September 4th, 2011
The Revolt of 1857 was the harbinger of the Divide and Rule policy, something that extended to elections and succeeded in creating new castes such as ‘sarkaari mussulmaans’
Twenty seventh August, 2011 has carved a niche for itself in the history of democracy, especially that of democratic and free India. It was the date on which even a wizened old Congressman like Pranab Mukherji could come alive with the burning idealism which distinguished the freedom fighters of yore from the collaborators of the foreign devil.
At the risk of being dubbed an anachronistic believer in the significance of dates it is necessary that this columnist remind his readers that this very date, 27 August, was important in 1789 when it saw the French National Assembly adopt the Declaration of the Rights of Man with its revolutionary message: ‘Men are born and remain free and equal in rights’.
“More people fought against Independence than those who fought for it. Even those who fought for freedom were soon pacified by jobs which had not been open to Indians earlier. As we have stated on earlier occasions, 1947 saw a little freedom and a massive ‘Transfer of Power’.”
The date, 27 August, again came into prominence in 2008. The great democracy of the West, United States of America had fallen on evil days and it appeared as if the idealism of its founding fathers had been lost, subsumed by greed and arrogance of the Bush regime.
On this date, in 2008, Barrack Obama became the first African American to be nominated by a major political party, the Democrats, to fight the election for becoming President of the U.S.A. He had fought and won against Hilary Clinton, wife of Bill Clinton who had been President for two terms. This feat was repeated by his victory in the election.
It must be pointed out that Anna Hazare has not created the overwhelming anger against corruption. He is a creature of this emotion. Already we have a chief minister and cabinet ministers in jail and a judge about to be dismissed. The time is ripe for a change.
Perhaps language and culture have a role to play. The word ‘corruption’ has become everyday and commonplace. It does not arouse the same emotion as the word ‘haraam’ हराम which means ‘abomination’ and affects the gut.
The 1857 uprising was caused by the grease used in making the cover of the cartridge of the new rifle issued to troops under British command. This cover had to be bitten off before inserting the cartridge in the muzzle of the rifle. As the petroleum industry was still to come into being the fat available for the grease of the cartridge was necessarily from cows and pigs. This exposure to sacrilege and abomination caused the largest revolt ever. About 1,35,000 sepoys and junior officers were driven to kill their British officers and go into an action in which no quarter was given or taken. The peasants, traders and princes joined in the uprising and brutal repression followed.
It should be remembered that the Uprising of 1857 was put down by the British Indian Army, a body officered by whites and manned by black Indians. Right up to 1947, India was ruled by a sprinkling of British officers supported by Indians manning the rank and file.
More people fought against Independence than those who fought for it. Even those who fought for freedom were soon pacified by jobs which had not been open to Indians earlier. As we have stated on earlier occasions, 1947 saw a little freedom and a massive ‘Transfer of Power’.
Those who got this power got busy enjoying the pomp, pageantry and patronage suddenly in their grasp. Huge three acre bungalows were occupied which cut ministers off from the poor and reality. The ‘Divide and Rule’ policy was extended to elections and succeeded in creating new castes such as ‘sarkaari mussulmaans’ सरकारी मुसलमान.
Minority institutions became cows feeding selected families. Amongst Muslims, the great institution of Waqf was allowed to decay until it became a festering sore which does nothing for the poorest and most unprivileged Muslims.
The practise of appointing Muslims to bodies looking after the welfare of the Muslim community has not yielded any good results. It is time to appoint fearless administrators regardless of the community to which they belong.
Perhaps it is time to follow the example of Mahmoud of Ghazni in endowing a substantial prize for an epic poem on 1857. His patronage of Firdausi, by commissioning the poet to write/complete the Shahnameh and the successful completion of the task, raised Persian to the status of a classical language. It is the only language to enjoy this status despite its not having the privilege of harbouring the religious text of a faith. Sanskrit and Arabic have the sacred texts of the Hindus and the Muslims. Persian just has the Shahnameh.
Hindustaanee has been fractured into Hindi and Urdu because of the two scripts. If an epic appears in either version, it may well help Indians of the North to return to their roots. The subject has to be epic and 1857 qualifies.