IT SEEMS a matter of past when we Indians used to feel proud of unity in diversity our country. People of different states would cherish the cultural difference and felt amazed to see so many cultures in one India. With the current regional hatred, now one feels insecure and helpless.
Regionalism is a feeling or an ideology among a section of people residing in a particular geographical space characterized by unique language, culture etc. that they are the sons of the soil and every opportunity that exists in their land must be accorded to them first but not to the outsiders. It is a sort of Parochialism. In most of the cases it is raised for expedient political gains but not necessarily.
Regionalism in India can be traced back to Dravida Movement started in Tamil Nadu. The movement initially focused on empowering Dalits, non-Brahmins, and poor people. Later it turned against imposition of Hindi as sole official language on non-Hindi speaking areas. Finally, the movement for some time focused on seceding from India to carve out their own Dravidastan or Dravida Nadu. The movement slowly declined and today they have become prominent regional parties after many splits and factionalism. Throughout India regionalism persisted. In Maharashtra Shiv Sena against Kannadigas in the name of Marathi pride and recently MNS activists against Biharis; in Punjab against non-Punjabis that gave rise to Khalistan Movement and earlier Akali Movement; in Andhra, Telangana Movement with an aim of separate state; in Assam ULFA militants against migrant Biharis and Bengalis; in North-East against other Indians.
Do we need to fear Regionalism?
No. Regionalism in India is only a short cut to attain the political ambitions by emotionally exploiting the sentiments of the people. The fear of Balkanization is void of any logic. India is bound by a common culture that has flourished on this land many thousand years ago. I may be Kannadiga or Tamil but I am an Indian first. My identity outside India is that of an Indian. The states which fought for complete independence are now part of Indian Union and they have renounced for some extent violence; they include Mizoram, Nagaland, Kashmir, Bodoland, and Tamil Nadu. India is too big for these states to fight against and win.
Regionalism is as bad as terrorism
India has been already under the grip of perhaps the widest range of terrorism for quite some time. With 509 incidences between 2000 & 2006 India ranks 7th in the world in of terrorist acts - just behind Afghanistan and ahead of Pakistan. During the same time there have been 899 official deaths due to terrorism in India - that's 5th highest in the world - even ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan. With all these India ranks first in Global Terrorism Indicator.
No doubt most of the terrorist acts are caused directly or indirectly by the so called foreign agencies. But not all can be attributed to outsiders. By 2006 more than a third of India's 600 or so districts were affected by various acts of insurgencies and terrorism. Apart from the Muslim fundamentalists there are the Naxalites & ULFA - perhaps the two most important in-house terrorist organizations. Also it would be tough to generalize the terrorisms across the entire nation. For example the terrorism in Kashmir is not exactly same as that in the tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa & Jharkhand. Socio-religio-economical reasons sometimes polarized with politics are widely the reasons of terrorism in most cases. The Naxalites or the ULFAs might not have been active had there been proper growth and prosperity in the tribal and north-eastern areas of India. But same is not true in Kashmir. Perhaps the government pumps in most funds and 'packages' for Kashmir. The subsidies that the Kashmiris enjoy are perhaps more than that in any other state. The terrorism is Kashmir is mainly politico-religious in nature. The 'outside' hand is also very strong here.
It's important to curb terrorism. But it's even more important to curb regionalism.
Terrorism is often a natural outburst of oppressed people. But regionalism is just a parochial and selfish tactic of some vested politicians, just to get some short term political mileage. Each terrorism arises from some genuine reason which in most case related to oppression or discrimination. In most cases at least a few of the terrorists are also very selfless people, who really think they would do some good for people by sacrificing their lives. . That's why many terrorists often become legends and martyrs. So if you think very deeply, you might start having a soft corner for some of these terrorists even for an iota of second.
