Super-Patriot Games

The Indian army launched Operation Vijay in May '99 to expel footloose Islamic fundamentalists and Pakistani regulars who've intruded into Indian territory with a view to alter the legally recognised LoC. In this fourth India-Pakistan war, the Indian armed forces have once again demonstrated their complete commitment to professionalism. Every social, cultural, regional and religious group of India is fully represented in our forces, and support for the army has come spontaneously from every part of India. People from Kohima to Kashmir, irrespective of caste, creed or religion are extending moral, material and emotional support to the armed forces and their families.

Indians, though, need to be extremely wary of a few creatures of war: the carrion crows, which feed off human tragedy. One, in wartime, when citizens are under great emotional strain, many super-patriots start defining the boundaries and parameters of patriotism. These powerful manipulators lay down yardsticks for measuring people's commitment to the nation and all of us are expected to conform to the notions defined and elaborated by these self-styled guardians of Indian nationalism. Then, unlike earlier wars, this one is being fought with a caretaker regime, and every party wants to manipulate the present national mood so that they can corner the spoils of war at poll-time. Every party is eager to emerge as the 'real patriot'. Politicians are busy inaugurating memorials for the dead or organising meetings to mobilise the already mobilised country in war efforts. At every funeral of a martyr, political leaders make it a point to mark their presence and make announcements for the welfare of the bereaved family. Lt Vijant Thapar was cremated on July 2 and the bjp-led UP government declared the closure of markets and a holiday. Sonia Gandhi herself arrived at the cremation to show her party's concern. Competitive patriotism has become a game during the current conflict.

Politicians can't live without being projected by the mass media and in their presence a family under shock, overwhelmed by the occasion, is encouraged to make public statements to project the making of patriotism. This is not a question of negating sacrifices, but of whipping up a gratuitous frenzy and basking in proxy glory. Emotionalism of this sort is made public regularly and the message of heroic sacrifices for the country is spread to all sections of society. Perhaps such manipulated patriotism is transitory, but alarmingly even children are made to blurt out statements that fit in with the mood. At a very impressionable age, these children-the future of India-are articulating the role model of a soldier fighting against the enemy. An upbringing in a vitiated atmosphere can only mean that they will grow with a spirit of hatred for a neighbouring country.

Not to be left behind, socially important individuals are getting into the act. Kapil Dev, a former hero of Indian cricket, who is presently involved in accumulating money through advertisements for fridges and washing machines, on his own volition, gave a call that "India should sever all cricketing ties with Pakistan till the Kargil crisis was over". The media played up this demand to the extent that it became impossible for anyone to oppose Kapil during the present phase of patriotic hysteria. The cricket establishment and the media succumbed, and the Sahara series was called off. This only illustrates the fact that the contours of patriotism are being redefined everyday and everyone has to fall in line with such new definitions. If politicians like Pramod Mahajan do not want dissent during the war, Kapil's (logical or illogical) demand also can't evoke protest because the dissenter will be castigated for not coming up to the standards of patriotism as laid down by super-stars like him.

In the case of an India-Pakistan war, special care has to be taken because millions of Indian Muslims can be on the receiving end of exaggerated claims of the Hindutva super-patriots. Irrespective of the fact that our army is multi-religious, and brave soldiers of every community have become martyrs during every India-Pakistan conflict, Hindu chauvinists target the Muslim community and demand proof of their patriotism. If on the one hand, Maulana Ali Mian, Rector, Madwatul Ulama, became a victim of a spurious pamphlet published in every newspaper on June 30, on the other The Asian Age of July 3 carried a news item: "Thackeray asks Dilip Kumar to return Nishan". If these two well-known sons of India have to prove their patriotic credentials before the likes of Thackeray or the scandal-mongers of Lucknow, one can well imagine the insecurity of an ordinary Muslim.

The maturity of a nation depends on its capacity to reject aggressive patriotism which derives legitimacy during war, and maintain an appropriate distinction between sanity and insanity. The social fabric of multi-religious India is quite fragile and aggressive postures are likely to further aggravate conflict in society. Hence notes of dissent should always be encouraged to stop the caravan of super-patriots.

Every dispute between India and Pakistan has been exploited by the Sangh parivar to accelerate social cleavages between Hindus and Muslims. Of course, the forces of Hindutva jump into the fray only when India is involved in disputes with Pakistan. When the ipkf was in Sri Lanka, everyone was silent about the martyrdom of Indian soldiers who, even then, were performing their national duty. Where were the super-patriots of '99 during the return of wounded and disabled Indian soldiers from Sri Lanka? The current super-patriotic wave in India should therefore be of great concern to secular Indians because Hindu communalists along with politicians are helping in creating a great social rupture between Hindus and Muslims on the convenient bandwagon of anti-Pakistan rhetoric.