'Unity in diversity’ is the essence outlining the heart of India. Since time immemorial the socio-cultural diversity of India has reverberated in the canvas of unity amidst a milieu that had long worked to devour it’s beauty. With the first step of the East India Company in the land of India, it accelerated it’s progression by trying to divide and rule the free land of India. It is to be noted that the physical domination propagates by the psychological domination which creates the, “narrow domestic walls.” It breathes a crack which tries to sabotage the ground of unity. The poem of our Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, “Where the mind is without fear” written prior to India’s Independence directs our cerebrum towards the conscious ‘fragmentation’ of the land and directs the mind to a ground,

“Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.”

Tagore was blessed with a sight that could visualize the contemporary milieu in which we breathe and breed. He breathed life into his concept of Nationalism which strived for the spirit of nationalism beyond the borders, that is a global entity. In his reverberating essence propagated in, My Reminiscences, his affinity towards the beauty of the ‘whole’ can be traced. Since his childhood, his stance against xenophobia can be traced in the incident where even the sight of the amputated leg seems to disturb him. Unfortunately living in the land of stalwarts like Tagore and still breathing with the fragments is heart-wrenching. The fragments that we have made of ourselves and of our unified identity are the result of the psychological domination which can accelerate due to the lack of education.

According to the latest data (As compared to the last census (2011), the literacy rate in India has increased by 5% in 2023 to 77.7%. In spite of the increasing literacy rate why is our mind under the shackles of fragmentation? In a country which celebrates the unity of the diverse culture why are grappling with hatred amidst the diverse cultures? Is it a meticulously constructed construct? As we celebrate our 75th Republic Day, let us harp on the construct that tries to tarnish our harmony.

Said in his Orientalism points out the meticulous construction of the concept of the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other’ by the West in order to dominate the East. He pragmatically traces out the nuances that leads to the construction of the ‘Other.’ In Part III, of Orientalism, Said points out the role of the academicians in the process of the internalization of the identity of the ‘Other’ that would cling upon the East post the unraveling of the pack of lies tied with the construct.

However, the academicians are nothing but the catalyst who shape the discourse and propagate knowledge which is controlled by the wings of the body crowned with Power. Voltaire, the French author coined the phrase “With great power comes great responsibility.” It is thus the noble duty of the wings of Power to unshackle the rusting irons from the feet of the white Dove to rise above the clinging identity that others and hail the ground that fumes the fusion of the two hemispheres into a sphere. However it is to be noted that the unshackling is a two-way process. Power can only accelerate when we the fellow Indians rise above the slumber step inside the cracked soil and embrace the essence of comradeship. We need to water our weakening roots and nourish our motherland.

As the Lok Sabha elections are drawing close, as ordinary citizens we greatly appreciate the sudden love and appreciation expressed by all political parties on board towards voters; getting up from their perpetual winter hibernation. But it is also important to mention that ordinary voters of this great nation are not the slaves or stooges belong to any individual political party. Voters both in rural and urban areas are themselves, peace-loving and hard-working marginalized commodities. So as ordinary voters we respect all political groups; but, we also appreciate receiving our respect in return from them particularly from those that work and live closely and impact our helpless daily lives across the nation.

We wish to remind all contesting political parties that voters are a self-respecting community of the nation. I feel that mutual respect is not always available to them from certain political parties working only on their selfish agenda; which is a serious problem for our democracy and liberty. The political parties must know and appreciate their genuine limitations based on current socio-cultural and socio-economic circumstances and should not make false promises to their voters. Awareness is the need of the hour for us. Very often ignorant and innocent voters are trapped into such obnoxious networks of false hopes built by political parties for their personal gain; but, from where there is no escape for ordinary citizens hooked with delusional electoral expectations.

Being the largest global democracy, it is the responsibility of every eligible voter of this nation to promise themselves that they will not serve as anyone's servant to accommodate someone's political goals and objectives. But rather as mature voters we should always support those who are looking for the long-term interest and future of the nation; but not simply childish political gimmicks. Voters strongly deserve respect in how the political parties treat them. A mutual trust between voters and participating contemporary political parties are absolutely important. But if that trust and respect is not available it is an important concern for the nation.

Although we must acknowledge that the political opinions and feelings are very personal; but anyone crossing that line in the democracy is also not appreciated for their selfish actions. Whether we love or hate any political party is not an issue; but, the question of mutual respect between political parties and voters is significantly important.

Voters are not answerable to anyone; but, political parties are absolutely answerable to the nation for their actions, political wills and public policies. Our democratic system needs to realize that voters are individual of their free will and choices and that they simply don't bent to anyone. Both voters and political parties should not stretch this unnecessary ego wall between them. Voters must draw their perimeters of personal political will and think about the greater good for the nation. Hence, Indian voters need to have silent introspection deep in their minds not to be biased in their choices. They need continue working professionally without bias for selecting the best available option for political parties to govern and administer the nation for betterment of the life of the ordinary mass. We feel that as humans as voters, we also carry some responsibilities on our shoulders too. We are so unfortunate to only see one thing that did not work out, but ignore what other big gains and achievements we have been able to made. We note that the glass of water is half filled and the other half is empty; but we forget to notice that the cup is half filled, the other half just waiting to be filled in due course of time. Hence, it is also important to appreciate the achievements and successes of the government while we decide to criticize them for specific failures.

The India we live in is a democratic country. It is not a dream that we harness but a reality we breathe. “India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters” is the prayer with which I began my day since my first steady step and we would proudly die echoing it for my grave to be the land for the next steady step. The diverse cultural heritage and it’s essence teaches us to respect the beauty of all the breathing culture. We breathe in a land where “Jai Shree Ram” fuses with “La illaha illallah” and echoes the fragrance of harmony. What is Orange without Green? What is Green without Orange? What is Orange and Green without the White canvas? In a distant corner when the clash of “Jai Shree Ram” with “La illaha illallah” fumes angst amidst the tug in your heart, hail your pen and slaughter the perpetrator who chains the white dove. Unshackle those rusted irons and fly amidst the land hailing your Orange and Green.

“सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिन्दोस्तां हमारा
हम बुलबुलें हैं इसकी ये गुलिस्तां हमारा”

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Authors:

• Saikat Kumar Basu
• Naureen Ahmed - Pursuing post-graduation in English literature from Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata.