Patriotism
- A Rational Perspective
Avijit Roy
E-mail : avijitroy1@yahoo.com
"O aamaar desher maati Tomaar pore thekaai maathaa ..."
Whenever any context of a country comes incidentally in
our movies, dramas, story books, novels and especially in our patriotic songs,
it is intentionally mentioned to brainwash the common people that a
country means its "holy soil", mountains, rivers or flowers.
What the helmsmen, steersmen and leaders are trying to advertise
continuously to define "country" or "motherland" for their
own purpose is basically a blatant lie. A rational person knows that a country
is NOT holy soil. Patriotism cannot and should neither be "love for holy
soil" nor love for any lifeless mountains or flowers. Patriotism actually
means love for own countrymen, NOT love for any soil. There is no complete
definition of a country if we ignore it's real and only real asset - the
common mass.
Rabindranath Tagore uttered in one of his article - "Atmo-porichoy"
- "Country is made of men. Country is not "mrinnmoy"
(made of earth), country is rather "Chinmoy" (made of human
consciousness). If countrymen are liberated, the whole country is liberated.
The more you portray your country as "Shujola" (full of profuse or
delicious water), "Shufola" ( yielding abundant fruits) the more
liability of explanation will incur upon your shoulder... If countrymen dry up
the profuse water, dry up the fruits and flowers, unfertile the lands, ...
they will not be able to suppress the shame of country by producing only
delicious poetry or novel. It is the men by which a country is entirely made
of, not the soil."
Our so called intellectuals could not have realized the simple
truth which Rabindranath had realized a hundred years ago. By regular
advertisement and spoiled definition of "country" and
"patriotism" occupied in our head, we think patriots are only those
morally degraded and corrupted politicians, madams and aapaas, whereas Jahanara
Imam, Shahriar Kabir who dedicatedly worked for the welfare of our country
become anti-state activist, terrorist or separatist! How can I
make our leaders think that patriotism is not
synonymous to blind obedience to any government. Patriotism means love and
feelings for the deprived people of your own country.
Patriotism means a desire to establish rights for "minorities" who
have been uprooted by systematic persecution. Shahriar is not an anti-state
activist; he is an example of a great patriot, because he felt the agony of
thousands of Purnimas, Ritas and Shefalys in Bangladesh. But he remains as an
anti-state activist by the narrow political definition!
It is our great tradition to portray morally
degraded, bellicose and warmonger leaders like Shirajdoulla, Rana Protaap,
Shibaji, Boktiar Khilji, Baro-Bhuyia and Shajahan as patriots. We praise
Shiraj for his courage (entirely forgetting his cruelty and lasciviousness),
get astonished to see Shajahan's example of unparallel love for his wife - the
greatest wonder Tajmahal but never realize that Tazmahal was not built by
Shajahan himself, it is the countrymen who bore the penalty taxes to built
that massive masonry. At that time Panjab was facing a massive famine, but
discourteous Shajahan did not pay any attention to the dying people, he was
engaged in building his superb Taj. Example of great patriotism indeed.
In 1971, while we Bengalis were at war against Pakistan, Pakistani
government portrayed Sheikh Mujib as anti-state activist and our freedom
fighters as terrorists and separatists. Indians are doing the same thing for
kashmiri people now.
Who are actually separatists? The word
"separatist" always bears a negative impact like "atheist"
to the common mass by the clever advertisement of the politician. We
must realize no one wants to be a separatist if he/she is treated with milk
and butter. A thought of separation usually comes to someone's mind if he/she
feels that he/she is mentally, physically, culturally, economically deprived /
tortured. They begin to think about themselves nothing but as minority.
Whenever some courageous people of that minority society stand up for their
right, the government cleverly tries to portray that they are nothing but
separatists, terrorists. We did the ethnic cleansing on the 'Chakma Terroist'
inspired by the call of one of our former benevolent president when they
demanded their cultural rights; we tortured on our own people to prevent
separation of our holy land! Pakistan also tried to legalize their genocide by
calling freedom fighters as separatists and terrorists. Indians are also doing
exactly the same thing.
