Lack of National Patriotism

by Anwar Shaikh

The  Hindus are not lesser sinners than the Muslims in partitioning their Motherland because they failed to match the Muslim hatred with their love of Bharat Mata. If they were the least patriotic, they would have resisted this most diabolical act with the force of arms. History demonstrates clearly that motherland is the goddess that always demands a sincere offering of sweat and blood from her proud devotees, but the Hindus failed miserably on this count. They did not fire one shot to save the integrity of Bharat Mata. Gandhi bragged that India would be partitioned over his dead body, but when the time for sacrifice came, he showed a dishonourable conduct. Instead of dissuading his colleagues as he had pledged to Abul Kalam Azad, he withdrew his opposition to partition before the Congress Working Committee. Far more shabby was the role of Nehru, who was intotoxicated with the dream of personal power, though at a devilishly high cost to the Mother India. Gandhi gained his "National Sainthood'' and Nehru achieved his ambition of Prime Ministership.

The fact that the Hindus have been reluctant to fight for the honour of Bharat Mata for the last one thousand years clearly demonstrates that lack of national patriotism is the real Hindu malaise. Unless they renounce the anti-vedic principles such as Ahimsa and caste system, they will never make a bold and united nation fit to serve the cause of Bharat Mata, which is the ony way ahead.

However, I do not preach narrow nationalism, which in its extreme form can rank as a subhuman cult. The Indian Muslims may class themselves as the children of foreign invaders to nurse their inferiority complex but the truth is that 95% of them have the same Indian blood in their veins as all other Indians such as Hindus, Sikhs or Christians. The remaining 5% have certainly become Indians by the long domicile in this country. Have they got anywhere else to go? Never mind other Islamic countries, even Pakistan, which was created for all Muslims of the subcontinent, shall not take them in. It is high time that they sober up to the reality, and being Indians, start living as Indians, their participation in singing the Vande Matram, shall be a step in the right direction.