Truth is that originally all humans are spiritual beings who descend from the same abode and share the same spiritual family under the fatherhood of the Supreme Spiritual being, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Post-independence, India has experienced various types of conflicts that were ethnic, religious, linguistic and so on. History shows that a majority of the language tensions leading to conflict situations have had their roots in situations that were not always linguistically-oriented. Though the British policies and administrative strategies were to a large extent responsible for the shaping of the linguistic map of India, impetus also came from within the native population that was later instrumental in bringing about the linguistic reorganisation of states. To create mass awareness among the youth, some of the educated young men started vernacular language newspapers, most of which aimed at educating the masses on social and political issues. Similarly, many politically and socially conscious writers produced a substantial body of literature in the vernacular languages.
On the other hand, leaders like lokmanya Tilak tried to educate and mobilise the masses about their past heritage and glory by reviving traditional festivals such as the Ganpati which made extensive use of the Marathi language. In short, the aim of every political or social organisation was to bring about awareness rather then creating linguistic separatism in society. It’s unfortunate that today’s leaders haven’t learnt much from our forefathers and have started politics of separatism and hatred.
It’s a fact that today the common man as well as acclaimed people, all have been the targets of linguistic chauvinism. But the most unsettling of the episodes is the unprecedented incident in Indian history when an elected representative of the legislative Assembly was violently obstructed and threatened while taking oath in the national language of the country instead of the state’s regional language. An incident of such magnitude speaks loudly about the legitimacy that the idea of linguistic separatism has gained, and assures us of it being derived from a strong mass base and government inaction. It is sad that a country that has lost so much to regionalism and linguist debacles in the past is unwilling to learn from them. Just imagine! What would be the fate of a country with numerous national languages and 325 recognised dialects, if such a fire is let looseIJ Even imagining it is scary.
From the spiritual perspective, such acts of invested violence are premised on the strong belief system of identifying human beings with the bodies they are born into and associating them with the religion, gender, language or region they hence acquire. This has given rise to several social evils in the past like caste system, racism, marginalisation of women and communal violence. When the truth is that originally all humans are spiritual beings who descend from the same abode and share the same spiritual family under the fatherhood of the Supreme Spiritual being. This is the basis of the ideals of equality, fraternity and universal brotherhood, despite all physical differences, which are enshrined in the most respected constitutions of the world today. At a time when the world is talking about concepts like global village and we are trying to connect all the corners through technology, commerce, cultural exchanges and global institutions, encouraging separatist tendencies is a ridiculous yet dangerous proposition.
Being faced with international and national issues like poverty, climate change and innumerable developmental challenges, exhibiting unity in spirit is the need of the hour. When the cake of resources is already too small, and the call of the time is to share, further polarising of resources in the favour of a few poses a grave threat to the future of our society. Remember, when it is time to act, our silence would mean aligning with the unrighteous.