The proposals
One India-One Identity
We all have just only one identity - and that's of being Indians. We don't write our state or language in our passport. Just because I speak Bengali that doesn't mean that I've to stay in West Bengal. Every part of the country is as much mine as it is others'. It's my fundamental right to settle in any part of India and work and earn. The states were created just to facilitate efficient administration. The states had to be created based on some formula and linguistic basis did make a very simple sense. But that doesn't mean that language should become more important that nationality. The idea of India doesn't make any sense when people start talking about region and language. It's the responsibility of the local governments to provide proper education and health care to its people so that they well equipped to get the right employment. It's not the responsibility of the any government to reserve employment or opportunity for any particular community. Who-so-ever is the fittest for any job would come and fill in irrespective of his/her caste, creed, religion and language. Each of the Indian languages is very strong and it doesn't require anyone to protect it from extinction. Marathi language will thrive many more thousand years despite any of Raj's effort. Even if the people speaking Marathi decline in Bombay, that doesn't mean that the Marathi language is perishing. Language and culture are too fundamental to be impacted by anything. Sanskrit perished despite being protected by so many emperors for centuries. If a language has to die, it will do so naturally even after all efforts and if it thrives it will do so despite everything. You don't show more respect to Kannada by just enforcing all shop owners to write the bill boards in Kannada. You don't increase the status of a language by putting the tag of a classical language on it. Each language is unique and is classical in its own way. It's really silly to fight for a language.
The need of the hour is to identify legitimate kind of regionalism. India’s federal
reconciliation of regional identity with autonomy has a democratic aspect. It
operates at two levels. Any political demand for statehood, or sub-statehood, to
begin with, must, first, demonstrate identifiable popular support born of mass
mobilization, before such demands are conceded to.
Secondly, the political institutions achieved (whether a state government, or a regional or tribal council) must be elected by universal adult suffrage in every five years, as it is the normal political practice for such representative institutions throughout India. Democracy rather than ethnicity is thus the legitimacy basis of such political institutions. Indian federalism has provided the institutional terrain within which
various ‘ethnic nations’ in India (e.g., Tamil, Telegu, Bengali, Sikh, Gujarati,
Manipuri, or Assamese) have taken shape, defined themselves, and are able to protect and to celebrate their identity.
The next step is to identify our rulers. Its really pity to note that out of 60% educated youth population not even 10% of them are actively participating in politics. The basic awareness is lacking and politics is considered to be the permanent baggage of veterans. Campaigns of janaagraha ( www.jaagore.com) should be encouraged. Also reality shows like LEAD INDIA should be encouraged.
Also the various unnecessary quotas should be eliminated or should not be encouraged. This create sectionalisms among people.
And finally
Every Indian in India is a son of soil. Soil of Maharashtra is no different than the soil of Bihar in its essence and of origin.
If people like Raj Thackeray had their own way, Marathi Manoos will live in Mumbai, Gujaratis will live in Gujarat, Tamilians in Tamil Nadu and Bhaiyyas in Uttar Pradesh and so on. Visas will be issued for people of one state to visit another state. Even our armed forces will refuse to serve outside their native state. Fanatics like Raj Thackarey who gives inflammatory speeches and creates a disharmony among states should be criminalized and non-bail able action should be taken against them.
Regionalism is a feeling or an ideology among a section of people residing in a particular geographical space characterized by unique language, culture etc. that they are the sons of the soil and every opportunity that exists in their land must be accorded to them first but not to the outsiders. It is a sort of Parochialism. In most of the cases it is raised for expedient political gains but not necessarily.
Regionalism in India can be traced back to Dravida Movement started in Tamil Nadu. The movement initially focused on empowering Dalits, non-Brahmins, and poor people. Later it turned against imposition of Hindi as sole official language on non-Hindi speaking areas. Finally, the movement for some time focused on seceding from India to carve out their own Dravidastan or Dravida Nadu. The movement slowly declined and today they have become prominent regional parties after many splits and factionalism. Throughout India regionalism persisted. In Maharashtra Shiv Sena against Kannadigas in the name of Marathi pride and recently MNS activists against Biharis; in Punjab against non-Punjabis that gave rise to Khalistan Movement and earlier Akali Movement; in Andhra, Telangana Movement with an aim of separate state; in Assam ULFA militants against migrant Biharis and Bengalis; in North-East against other Indians.
