The thoughts which i have penned down today was something which had my mind in turmoil state in the year 2006.. in the same year, we had watched two of the greatest hits in Indian cinemas... Rang De Basanti (RDB) released on 26th Jan 2006 and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (LRMB) released on 1st Sept 2006.
RDB is a very influential movie which captured the element of dirty politics ruining the nation and how the need of the hour was another Kranti by Indian youngsters to clean up the mess. A group of four college buddies get together to revenge the death of one of their close pal in MIG crash... highlighting the way politicians had brought shame to the nation by scams in purchase of poor quality spare parts for MIGs leading to death of many great pilots in air force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rang_De_Basanti
LRMB was again a very inspiring movie showcasing the formula of non-violence and spirit of truth by which our great Mahatma ji got freedom to India. Very cleverly it highlighted that non-violence is still a very effective means to achieve peace in the society and how such mechanism had a long lasting impact on individual lives. If one recalls, it wasn't mere uprooting the cause of sham, but changing a person to its core permanently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lage_Raho_Munna_Bhai
In our proud nation, there is a divided section of thoughts who really gave us freedom. While we see Mahatma ji's photograph and sculptures all around us, proudly smiling at his relentless belief in non violence for his entire life, not all really think so high of him. While a big section applaud him for his efforts and teachings, there is another mass which shuns him for his faults in creating a Pakistan, not saving Bhagat Singh when all it required was his signature or so many believe, and what not. This is the section which believe that had there been no Kranti, we would never had seen this day, and Gandhiji just luckily took the credit away.
Now relating this to the two very inspiring movies, RDB highlights the movement of Kranti, fighting for the right, as the way to achieve things and LRMB highlights that though slow, but the affect of peace and non violence is ever lasting. Released in quick succession, it leaves us in a dilemma. Which path should we follow? Should I keep sending flowers to Mr. Kalmadi, Mr. Raja, Miss Mayawati, Mrs. Y, Mr. Z, and the entire clan of politicians, bureaucrats, jihadis, naxals, or just pick up a gun with lots of bullets and go out on a shooting spree? Which is the learning I should teach myself and to my younger ones if I suddenly wake up with the junoon of freeing India from its own kids destroying it.
I tried protruding over it with my silent self. Instead of really coming to answer what is the right route, I tried going back to history in purview of these movies and find out which of the two realms was the real reason for Mother India's freedom. Was it the heroics of Gandhiji to relentlessly keep fighting in peace and bringing the nation together or was it the blood of many freedom fighters who gave lives away for us to breathe in the free air?
I feel that if you remove Kranti fights from our history, and place Gandhiji as the only force factor, I fear he would have also added another number to Jalianwala Bagh, or some other shootout by some wretched shoot orders of some English general. Result, at the max, the general would have been made to resign or killed by an angry mob, again movement towards a Kranti. Only positive factor: Had this happened in later stage of Gandhiji's fight when he had already tied the nation together, this Kranti would have had higher chances to uproot the East India rule. A combined force of entire nation, but again, a Kranti. If someone would have realised what Gandhiji was capable of even before he became a national leader, that way we dot even know how many Father of Nation we have already lost. Only because we would have not known him then.
If you remove Gandhiji from the history, and our Kranti kaarees would have fought us the freedom, one, I see less chances of an entire nation coming together under one leadership, and then miraculously if this ever happened, what are the chances that we would have been living in India that it is today and not a ruined state like Afghanistan and Pakistan being continuously run by Taliban forces and every other chap with an AK-47. After all, when there are no good example today for a militancy successful nation, hasn't India risen to be a powerful and yet livable society? Could we have risked our freedom to such a state? At freedom, every powerful army who contributed could have claimed stake in power. With just Jinnah and Nehru, there were two painful splits. Imagine the state India would have been now if militancy would have won us freedom.
Gandhiji was never for the split. He even fasted to near death. It was the same power hungry politicians then who wanted entire control in their hands. Fighting for the cause of Hindus or Muslims stake was just an eye wash. And he gave up realizing its impact but also having a belief that people who have fought shoulder to shoulder cannot be separated by a line. Who knew that it was not a line on the land. It was across their heart never to reunite.
