India, That is Bharat

79 years ago, on 15 August, the Indian tricolour flew high in the skies as India became a free nation. A country of a little less than 350 million people was finally free from the clutches of the British.A tremendous achievement, no doubt, but behind the celebrations and parades, a sinister force lurked. It hid amongst the people, disguised itself cleverly, and attacked the very pulse of human existence: the mind.On the first page of the Constitution that would go on to govern a billion people, the founding fathers of our nation wrote: ‘India, that is Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a…’. Why was there a mention of the name ‘Bharat’? After all, the newly free nation was the Republic of India. What, then, did ‘Bharat’ have to do with any of this?Calling this land merely a 75-year republic is but a stain on its ten-thousand-year-old history. Generation upon generation of great rulers have strengthened the values of this land, and a mere three hundred years was all it took to bring them down.The kings and queens of this land travelled the length and breadth of the Earth, were welcomed as guests of honour across the world, all while proudly upholding and displaying their culture and belief systems. Fast forward to today, and how many of us are comfortable going to a popular city mall in Indian wear? How many of us would wear Indian clothing to a late-night party?.This monster of the Indian mind, rotting away the minds of our people, goes by the name ‘coloniality’. While colonialism involves the physical oppression of colonised people, coloniality involves something much more potent—colonisation of the mind.Its effect can be summed up in the words of Thomas Babington Macaulay, the man who brought English education to India: ‘The aim is to create a class of people, who are Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, morals, opinions and intellect.’Have 75 years of independence paved the way for the realisation of Macaulay’s dream? When the British came, the ancient Indian system of education was razed and replaced with English learning systems. All these years later, the chilling truth in Macaulay’s words can be seen ever so clearly. Indian youth are drifting apart from the value systems and culture that have enabled this civilisation’s survival for aeons. Western elements are infiltrating every aspect of our society, pushing out Indian ones.Why are we so reluctant to practice our traditions? An Indian, rooted in our customs, an Indian in morals, opinions, and intellect, is the precise antithesis of Macaulay’s aim. At this junction, when India is progressing towards 100 years of Independence, we must ask ourselves a question.Do we want to be subjects of Macaulay’s haunting vision? Or do we want to be Indians, proud of our heritage and values, yet citizens of this ever-connected world? As the flag is hoisted atop the post time and again, the reins of Bharat’s chariot are passed on to today’s youth, and with it, a great responsibility.The responsibility to live up to those who gave their lives for this land. To those who sent their kinsmen to die for the country, and to those who tirelessly served this country every moment of their lives. The choice, as well as its consequences, lies with you..- Adithyan Diwakar Vidya | CHYK, CIRS | Sophomore at the National University of Singapore

India, That is Bharat

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