Do we need to fear Regionalism?
No. Regionalism in India is only a short cut to attain the political ambitions by emotionally exploiting the sentiments of the people. The fear of Balkanization is void of any logic. India is bound by a common culture that has flourished on this land many thousand years ago. I may be Kannadiga or Tamil but I am an Indian first. My identity outside India is that of an Indian. The states which fought for complete independence are now part of Indian Union and they have renounced for some extent violence; they include Mizoram, Nagaland, Kashmir, Bodoland, and Tamil Nadu. India is too big for these states to fight against and win.
Regionalism is as bad as terrorism
India has been already under the grip of perhaps the widest range of terrorism for quite some time. With 509 incidences between 2000 & 2006 India ranks 7th in the world in of terrorist acts - just behind Afghanistan and ahead of Pakistan. During the same time there have been 899 official deaths due to terrorism in India - that's 5th highest in the world - even ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan. With all these India ranks first in Global Terrorism Indicator.
No doubt most of the terrorist acts are caused directly or indirectly by the so called foreign agencies. But not all can be attributed to outsiders. By 2006 more than a third of India's 600 or so districts were affected by various acts of insurgencies and terrorism. Apart from the Muslim fundamentalists there are the Naxalites & ULFA - perhaps the two most important in-house terrorist organizations. Also it would be tough to generalize the terrorisms across the entire nation. For example the terrorism in Kashmir is not exactly same as that in the tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa & Jharkhand. Socio-religio-economical reasons sometimes polarized with politics are widely the reasons of terrorism in most cases. The Naxalites or the ULFAs might not have been active had there been proper growth and prosperity in the tribal and north-eastern areas of India. But same is not true in Kashmir. Perhaps the government pumps in most funds and 'packages' for Kashmir. The subsidies that the Kashmiris enjoy are perhaps more than that in any other state. The terrorism is Kashmir is mainly politico-religious in nature. The 'outside' hand is also very strong here.
It's important to curb terrorism. But it's even more important to curb regionalism.
Terrorism is often a natural outburst of oppressed people. But regionalism is just a parochial and selfish tactic of some vested politicians, just to get some short term political mileage. Each terrorism arises from some genuine reason which in most case related to oppression or discrimination. In most cases at least a few of the terrorists are also very selfless people, who really think they would do some good for people by sacrificing their lives. . That's why many terrorists often become legends and martyrs. So if you think very deeply, you might start having a soft corner for some of these terrorists even for an iota of second.
The proposals
One India-One Identity
We all have just only one identity - and that's of being Indians. We don't write our state or language in our passport. Just because I speak Bengali that doesn't mean that I've to stay in West Bengal. Every part of the country is as much mine as it is others'. It's my fundamental right to settle in any part of India and work and earn. The states were created just to facilitate efficient administration. The states had to be created based on some formula and linguistic basis did make a very simple sense. But that doesn't mean that language should become more important that nationality. The idea of India doesn't make any sense when people start talking about region and language. It's the responsibility of the local governments to provide proper education and health care to its people so that they well equipped to get the right employment. It's not the responsibility of the any government to reserve employment or opportunity for any particular community. Who-so-ever is the fittest for any job would come and fill in irrespective of his/her caste, creed, religion and language. Each of the Indian languages is very strong and it doesn't require anyone to protect it from extinction. Marathi language will thrive many more thousand years despite any of Raj's effort. Even if the people speaking Marathi decline in Bombay, that doesn't mean that the Marathi language is perishing. Language and culture are too fundamental to be impacted by anything. Sanskrit perished despite being protected by so many emperors for centuries. If a language has to die, it will do so naturally even after all efforts and if it thrives it will do so despite everything. You don't show more respect to Kannada by just enforcing all shop owners to write the bill boards in Kannada. You don't increase the status of a language by putting the tag of a classical language on it. Each language is unique and is classical in its own way. It's really silly to fight for a language.
