hat* bus ride and the teeming legions that thronged the sides of the roads that the open top vehicle drove through. After all the televisual, printed and real-time imagery of the saffron, white and green to which we were subjected for as long as that Twenty20 tournament lasted and a few days after. After enduring random blasts of that infernal Chak de India song, newscasters going ga-ga about random things to do with Indian cricket, money being hurled here and there for "bringing honour to India", mastheads of newspapers being splattered with the tricolour and so on and so forth. After all that overtly cheap showiness, I find me asking myself, "Is THIS what constitutes patriotism?" Is coming together during cricket matches and high-fiving strangers when the Indian team gets a wicket, patriotism? (Note: The Australian demolition machine seems to have put paid to a large amount of the showiness, that's for sure) Interestingly, I also find myself wondering where this patriotism disappears when the team is whomped by another. Moving away from the construct of "patriotism" in sport, where is this patriotism when pushing and shoving people to get into public transport, when selling second grade goods to fellow Indians, when neglecting roads that need repair, schools that need establishing and pretty much any basic civic duty that needs to be carried out and isn't, time and time again? Where is this patriotism and love for one's country at that point?
Where does all the gusto of the pledge I was made to (and am certain a number of others were too) memorise in school, go?
"India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. (Sisters?! A glance at any daily newspaper will say more than I ever could about *that* little irony)
I love my country. I am proud of its rich and varied culture. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. (This part never fails to make me crack up — how exactly are we striving to be in any way worthy of it?)
I shall love and respect my parents, teachers and elders. (Meh. It COULD happen)
To my country and my people I pledge my devotion. (Loosely worded sentence
that helps no one in any way whatsoever. I could be devoted to violence and carnage and could pledge the delivery of that to my country and its people. In other news, Gujarat elections are just around the corner)
I further affirm that I shall never resort to violence and that all differences and disputes relating to religion, language, region or other political or economic grievances should be settled by peaceful and constitutional means. (Aaaaand with an unprecedented, hat-trick of references... that's right, it's Gujarat again! If this were Neo Sports, we'd cut to an ad break just as I said "that's right")
In their well being and prosperity alone lies my happiness. (And the Easter Bunny will be participating in a Hungry Hungry Hippos Showdown with Santa Claus, a leprechaun and Shaft... John Shaft at the Wankhede stadium on October 19. All ticket proceeds will be donated to charity by Niranjan Shah)"
Looking at it very very objectively, doesn't it seem like a bit of a stupid concept that one patriotism requires one's love and devotion for a land one was born in with no choice whatsoever? It's not like one had any means of selection in terms of which country to be born in and which people one would have to refer to as one's brothers and sisters. So by virtue of pure dumb luck, I was born in a country home to a pluralistic society, without any prescribed religion or way to live (minus the "don't be homosexual" which Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code states, but the Fundamental Right of Life and Liberty under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution contradicts). Call it freedom. Call it tolerance. Call it secularism . Call it whatever the hell you want, but it’s the bedrock on which this nation was founded and from which we stray at our peril. It’s what has defined us as Indians and no flag-waving, chest-beating nonsense will act as a substitute for.
Exhausting as this diatribe was to put down and I'm sure will have been to read (read: Moid), it is nowhere near as exhausting as it was to watch the absolute unashamed exploitation of little children on the altar of "patriotism" on the blog of a ermm... person some of us have had recent interactions with. Children, barely 4 or 5, being made to sing "patriotic songs" and being exalted as being brave for being Kashmiri and singing that. You think those kids even had a clue as to what they were singing? I refuse to endorse such exploitation and will not be linking that travesty. Although you are most welcome to look it up yourself. (Hint: Numerous hints as to the blogger's identity are liberally strewn all over this page).
To bring this sporadic, free-form and fairly stream-of-conscious spray of words to a close, I'm not sure what level of patriotism I find myself on, if any. But I do know this — patriotism to me does not represent bringing Pakistan down at any opportunity or getting all worked up when Narendra Modi is denied a US Visa.
Pictures courtesy:
Kwik Essential
Benjamin's Worldview
Worth 1000
5 comments:
Ello wrinklepuss! (Watch loins of Punjab)
Interestingly enough a friend of mine in England actually said she supported the cricket team because she felt she needed some sort of a connection with the country. The need to 'belong' and sort of be a part of something alot larger than yourself is something inate to all of us. but to blindly decide you belong to a nation, fan club or political standpoint without any rational or emotional logic behind it is just plain lazy. we all need a 'home' or an identity to fall back on, but why not fall back on ourselves, our own individual beliefs and values, instead of just settling for a tag like 'Indian' which as you've pointed out weve literally been handed like a pamphlet. We forget that all the random high fiving doesnt make us indian, just fans of a sports team. Essentially it's either fear or laziness that's keeping us from being objective and by extension, rational.
Great post, stream of consciousness seems to work for you...
Today I went to a shop with my mom, and as soon as we entered, Chak De India comes belting out of the speakers. I get home, and there are a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds playing downstairs. By the time I reach my flat, they're singing Chak De India.
I was watching the match yesterday, and everytime Neo Sports ran the Happydent theme song (whenever a wicket went, or there was a 4 or 6 being hit) I could hear the Chak De song! The Happydent theme sounded like it! That's how much it is drilled into me! It plays in my head by default now! *runs away screaming*
That last part of the pledge addressing abstinence from violence was missing from most school text books. They normally ended with the integrity of the nation bit.
Patriotism is something I often try and steer clear of. In the last 50 years Europeans have learned to fear excessive patriotism, the basic concept having been harnessed by right wing organisations to suit their own ends.
Karan, that was one of the best articles I have ever read. Aside from silly editorial matters (couple of spelling mistakes), this was an amazing piece of work.
I agree with jonjo, the 'patriot' has come to mean something vulgar...however he is wrong by saying Europeans have learned a fear of patriotism, it is quite the opposite.
Football fanaticism is actively encouraged in this country and, although we are taking steps towards battling hooliganism, the 'ING-ERRR-LUND' singing jackasses still remain as British as The Queen (chortle, British as the Queen, hohoho). Patriotism in this country MEANS wearing a national team shirt, making the odd German joke and not being a stranger to a good ol' kicking (giving, receiving, or watching).
I am a patriot, I love this country. I make the odd German joke and I drink excessive amounts of tea with milk (can I get an amen?), but I do this because a) I like shocking humour, and my friends know I do not hate Germans, and b) I like the taste of tea with milk. I have thought through my own manifestation of patriotism, and I do not behave like a lout to display it (although I often behave like a lout anyway). My patriotism is born from an appraisal of how much this country has given me and therefore how much I feel I shall give it back as a thank-you...but it has not stopped my desire to move to Paris.
It has nothing to do with people telling me 'Love your country'. I make my own decisions, based on my own sense of what is right and wrong.
I wish more people were like that. I applaud KP, Jonjo gets no applause because he wouldn't accept it, and I continue to hope for more sense of perspective in the world.
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