Imperialism to Naxalism

Speaking from the Colonial point of view there is a striking similarity between colonizing a country in those days and acquiring a company in these days. While making a acquisition these days all companies need is a controlling stake. The controlling stake obviously comes from buying fat board members or agency which are few in numbers. Once it is done the fate of stakeholders are left to be decided…Of course with lot of ifs/buts/unions/laws/policies in between.

When East India Company came all they had to do was buy or please upper strata – to say Nawabs, Nizams, Kings. Once they agreed or sometimes subjugated, the fate of citizens was left to be decided.

From the Era of defunct Nawabs & Nizams power drifted to upper middle class Browns and Eurasians. These people were Indians but not in there thought process and up bring. These people were not former rulers but people either born or brought up in English Style. They loved eating, dressing and speaking English. They send there sons to Trinity and oxfords of England and the sons came back to become administrators of Her Majesty’s govt. (The lower class in any case was not much affected; actually British gave them a stage to showcase their woes).There was no unified Leadership, such was the situation that when Pandit Nehru came back after completing his degree form Trinity he was afraid of Public Speaking, partially because he was shy and mostly because he wasn’t sure the masses will cope up with his English English.

Gandhiji after his return from South Africa and his Indian Victory in Champaran was the first leader to connect with masses, the village masses (Kisans), which was huge. Gandhiji was believable and people followed. He was not discussing policies in committees with Intelligentsia but was going to villages. He knew the power of public opinion and wanted masses to have and give their opinion in shaping India of future.

To give his struggle and masses strong reason to unite, Gandhiji brought back concept of “Ram Rajya” so that Hindus can be united for a common cause. He partly succeeded, Hindus were in majority. But Untouchablity was something which again was not allowing masses in village to participate as equals. The upper class Hindus would not fight or participate with them; they will protect their heavens rather than fight for earthly freedom.

To fight this menace and uplift the self esteem of trodden, Gandhiji called them “Harijan”- Son of God.

By the way Mr. Jinnah was a secular Muslim and one reason why he drifted away from Gandhiji was because he wasn’t of the opinion of mixing politics and religion like Gandhiji was doing.

Harijan proved good for all parties and parasites. Mr. Jinnah got Pakistan, Harijan got acceptability, to an extent and the duo of Kanshi Ram and Mayawati got Utter Pradesh…though much latter.

Back to our times, when all these struggles were going on there was one more aspect to India which was completely forgotten. The Tribal India, the aborigine India. Tribals were mostly secluded from the Indian Politics. By tribal I don’t mean Shibu Soren, but real people.

There was a leadership gap just like Pre Independent Indian once had. May be we need to wait for another someone from Africa who will connect the gap, for the time being Naxals are feeling the gap, though in a Chinese way. Coming to Corporate India, shouldn’t they get all those carbon credit points?