Swaraj & Sabhya Samaj

What is at stake now is the future of India as an open and civil society, a sabhya samaj – one in which inherent or imported flaws and inequities can be tirelessly worked upon. This in turn requires us to interrogate the definition of “Patriotic”. A great deal depends on how the new and incoming generations, those now under 35 years of age, define what it means to be patriotic.

It is in this context that Dharampal’s position on Ayodhya has a crucial significance which must be taken into account while celebrating his archival work.
Demolition of artefacts and structures that are associated with ‘foreigners’, ‘outsiders’ and ‘colonizers’ is approved of and celebrated by those who equate patriotism with geography-based and genealogy-based loyalties. Neither a geographical sense of belonging nor genealogical loyalty are in themselves problematic. But they do become toxic when accompanied by feelings of resentment, with a gnawing sense of inadequacy, which in turn gives rise to a seemingly perennial competition with some real or imagined ‘other’ – be it Muslims, Europeans, other castes or just random ‘outsiders.’ This has proven to be true not only in India but in numerous situations across the world.
What then of those who seem unable or unwilling to let go of their long-held sense of historical victimhood?

This is a complex and difficult question. One of the many valid answers is to cultivate a sense of patriotism that is profoundly and deeply anchored in loyalty to foundational moral values. Such a patriotism recognizes the pain of historical events and related injustices but is not shaped by or locked-into that past. Instead, this version of patriotism is driven by the quest for a good society, a samaj whose structures and processes are aimed at facilitating well-being for all – with unqualified and equal dignity for all. Being Patriotic in this sense is certainly more demanding because it is a ceaseless inward effort, even a struggle, for swa-raj, self-rule as in true command over one’s self, one’s passions – in ways that frees us from our insecurities and anxieties. But this more strenuous effort is eminently worthwhile because it makes us more capable of compassion, cooperation and thus fraternity. This positive is what frees us from the negativity of a perpetual contest with those who are, perceived to be, not ‘us’.
Then any lingering burdens of victimhood might fall off, like the yellowing leaf floats down from a tree, with an implicit sense of a completed life-cycle and liberation.