Age of Reason

I watched a beautiful documentary series over the weekend: The story of India. It traces the journey India has taken from ancient times. And though it misses some of the important facets of Indian history (well, the makers cannot be blamed: you cannot cover everything in 6 hours), it presents a very true and beautiful picture of India. In a way Michael Wood, Writer and Presenter of the series, completes a spiritual journey in the course of which he brings out the real essence of India. I would like to comment on the entire series but at present I am intrigued by one term he used throughout his journey – ‘the age of reason’. He talks about various chapters of Indian history, each of which is marked by conscious efforts to bring in peace and rule of reason: be it the times of Buddha or that of Ashoka; whether it was Gupta’s reign which brought Golden Age to India or Islamic influence which created an altogether different cross-culture; there were always people who propagated humanity and peaceful co-existence. So, being a part of that culture we should be expected to carry forward that legacy. However, recent events have put a question mark on that expectation.

The news channels were broadcasting a news piece yesterday: A group of Kannada legislators boycotted the unveiling of a statue of a renowned Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar and called for a Bandh: What has happened to India and its ethos? We cannot even recognize our own greats in another state. The fact that the state government has decided to go ahead with its plan to unveil the statue does not undermine the presence of a section in the society which believes in divisiveness.

I was going through a few articles today on my native state of Bihar and was aghast reading the comments that people have left on those articles. The resentment against the Biharis and especially the Bihari migrants is not new but the way in which these sentiments have flared up in recent past in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka is not good for the country. I still believe that India is not just a confederation of different states but it is also a ‘Soul’. So, has the situation so much changed that the right of free movement and settlement across India is not applicable for all? I do believe that there are very few people who think like this but again as responsible citizens we should discourage such mentality.

There have been people who use divisive tactics for their personal gains throughout the history: the spirit of India has always been able to thwart the attempt of these people in the longer run. I once had an interaction with a foreign student who was at my institute for ‘exchange’: She said the one thing that goes in favour for India is that ‘this country has a very beautiful fabric’. I think it is time that we realize that we can only progress by retaining the beauty of that ‘fabric’. I am proud of a tradition which has given the world four great religions and one of the most exhilarating cultures. A culture where all have tried to co-exist: this experiment would not have succeeded anywhere in world except India. I think it is time to denounce the politics of divisiveness: be it of caste or religion or region and come out with a strong voice of unity. The present India should bring forth the age of reason: where we put in the development of human kind before the petty differences that exist between us.