Nationality, has to be built on self-knowledge and self-culture, on a correct understanding of the past and a courageous shaping of the future. We have sufficiently realized our inherent national strength and need not be afraid now of a frank examination of some outstanding weaknesses. Our number is so large that even in a crippled condition it is not possible for other people to ride roughshod over our rights and feelings with impunity for any length of time. We and the world at large have known enough of our past history, culture and achievement, and no reasonable person would consider us an uncivilized race though some of our national defects are frankly admitted. We are not behind any other people in our intellectual capacity or moral eminence and should not need any bolstering up of vital shortcomings in a spirit of vain prestige. Providence has made our country so abundantly self-sustaining that even the most cruel economic exploitation will not disable us beyond a certain limit. The continuance for some years or decades more of the uncomfortable imperialism imposed upon the country by its present rulers will not ruin us beyond redemption. There is nothing in fact which ought to dissuade us from a fearless examination ,and exposure of some of national follies which have kept us in the tutelage of other nations and cultures for many centuries in the past, and which are even to-day, the main source of our inefficiency as a nation. If at any time the Indian, nation ceases to live, it will undoubtably be a case of suicide and not of murder. All the circumstances, historical, cultural, racial, geographical and, economic are in favour of India existing as a strong united nation. No possible combination of external. forces can deprive us of our rights or deny us our independence, or exploit us, unless our own internal unfitness allows them to prey upon us. If, therefore we have been fettered in the past and are even now enslaved, it must be more due to our persistence in our follies than to the superiority of the conquerors. A small group of even civilized people may be kept under subjection by an immensely stronger group by sheer physical force. A numerous community of uncivilized people may be subjugated by a smaller nation more civilized and better organized. But a huge nation numerically and culturally great, as Indian, cannot be dominated by mere force by another smaller nation, except with , their consent voluntarily given or helplessly admitted as a consequence of internal disruption. We have been great in the past; why are we not great to-day? We were masters of our country at one time; why are we now a subject people? We were a united community once; how did all the present suicidal differences arise? We could withstand and repel the invasion of foreign adventurers in good old days; why are we unable to protect ourselves now? We were, at one time, teaching the rest of the world religion as well as politics, arts and sciences; why are we now sitting at the feet of other nations to· learn to rule ourselves? We cannot attribute this. colossal fall from such eminence to any, external circumstance or characterize it as a freak of history. The fatal disease must be in our own constitution .. What is that disease? Our ancestors must have egregiously blundered in the past and so must have fallen. We must be similarly blundering - in the present; or we would not be what we are- a nation under guardianship. We must answer these self questions honestly if we would recover our strength. ....
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 03:08:34 +0000
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