Democracy (ies) Sans Responsibility !

The  Freedom Movement of India,  is  as old as  the  first aggression  of  foreign  forces on Indian soil, with the ulterior motive of capturing Indian  soil, State or  Power !  Though the Freedom Movement became more visible and prominent  after 1857, the First Serious  attempt to  dislodge  East India company or British  rule from Indian continent;   Indian  culture of nurturing  ‘SarvjanSukhay,  SarvjanHitay’, and Aham Brahmasmi in the Sanatan Dharma,  theory of life had imbibed in the blood and veins of every citizen or human being living on this land of Bharat Varsha.. !!

Yes, 1857 Freedom  Movement  failed due to many factors, like fragmented Riyasats and their  priorities,  crude armory and  military training compared to British forces, poverty  etc.  the ‘chingari’  lit by this  struggle   gave  enough  fire and josh to Indian  youth to  keep the struggle  going  and  providing enough fuel  to sustain it  till the Target—Independence  of  India  was achieved in 1947 !

The thrust and direction  of Independence movement  was initially shaped by three  Sons  of the  Soil—Bal, Gopal aur Lal,  namely   Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishan Gokhle and Lala Lajpat Rai in the 20th century. These Great men, lost  the leadership to British manipulations  and handed over the mantle to  Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi alias  Gandhiji,  by early 1920s,  as he was the blue-eyed boy of  Western intelligentsia,  due to his Experiments of Truth and Power of Resistance  in South Africa.

The idea of Freedom movement led by Bal, Gopal aur Lal,  was to  educate, uplift the Indian masses, create social  awareness,  eradicate  caste system, jamindari and Rajshahi from  the country and prepare  every Indian to decide his own  future himself.  The principles of  Arya Samaj  by Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Paramhansa Yogananda and   Swami Vivekanand,  preaching  Tamso ma Jyotirgamya …..  from Darkness to Light, were somehow overshadowed by Gandhi’s experiments with  Ahimsa and Peaceful  Mass Struggle.  Reasons could be their  old age  or  non-availability of  younger generation carrying their baton….

But giving too much  control to  one man, Gandhiji  to lead the Freedom Movement, his own way,  right or wrong following  those principles,  did double the damage;  masses taking over  minds,  supremacy of  Ahimsa, ignoring    massacres  by the British.

When masses were more  important than minds,  the sacrifices of individuals were  overlooked by  our Freedom movement leaders during 1920-47 period.  But  the British, were not  fools,  they realized, Masses  will turn  Martyrs,  sooner or later and they had no choice to leave  the country, safely!   They knew, they could manage Gandhiji’s  Ahimsa by  carat and stick policy rather than violent Himsa by  Netaji Subhash Bose, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Azad  and  thousand ready to  strike at the Empire !

Yes, we got freedom on August 15, 1947, TRUE.  But at what cost ?

Are we not carrying the yolk  of Gandhi’s philosophy or Ahimsa or  perpetual tolerance  on our shoulders  ?

Are Democracies  flourishing  or  carrying the Yolk of  Ahimsa and  compromise ?

Is  America  anyway  different from  India  ?  ……

…………. ( to be Continued)