Hand over the power to military today and to many's satisfaction, there would be an immediate war with Pakistan and then another crush of us by China. If war would have been the solution, we would have had it in so many wars already fought. So do we give a rose to jihadis and ask them to keep bombing us till they get tired? Obviously there is a difference in one spitting on my wall and me cleaning; and someone coming everyday and killing my family members and I keep mourning for them and wishing the terrorist groups to get well soon.
But that doesn’t also mean that if someone slaps me, I pull out a trigger and bang !! Off goes his head rolling on the street. Remember the conversation of Paresh Rawal in ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’. “If you push me now, should I push you back? You’ll go and bring in your friends and beat me up. I will return with more power and beat you again. When will this stop? When will this pushing our own people stop?”
Shouldn't there be a balance? a middle path? a combination of both factors playing its role based on people dealt with? We obviously had Lord Krishna sorting very complicated issues with his divine talks, and also was the one who chose to kill King Kans to relieve mankind of his brutality. Lord Rama helped setup a great kingdom with wisdom but also killed Ravana. Doesn’t Quraan teach to jihad to kill the devil within, but also teach to hug and forgive others for wrong?
Let’s go back to the movies now. LRMB.. whatever were the cases presented, were at a very sober level. At the max the villain did was had Sanjay Dutt arrested or asked his watchman to slap him. But had he hired a group of goons to go and shoot Vidya Balan and all the oldies, am not sure if Sanjay would have managed to still post greeting cards on his gate. He would have surely ensured a flower around his photograph.
We did see the same thing in RDB. Amir and gang did not pull the trigger right away. There were Gandhiji principles way dharna with candles and media in a crowd. Silently asking for an action against the culprit. Peace and non violence. Result... lathi charge and their motherly figure in hospital. They gave up by one, Gandhiji had the power to had many in his entire life again and again.
Just imagine, if the defence minister could live guilt free after so many murders of pilots, would he even had cared not to get Amir shot if he was making a mess? In the same movie, had we not seen that when they publicly announced their reason for the murder over radio and clearly communicated that they had no arms and were ready to surrender, the order from some minister was to ensure no one comes out alive. He would have immediately got the hint that this message could make him the leader and connect him to masses. He certainly did not want another Gandhiji to overthrow their power. Better have them killed right away. Learning from the earlier mistakes of East India.
Somewhere, I really feel that East India group was not entirely a group of smugglers and mass murderers. They did not come to loot like many mughals and other troops. They wanted to rule with dignity too. Had we not seen honest umpires in ‘Lagaan’ as well as cheat villain general putting his puppet in team for a bribe. They both were English. There were courts setup. There was infrastructure and education. True, they did it for themselves and not for us. But some of them were really good rulers and men of conscience. These were the men who could get moved by Gandhiji's talks. Then they become a positive factor for us instead of a negative factor. As the quote in 'Once upon a time in Mumbai' goes, "jab dost bana ke kaam ho sakta hai toh dushman kyun banayein"... (when things can get done by making friends, why make enemies). was it not Gandhiji's power of speech that he had many influenced even in the East colony. But put Gandhiji to talk to a barbarian, and the next moment, he would pull put the pistol and killed. Ever tried explaining things politely to rogues around? Do this and you would understand the difference between where speech works and where force.
I believe it is always the dual force when applied at right place that we yield the best results. Just blindly accepting one way and shunning another is not the way of life. We have to appreciate the presence of dual forces in everything. Today India is what it is for the greatness of Gandhiji as well as the Bhagat Singh and all the other Swatantra Senanis. I really wish their soul rest in peace instead of being shunned and abused by one section or the other. I feel the need of sensible diplomats as much as a strong army to protect and develop a nation. Only if they could perform their duties and create the respect to bind a nation together, than crushing the budding leaders, we would soon see a day when India would be again clowned as the "Golden Bird".
Jai Hind !!!
