As the Republic opened before us the panoramic vista of blessings in 1950, we gained a great treasure, the Bible of this land, our Constitution. Its golden pages gave us fundamental rights to shape our lives and the future of the nation in fellowship. We also gained a democratic setup of government that ought to respect our fundamental rights of freedom of conscience, right to hold one’s faith, practise and propagate one’s religion in a secular democracy. 

We gained the right of choice of our electoral representatives as legislators. We were blessed with the promise of an independent Judiciary. We believed that the head of the nation, the President, would guarantee the sanctity of the Constitution and the good governance of the party in power. And that the Executive will perform its duty for the welfare of all without bias towards caste, creed or community. And more...

However, recent events have sent shivers down our spines. Over the last seven years, many shocking things have made our hopes nosedive. We lost our fundamental freedom of speech. Our right to privacy and security has been under vigilance and threat by the snooping watchdogs of the Executive. Our right to practice religion according to our conscience is being denied by the Executive. Communal and anti-secular forces are on the run to destroy religious sanctuaries and disrupt prayer assemblies. While the Executive condones them with studied silence! 

We have the freedom of choice of our food. It looks as if the Big Brother dictates to us what to eat, whom to converse or travel with, the rules of our bedroom and the like. Many are losing faith in an independent Judiciary that could have intervened on occasions to guarantee the enjoyment of our democratic freedoms. 

Our legislators are playing hide and seek game with us. Our votes mattered and we were considered king-makers when the power aspirants came to our door steps with begging bowls. But, sad to say, our faith in them has eroded as they have made the national scene into a sort of cattle market where horse-trading is at its best. Shiv Khare in his book Freedom is not Free says, “They say politics is a dirty game. There is no dirty game. There are only dirty players.” 

We have lost more. Our sense of human fellowship! The urge to usher in a majoritarian and nationalist set up with a recalcitrant communal flavour is taking our nation into a dark age. We begin to look upon every neighbour with suspicion. The wave of hatred like Covid virus is eating into the marrow of our nation. The Father of the Nation is not spared. His effigy has been shot with bullets in a public square by communal zealots. The message is clear.

What more! The grave-diggers of the Constitution have been plotting to obliterate any trace of our Constitution. Quack historians are employed to rewrite the sacred history of our land. Our power-hungry politicians have no time to cry foul. Rather they are busy horse-trading. 

India’s soul cannot be sold to wayward politicians and communal hotheads. Rise India from the ashes of your silence. Let the flame of aspirations for a resurgent India rise and dispel all dark forces and sinister elements.