Hundreds of years later, we gained independence. It took a lot of sacrifice, patience and bravery to get it done. It also took something else – unity. All Indians united to take on the British and finally secured freedom. Hence India united = India celebrated.
However, right before independence, some people in powerful positions felt partition was a great idea. We split the country into two, and the original Pakistan was strangely made up of two land masses West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). This odd division must have made perfect sense to many people then. They must have argued about the need to safeguard “Muslim Interests,” and were probably well-intentioned and genuinely concerned. However, the partition turned out to be a major disaster. Millions died, causing enormous pain right at the time of independence. Hence, India divided = India suffered.
Imagine the powerhouse India would be if we never had the partition. Imagine the trillions of dollars of defence budgets saved, spent between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, largely to guard against each other. Imagine there were no wars we have had with each other. Again, India divided = India suffered.
Multiple times since independence, we have had riots, causing enormous suffering. They almost always occur because people are divided.
Since Independence, we have also done a few things right. Our cricket team is an example of India United, and that has given us a lot of celebrations. Our space program, our film industry, our software companies – all have flourished because the spectre of India Divided has stayed away from these places.
And yet, somehow, at regular intervals a large part of our society believes India Divided is a great idea. Right now, many believe that religion should be the lens with which we should view everything. Hindus must band together, Muslims should be called out as different, taken jibes at, seen as not belonging here, not allowed to inter-mingle and more. Ads featuring national integration should be abused. All this is done to ‘protect Hindu concerns.’ Just like the past, the people propagating this may well be well-intentioned and have genuine conviction that this is the way India should be. However, just like the past, this is only going to create India Divided. And whenever India is divided, India suffers.
Curiously, the word ‘secular’ has become a bad word – as if telling citizens of one nation to remain one is a terrible idea. There are reasons for why this word is condemned now. The word secular was used as a euphemism for appeasement politics in the past. Notably, the word is also popular amongst the erstwhile liberal-elite, the ones who are often labelled as the ‘Lutyens Delhi’ (even though they can’t afford homes there) crowd. The new India hates these ‘we-know-better’ liberal-elites, and hence anything and everything uttered by them. I have no love for these liberal-elites either. In my writing career, they have spent decades trying to label me inferior or bring me down. They are indeed, to use the kinds of words they like to use – despicable and abominable.
Yet, just because they may not be very good people, doesn’t mean everything they believed in was terrible. That we hate secularism because the liberal-elites liked it. We will stand for a divided India just to spite these smug liberals. That’s stupid, dumb and self-destructive. What if these elite-liberals said diet and fitness is important? Just to annoy them, will you stop exercising and eat samosas all day?
A united India is non-negotiable, under any government, any party, any regime. Division always leads to India losing and suffering. And if we keep taking jibes at Muslims, keep doing an ‘us vs them’ on social media all day and keep thinking we are good and they are bad – the dividers have won. This is exactly what the British would have wanted when they arrived here. Stop. A true Indian nationalist has to believe in a United India. Sure, maybe the word secular is doomed. Fine, let’s use another word. Keep it simple – India United maybe?
Throughout history, Indians have been dominated, defeated and made to suffer by dividing them. Let’s not fall into the same patterns again and lose. Let’s keep India United. We don’t want to have India Suffering, we only want to have India Celebrating.