The land, we call India.
Earlier this month I was, as I am a frequent reader, reading a book authored by Ramchandra Guha titled "India After Gandhi". Firstly I would recommend this book to everybody for enhancing their understanding regarding this great land. It is somehow contrary to the history we all have studied in colleges and schools. During the reading of this great book, one thing came to my mind that how we can see the richness and grandness of this great land, despite of all the hurdles and shortcomings in our nation's way of existence. One thing is very evident that Britishers were not only colonized our land but our mind for so many years. This enslavement was so organized and so planned that it has left us literally brainless and only good to be administrated. This trend is still haunting our generations in many unimaginable ways. Guha has rightly mentioned the various events in India history in specific events which have deep impact on our time so far.
The one thing which has actually gained my focus was that our inabilities and immaturity in handling partition of India into two major nations (India and Pakistan), according to some experts partition could have been avoided with some efforts and tactfulness.Like the manner adopted by Patel while he made the accession of around 565 princely states just after the Independence. The common theory is that the partition was badly handled by Nehru, although Jinnah had his role to play, but all this could have been avoided with some wisdom and foresight of our then leadership. But Nehru's hasty attitude towards the colonization resulted into the mess, which we are still suffering. The other school of thought says that it was inevitable. Apart from this the Britishers were also good at destroying the self confidence of mass along with systematically demeaning the cultural wealth of this great nation.
One must wonder that why despite of greatness of this land, Indians are still struggling to make a move or mark in more meaningful or profound manner? The answer to this question is very complicated in nature. It is how we have forgotten our great wisdom and valor. India young generation is barely and poorly informed about the Indian ideals and values. This generation must be made aware from all these facts which were hidden deliberately by our colonial masters. The responsibilities of parents and teachers have become very important in that regard as well, where these people have to inform the right facts to the young generation. Books can again play a very vital role in informing the mass, not just books but comics like books can also help in making generation aware from the history of India. More important than that is to knowing the nation and its very basics with full insights regarding the events that changed the course of events and people who have made impossible possible in very little time and despite of all the hardships. The another disturbing fact regarding Indian history is that we do not know about the people who have contributed in their own style.Like Subas Chandra Bose, who despite of being an ICS officer chose to be liberator of his motherland rather then helping colonial masters to cement their positions.
I strongly believe that if we take the right steps and make people learn about their nation's true journey from start till now,they will respect the nation more and shall work to make positive changes in the overall growth of nation. NO country becomes great, without its people becoming greater, this should be kept in mind and everybody must take the initiatives to make this change in their habits.
Dr. Shekhar Upadhyay.
Earlier this month I was, as I am a frequent reader, reading a book authored by Ramchandra Guha titled "India After Gandhi". Firstly I would recommend this book to everybody for enhancing their understanding regarding this great land. It is somehow contrary to the history we all have studied in colleges and schools. During the reading of this great book, one thing came to my mind that how we can see the richness and grandness of this great land, despite of all the hurdles and shortcomings in our nation's way of existence. One thing is very evident that Britishers were not only colonized our land but our mind for so many years. This enslavement was so organized and so planned that it has left us literally brainless and only good to be administrated. This trend is still haunting our generations in many unimaginable ways. Guha has rightly mentioned the various events in India history in specific events which have deep impact on our time so far.
The one thing which has actually gained my focus was that our inabilities and immaturity in handling partition of India into two major nations (India and Pakistan), according to some experts partition could have been avoided with some efforts and tactfulness.Like the manner adopted by Patel while he made the accession of around 565 princely states just after the Independence. The common theory is that the partition was badly handled by Nehru, although Jinnah had his role to play, but all this could have been avoided with some wisdom and foresight of our then leadership. But Nehru's hasty attitude towards the colonization resulted into the mess, which we are still suffering. The other school of thought says that it was inevitable. Apart from this the Britishers were also good at destroying the self confidence of mass along with systematically demeaning the cultural wealth of this great nation.
One must wonder that why despite of greatness of this land, Indians are still struggling to make a move or mark in more meaningful or profound manner? The answer to this question is very complicated in nature. It is how we have forgotten our great wisdom and valor. India young generation is barely and poorly informed about the Indian ideals and values. This generation must be made aware from all these facts which were hidden deliberately by our colonial masters. The responsibilities of parents and teachers have become very important in that regard as well, where these people have to inform the right facts to the young generation. Books can again play a very vital role in informing the mass, not just books but comics like books can also help in making generation aware from the history of India. More important than that is to knowing the nation and its very basics with full insights regarding the events that changed the course of events and people who have made impossible possible in very little time and despite of all the hardships. The another disturbing fact regarding Indian history is that we do not know about the people who have contributed in their own style.Like Subas Chandra Bose, who despite of being an ICS officer chose to be liberator of his motherland rather then helping colonial masters to cement their positions.
I strongly believe that if we take the right steps and make people learn about their nation's true journey from start till now,they will respect the nation more and shall work to make positive changes in the overall growth of nation. NO country becomes great, without its people becoming greater, this should be kept in mind and everybody must take the initiatives to make this change in their habits.
Dr. Shekhar Upadhyay.
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