Recently, our country celebrated its 76th Independence Day in a grand manner. While the nation was celebrating the elixir of independent India, the ignorance of some who felt that their religion was superior to the motherland was revealed.
A headmistress of a government school in Dharmapuri district has refused to salute the national flag. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for how perverse his explanation was.
“According to our religious tradition, we should not worship anything other than God,” he argued. A man in Uttar Pradesh on August 15 hoisted the Pakistani flag on the roof of his house.
Mahakavi Bharatiyar,
Any mother is happy and happy
This country is what it was – its
The former lived for a thousand years
After finishing this country – he
A thousand thoughts grew in the mind
The best is this country – this
I was in my heart to say thank you
Vayura haithaneno – this
Vande Mataram Vande Mataram
Do you worship that?
He would sing that. But these people have expressed their religious sentiments without knowing that the country we are in is ours and without understanding that it is our right.
It is the duty of all of us to examine where the mistake has been made in “I salute the national flag” by the headmaster who is responsible for calling “Mother’s manikodi parir it bow down and praise it.”
Generally speaking about the past glory of a country to the present and future generations gives pride to the teller and the listener. If we are used to study and learn the heroic deeds, sacrifices and victories of the country’s heroic men in the past in the textbooks, then the attachment and affection for the motherland will prevail.
Many countries of the world, especially the English who enslaved our country, do not mention in the textbooks of Britain that their country was once enslaved by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. Instead the British would proudly recite the list of conquered countries in the world. The lesson is that England is the land on which the sun never sets.
Ma Zedong, who overthrew China’s monarchy by conducting the “Nedumbayan”, does not teach the history of the Mongols conquering China and building the Great Wall out of fear of Genghis Khan even before establishing a commonwealth regime in China. They teach the lesson of the nuclear weapons production power that threatens the American superpower.
Not to mention the fact that America was once in the grip of the British government, they showcase the heroism of George Washington who won the war for independence. And that is where modern American history begins.
But not so in our India. A slave dynasty king conquered present-day Delhi, then known as “Indraprastam”. The Qutub Minar Stupa he erected to celebrate his cunning victory appears in our textbooks with rapturous delight.
Our school children are not taught the detailed history of the iron pillar erected by Chandragupta II in the fourth century AD in the same area, which remains intact till today.
The Rajput king Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar could not be defeated in battle by the Mughal king Akbar who tried to conquer and enslave his small country. On one occasion he mobilized patriotic youths who were out of the forest, living on only plant food for a few years.
Raja Man Singh, a member of his dynasty, was an invincible patriot even fighting alongside Akbar. If he had taught the character of loving the motherland and valor to our children, India would not have continued with the thought of slavery even now.
King Mohammed bin Qasim who had 36 countries like Algeria, Armenia, Jordan, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan etc. In 715 he entered India from Syria with a hundred thousand soldiers. Historical studies suggest that each warrior in his army was equal to the strength of four buffaloes. Such a powerful force was defeated by the Rajput king Bappa Rawal with just 40 thousand soldiers.
He built a city to celebrate his victory. That city is today’s Rawalpindi in Pakistan. The royal dynasty he founded lasted for about 500 years. The students of India till date do not know his name or his victorious war.
The story of Emperor Rajendra Chola, who had the world’s first navy and had nine lakh warriors at his disposal, is not widely known outside Tamil Nadu. “The rest of India came to know about Rajendra Cholan only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned it at the dedication ceremony of the aircraft carrier Vikrant.
If we teach Karikal Chola as a history lesson in India, who was the first in the world to dam river water and introduce water management. Because the British who enslaved us hid it. Even when we got freedom, we failed to take it.
Students are not taught about the Maratha hero Shivaji who annihilated the great armies of the Mughal and Sultanate with a small army. We have forgotten to teach our youth heroic patriotic adventures.
There are many crores of people of India who do not know about Tirupur Kumaran who was unable to pick up the Indian national tricolor flag that he was holding in his hand even after his death.
On February 14, 1897, Swami Vivekananda delivered a lecture on “India’s Future” in Chennai. There are more disadvantages than that. The disadvantages of more overshadow the advantages of less.
First, it is not man-making education. Totally negative education. Any practice that creates a negative emotion is worse than death. “Everyone who is self-centered and unique here is not educated in this country but educated somewhere else,” he scolded.
Mahatma Gandhi said “I have been studying the works of Swami Vivekananda very deeply. After reading them, my patriotism for India has increased a thousand times”.
Pandit Nehru said “Swami Vivekananda was not a politician in the sense we ordinarily think of him. He was undoubtedly one of the pioneers of the national movement of New India”.
Ambedkar said “Swami Vivekananda is the greatest Indian of our century. From him the new India begins.”
“If we look at the recent history of India, it becomes clear how much we owe to Swami Vivekananda. He opened our eyes to see the true greatness of India. He spiritualized politics. He was the father of India’s freedom, politics, culture and spirituality,” said Mutharin Rajaji.
Tilak wrote in his English magazine Maratha that “Swami Vivekananda is the real father of Indian nationhood”.
Swami Vivekananda’s contribution to the liberation of the country, the progress of the people, the ancient religion and the long-standing cultural values of India is immense. But government schools, colleges and universities have not shown his full image till date.
After 1947, we have failed to identify the heroes of India’s erstwhile days, the brave men who fought to protect the motherland, the venerable kings who stood against the incoming enemies till their lives, and the forefathers who learned scientific and true techniques in the curricula of the educational institutes after 1947.
Columnist:
Chairman,
Thirukovalur Cultural Society.