The need of the hour is to identify legitimate kind of regionalism. India’s federal
reconciliation of regional identity with autonomy has a democratic aspect. It
operates at two levels. Any political demand for statehood, or sub-statehood, to
begin with, must, first, demonstrate identifiable popular support born of mass
mobilization, before such demands are conceded to.
Secondly, the political institutions achieved (whether a state government, or a regional or tribal council) must be elected by universal adult suffrage in every five years, as it is the normal political practice for such representative institutions throughout India. Democracy rather than ethnicity is thus the legitimacy basis of such political institutions. Indian federalism has provided the institutional terrain within which
various ‘ethnic nations’ in India (e.g., Tamil, Telegu, Bengali, Sikh, Gujarati,
Manipuri, or Assamese) have taken shape, defined themselves, and are able to protect and to celebrate their identity.
The next step is to identify our rulers. Its really pity to note that out of 60% educated youth population not even 10% of them are actively participating in politics. The basic awareness is lacking and politics is considered to be the permanent baggage of veterans. Campaigns of janaagraha ( www.jaagore.com) should be encouraged. Also reality shows like LEAD INDIA should be encouraged.
Also the various unnecessary quotas should be eliminated or should not be encouraged. This create sectionalisms among people.
And finally
Every Indian in India is a son of soil. Soil of Maharashtra is no different than the soil of Bihar in its essence and of origin.
If people like Raj Thackeray had their own way, Marathi Manoos will live in Mumbai, Gujaratis will live in Gujarat, Tamilians in Tamil Nadu and Bhaiyyas in Uttar Pradesh and so on. Visas will be issued for people of one state to visit another state. Even our armed forces will refuse to serve outside their native state. Fanatics like Raj Thackarey who gives inflammatory speeches and creates a disharmony among states should be criminalized and non-bail able action should be taken against them.
Do you even understand what Raj is trying to say? He is not objecting to people migrating to Maharashtra. He is only saying that marathis should unite and marathi rights should be protected. Migration? Yes. But migrants causing pain and trouble to marathis? No that will be not be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteFor God's sake, regional identities should not be butchered in the name of national integration. Why don't people from UP n Bihar develop their own states and control their population? Why are people from UP-Bihar targeted not only in Maharashtra but also in many other states? Because their behaviour is arrogant and disgusting and they behave like invaders.
Why do you expect marathis only to sacrifice? Why don't these bhaiyyas just go back to their bloody villages and stay there..and thus sacrifice for their marathi brothers and sisters? Why should marathi people tolerate increasing migration by irresponsible, selfish,criminal-minded bhaiyyas who threaten and harrass marathis???
@ नेहा : तुम्हारे अंदर Nationalism को लेकर इतनी घृणा भरी हुई है, येह देखर मुझे तुम्हारे सडी हुई मानशिकता पर तरस आ रहा है !! हम भारतीया हैं, ना की बिहारी, मरठी, तमिल etc। तुम्हें अपने दिमाग से येह गूंडा-गर्दी वाली सोच निकाल देनी चाहिये नहीं तो किसी दिन जेल में सड रही होगी। भारत का कोई भी राज्य किसी के बाप का माल नहीं है जो तुम यह कह रही हो की किसी को भी यहाँ नौकरी करने नहीं आना चाइये ? देश का कोई भी पर्सन कहीं पर भी जा कर नौकरी कर सकता है। येह हमारे Constitution के Fundamental Rights में लिखआ है। तुम और वोह राज क्या Constitution से उपर हो गए ? कल को तुमको North India में कोई अच्चा सा job मिले या तुम्हारा पति का job बिहार / UP में लगे और वहाँ के लोग तुमको पकड कर मारें तो तुम्हें कैसा लगेगा ?
Deleteदूसरों के साथ वैसा ही behave करो जैसा तुम अपने साथ चाहती हो। समझी बेवकूफ लड़की।