Author : Deepak Sinha

Originally Published 2016-04-11 09:58:35 Published on Apr 11, 2016
Why faux patriotism is all the rage

Till recently, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ was mainly heard within the military and has great significance there, as it is used by many battalions and regiments as their battle cry. What that signifies has been best explained by Evan Andrews, a freelance contributor to the History Channel. He suggests that, “The prospect of combat is enough to leave even the bravest soldiers paralysed with fear. That's why armies have long mobilised their troops with battle cries and other military slogans. Some of these ‘war whoops’ were merely animalistic screams or yells designed to send a chill up the spines of the enemy, but others had political or religious significance that transcended the battlefield.”

Even then, they were not meant to reflect the measure of an individual's patriotism or love for the country, which was obviously not under doubt when going into battle. If that had been so, then what has now become the universal battle cry of the Maratha Regiment, ‘Bol Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai’, would never have seen the light of day under the British who saw Shivaji as a rallying point for nationalists opposed to British rule.

It was in north Africa, during the Second World War, that the 3/5 Maratha Light Infantry was tasked to capture an Italian General lodged inside Fort Gallabat. During this operation, when Charlie Company found itself bogged down due to heavy fire, its Commander took the advice of his Indian officers and allowed the use of this battle cry instead of the standard ‘Har Har Mahadev’ to motivate his men to accomplish an impossible task.

Importantly, war cries had little ethnic, communal or religious connotations, despite their religious or ethnic tone or phraseology. Neither ethnicity nor religious belief ever came in the way of soldiers shouting their regimental or unit battle cry. This battalion, for example, at that time had a fair sprinkling of Deccani and Konkani Muslims and, interestingly, continues to use the same war cry though it is now a Parachute (Special Forces) battalion with men from all parts of the country.

While the military compels its men to fully immerse themselves in the traditions of the units they serve, the civilian, however, tends to be more attached to his or her roots, rarely moving away from its culture or community. To appeal to his or her sensibilities and to take all the diverse communities along, needs not just an astute or strong leader, but a wise and intuitive statesman.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's adoption of the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as the national anthem, instead of ‘Vande Mataram’ keeping in view Muslim sensibilities, was one such action. The other was in adopting the national salutation of ‘Jai Hind’, which is the abbreviation for ‘Jai Hindustan’. That, of course, had been derived by Major Abid Hassan of the Indian National Army, and a distinguished diplomat subsequently, in 1941, from the phrase ‘Jai Ramji Ki’ which was a common greeting he heard used by Rajput prisoners of war held in Germany.

It is in this context that it is particularly wretched that politicians across the spectrum, with little to commend them, have conjured up a controversy out of nothing, to fuel ethnic and religious differences in an undisguised attempt to garner votes. Such actions by fringe elements, however distasteful, are understandable. However, when indulged in by seasoned politicians from mainstream groups, it not only speaks poorly of their moral and ethical standards but also reflects on their lack of leadership skills.

That we are bereft of statesmen like the Mahatma or a Netaji is an unpalatable fact that we have had to resign ourselves to. Still, one must ask: Where have all the good people gone and why do political parties promote rogues and charlatans? Surely it can give them no pleasure to have those prophetic words attributed to an acknowledged racist and India-baiter like Winston Churchill come true: “Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power and India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air and water would be taxed in India.” That day, as it seems, does not appear to be too far off.

This article originally appeared in The Pioneer.

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Author

Deepak Sinha

Deepak Sinha

Brig. Deepak Sinha (Retd.) is Visiting Fellow at ORF. Brig. Sinha is a second-generation paratrooper. During his service, he held varied command, staff and instructional appointments, ...

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