A Country of contradictions
Fighting the urge to stay in bed all day long in the comforts of the Kashmiri Razai, braving the seemingly harsh winter, some are gently escorted out of slumber by the beautiful voice of Lata Mangeshkar singing ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ on the radio, and the sweet smell of mithai being made in the kitchen, while some are pushed out by loud alarms. Children dressed in school uniforms with little Tiranga badges pinned to their pockets, huddle around dear old Retd. Colonel Singh, who tells them one of the many stories from his army days, with a dainty teardrop in his eye. The househelp, Rukmini Mawashi walks in, wearing a new sari and smiles at Mrs. Shah, who smiles back, switches the TV on, just in time for the parade and sits next to Mr. Shah. While
sipping his morning masala chai, he glances at the newspaper, which reads ‘Happy Republic Day’ in big bold letters.
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It’s intriguing how people who are so distinct, are all united by this one small anecdote. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, “On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions.”, and how right he was. A country of contradictions; many consider our country, the one we know by the name of ‘India’, a word we must thank the Greeks for, an ‘unlikely country’. Well, it is a country which has more than a cent languages, but still the only one which unites it, is the one, of our colonial masters. It is home to all major world religions, and the birthplace of four widely practised religions, and yet, has no state religion that binds everyone together. A country with twenty eight states, so distinct that each can become a country of its own with distinct cultures, histories and languages. A language doesn’t bind us like the French, nor does a common past like the Japanese, a common religion is beyond our dream of avarice and so is a unifying political ideology. So, what is it that defines the very trait of Indianness? Is it joy that lights up the face of even daadi when we win a cricket match, or maybe it’s the intoxicating aroma of biryani from Salim Chacha’s place? Maybe, it’s your naani’s sari you reach out to when crying, or the quintessential Bollywood. It’s all these things and more.
Standing up to Dr.Ambedkar's words, somewhere in this India, exists a metaphorical ‘shady lane’, a lane which is home for all things bad, ‘the wrong side of the tracks’, if you will. While Rukmini Mawashi conceals her pain, under the mask of a new sari and a beautiful smile, she has to go back home, where she has no choice but to be at her husband’s beck and call, where her cries are perpetually muted and sexual and physical assault - an everyday calamity. The newspaper that so gleefully announces Republic day, talking about the Constitution and rights, forgets the systemic oppression of the transgender community and hardly seems to talk about the mountains a trans person has to climb every single day to access the most basic ammenities. The sound of the children laughing happily, hides the fact that as many as fifteen crore children are not a part of the formal education system. As the parade happens in full vigour and patriotism in Delhi, the smog of indifference and the aggressive need to maintain the perfect picture, manages to hide the fact that, on an average eighty eight rape cases are reported every single day, and the horryfing truth, that most remain unreported.The Preamble ensures to all its citizens,
JUSTICE, social, economic and political; but the two legally consenting adults of the same gender still can’t get married, or even start a joint bank account.
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; yet we had to witness the horrific objectification of Muslim women through an online auction.
EQUALITY of status and opportunity; and even then, after more than seventy years of independence, we find ourselves suffocated by the shackles of the caste system.
The glorious celebration of the country’s constitution every year and the patriotism often becomes a warm razai, hugging us, protecting us from the cold winds of the future, almost compelling us to dwell on our glorious past and forcing us to forget about the precarious future. However, the fact that we have a long way to go, in no way means that we haven’t come a long way. Bombay Labour Union v. International Franchise Pvt. Ltd. (1965),The Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya & Ors. (2020), Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India are all glorious milestones in our journey, and it’s only right that we take the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate these.
‘Perfect country’ is a myth, and if I may say, no fun either, but every year, on January 26,‘WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA’ are given a chance to get out of the metaphorical razai and see what’s beyond, for truly, the country of contradictions is only united by the collective will to get out of the razai, both literally and metaphorically!