From Houston TX
26th January 2021
Watching the mainstream Indian TV, heart was aching and thoughts were getting muddled. The sight of a factional flag, flying beside the National Tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the citadel of Nation, was a bit too much,even with cumulative cynicism of all these years. The rights or wrongs of Farmer agitation notwithstanding, the shameful turn it took was deeply hurting.
Twenty days ago, from the mainstream US TV , I could watch the citadel of American Democracy-the Capitol Hill, getting subjected to a similar,but more draconian mob violence. With no citizen status or personal stake here, I got agitated. I felt a certain sense of relief and contentment that despite its many material wants and demographic complexities, such a thoughtless agitative action has never happened in my country.
The nation here(US )woke up with a vigour and resolve to take decisive remedial measures. Legislative and Executive leaders of the people established the rule of law and ensured the sustenance of Democracy. This brought a sense of relief and admiration to me, as for many -not yet time to write obituaries on Democracy.
Independence Day and Republic Day entered the ramparts of my mind from childhood onwards,as I remember. In the village school where I have had my upper primary education, there were flag hoisting and festivities with limited resources. As our family moved to Trivandrum for my college education, I started regularly going to the Stadium, to attend the State level programmes on Independence Day lead by Chief Minister and on the Republic Day by the Governor of Kerala. I would discard the laziness of the holiday morning and rush up to reach the venue on time. This used to surprise my parents and many friends, and had even gained some derisive comments. I remember some of my friends angrily pointing out that this 'show of patriotism' is at variance with my professed 'progressive ideas' , and that either it was my hypocrisy or foolishness to carry with me both these incompatible elements together. I did not get dissuaded by these criticisms and continued attending parades on Independence and Republic Days, till I completed my College studies at Trivandrum.
I have wondered, with no intrinsic affinity or appetite for rituals, ceremonies or festivities, what sustained my interest in these twice.a.year schedules. Possibly, I had been deriving some sense of belonging or significance as a citizen, rather than showing a stiff dose of ritualistic patriotism' or glorified nationalism, so to say. When I moved to Bangalore for my MD studies at NIMHANS the practice ceased.
I have had an occasion to watch the famous Republic Day Parade in Delhi, sometime in 1990s. With a pass obtained through Sri. PK Vasudevan Nair MP, I could sit on a VIP chair and watch the grand show. Honestly, it did not please or thrill me as the simple gentle ceremonies I have had watched, sitting on people's galleries, back home at Trivandrum. Possibly, that is a place and position, I have defined for myself, as a democratic citizen.
Long after I ceased my visits to the ceremonial parades of the Independence Day and the Republic Day in Trivandrum, the imageries and feelings of sitting on those galleries and watching those ceremonies used to revisit me. They have not stopped altogether even now.
I felt certain shaking and tumbling inside, watching the happenings in Delhi on this Republic Day. I can try console myself reminding myself of the flags and furies seen scattered in different times and places in history. I can bolden myself stating-times are changed, present issues are more serious, democracy needs more churning etc etc.
But the fact remains- some thing hurting and humiliating has happened to me, as an Indian, on this Republic Day.
Dr. K. A. Kumar
Trivandrum.695004
drkakumar@gmail.com
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