Our political leaders are very clever. Sometimes
they create mass-hysteria among the common people to impose artificial
patriotism while they are unable to solve basic needs of own countrymen.
"Jonotaa jokhkoni chay bostro o
khadyo
shimantey beje uthey juddher baadyo"
(whenever people demand for food, and clothing
Bell of war in the border starts ringing!)
Patriotism… is the only “ism” which has such a
power to make all fundamentalists, secularists, atheists, feminists, Marxists,
democrats blindly united so that they do any evil, massacre, genocide so
completely and cheerfully just to protect their “holy land”. It
is the high time to dissect each and every “ism” rationally and educate
the common mass for the future well-being of a nation.
1st. May 2002
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Mr. Roy, You wrote the fact. But, if you want change in our Bangladesh; see if you can agree with me and advise me. A society is like a fish. It start to rot from the head. When you see a fish started to rot, you cut off the head to save the body to use. Our society's head has been rotten. We need to: 1) Cut off the rotten head of this classically corrupt criminal syndicate of Politics, Bureaucracy, judiciary , industry, and business. This step is to be implemented by a honest group of brave bengalee souls. 2) Form a National Government immediately after step 1 taking honest peole from all political, bureaucratic, judiciary, military, industry, business people. ( we still have some honest capable people) 3) Freeze All fixed deposits and gold in the Banks. Call all corrupts to surrender all their loots, gold from their wives neck and property documents to the National treasury. 4) Stop all Bangladeshi's to leave the country, for so called education, medical, business or any reson. Examplrary open punishment for the Core Criminals of the present and past regimes. 5) Enroll all young people age from 18 for the National Service compulsory for 2 years. 6) Implement immediately Single education system from Grade 1 to Grade 10/12 for the entire Nation. 7) Stop all L/C to import from Dry milk to electric motor, to internal combusion engine. We shall take two step backward to leap for the real step forward. If we can not produce it we as a Nation do not deserve it, that is the phelosophy. I am sure we can produce many it in less then 500 days. 8) Redefine our Natianl charecter, culture, and issues cleaning it up from the present and past criminal certified class who only served themselves. Seperate the working mass from the evils of Pandits and Mollahs. 9) Set aside the present loan documents from our DONORS and start a new accounting book. Hold on to this National System and exercise for 10/15 years. You will see the Nation you are dreaming. I can organize to cut off the rotten head of our society if we prepare in less then 2/3 years and call for the formation of a National Government as I stated earlier. My only concern is that, our military, basically a defecto LATHIAL force paid by our DONOR counties , who make sure we just open L/C for anything we need to create job in the DONORS country, using DONORS fund, will be the final force to fight to bring fundamental chnage as you dream. The reality is that, INDIA , who now use us as another of their MARKET will not help the process of such change. Burma (MAYANMAR) will not be much help either. However, what ever may be the situation, we should start the process of a drastic change. What you say ? Take good care of yourself. Best wishes. =========================================================================
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Hello Abhijit
I read your very nice posting at e-mela. You are absolutely right. Patriotism is a feeling which ramins in our heart (which is not for love of real estate!). When oppressed and frustrated group of our own people raise their voice to secure (primarily) their shelter our sense of patriotism become manipulated and we become border guards instead of standing by them.
Anyway, good luck with everything.
Reza
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Dear Avijit:
Recently, I have read you writing posted in e-mela.com. I think you are
right and you clearly demonstrated your ability of good-writing. Keep
on going.
Thanks.
- Rajib
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Hi Avijit,
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I have long viewed ‘patriotism as the evil-most human instinct’ at least as in the form it’s being practiced apparently from the very inception of human society. It’s time that we value humanity which is true form of patriotism if the latter has anything to do with the well-fare human society. It’s time to adopt the form of patriotism being defined by Avijit in his article “Patriotism – A Rational Perspective”. If we can’t rise above the traditional sense of patriotism to condemn despicable and inhuman activities regardless of whether it takes place on our backyard or wherever, we will only be reduced to subhuman animal species.
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Credit : Science and Rationalist Association, India
Published at :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/4403
http://www.e-mela.com/lekha/article/Patriotism_Avijit050102.html