of countries.

Loving your own people around you is real and lasting patriotism. Hatred and patriotism cannot go together.

Political Tool

In an Independence Day function in a Bengaluru school, students play-acted as Indian Army with guns in their hand pointing at some people with their heads covered in shawl, presumably depicted as militants.

A section of conscientious people questioned the school authority why they were encouraging children to take guns and shoot people. Is only valorising military and going to war patriotism? Is it acceptable to encourage young minds to embrace violence in a country, which has achieved Independence through the non-violence mantra taught by Mahatma Gandhi?

Even journalists are not spared from this spree of infusing patriotism in the minds of people of the country. Bihar Minister and BJP leader Vinod Kumar Singh asked the journalists present in a party function in Patna for news coverage to stand up and chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Though later he expressed regret over his utterance, it clearly indicates a pattern if we take all other such incidents into account.

An environment is being deliberately built in the country where patriotism can be converted into absolute support for the government and the ruling political forces.

Mark Twain once said: ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it’. Every dutiful citizen of the country loves her/his country, but the ruling classes should know that the people of the country will support them only when they deserve it.