Nido Taniam’s death is a reminder that there still exists in large measure in our midst a deep social and even racial divide. The idea of social and legal equality is in the law books, but it is missing in real life. We need to go back to the teachings of non-violence and tolerance that Mahatma Gandhi spread in his struggle for independence, writes lEICHOMBAM KUllAJIT
Mahatma Gandhi was of the view that the persistent ills of our society like corruption, indiscipline, violence, etc were primarily the result of India’s adaptation of the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy which totally ignored the unique conditions prevailing within the country. The genius of the Indian people, a social structure based on stratification, diversity of culture and languages and a mosaic of ethnic groups have created a conglomeration of divisive forces. The transplantation of Western democracy into India has not solved the problems of social disorder, economic stagnation and political instability.
When he expressed his dissatisfaction or opposition to Western form of Government and democracy, scholars and laymen alike felt that he was impractical, unrealistic and patently wrong in his assessment. However, Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas on democracy seem to have stood the test of time inasmuch as the contemporary Indian society innately craves for non-violence, rule of law and morality to govern the relations among the nation-states.
Well, to some extend, this might be a forgone era of political theory for the present generation or so-called nationalist political parties, and hundreds of summers might have come since Mahatma Gandhi’s death, but his agony for this pervasive illness seems to be clearer by the day, more so since the tragic death of a student from Arunachal Pradesh. Nido Taniam’s death was not just about racial slur against somebody because of his looks or feature, but also about the death of millions who had dreamt of a great nation.
The incident also leads one to re-evaluate the current stormy social divide of the Indian state. From Kerala to Jammu & Kashmir and from Gujarat to Manipur, there are glaring testimonies of this divide, which no one can easily overlook. In North-eastern States, many Hindi-speaking people have been targeted, in Jammu & Kashmir members of the Indian security forces are being killed every other day, in Maharashtra north Indian people are being intimidated, and even in Gujarat one its Ministers openly blames migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for the rise in the number of poor families.
While addressing a students’ convocation ceremony in Shillong recently, the Dalai lama said India is considered a religious nation, but a lot of corruption is taking place… the corrupt people are also highly educated. The Buddhist spiritual leader also said that in Western countries, secularism means being negative towards religion, whereas in India it means having respect of all religions — India can promote religious harmony and ahimsa. While the statement was just an observation in certain perspectives, its underlying sentiments are so large. It implies the ruthless structure of social divides in Indian society. Though one cannot certainly predict what the future has for us, the outcome could be worse if the prevailing state of affairs continues to linger.
Does it mean that all the left, Right and those nationalist groups need to re-strategise their moves againIJ Yes. A society cannot be structured on just caste, creed and religion. It has to a discover a dimension, and that should take care of the economic factor as well. Unfortunately, as it is, there are certain forces who always try to disintegrate in the name of caste, creed, religion, looks and feature. They must not be allowed the upper hand.
The Indian society is basically non-egalitarian. Although it developed the idea of the moral equality of all men, and indeed of all sentient beings, it never developed the idea of social, legal and political equality. And Nido succumbed because of this illness which plagues the Indian society.