Young minds are the best assets a country can have and by using the power of ideas, they can lead us towards a New India, an India that has the best of education, health and technology, among others. In recent times, we have been witnessing an attempt to radicalise the youth, especially students in campuses by some radical organisations which are not only political but religious as well. Even during the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, we have seen numerous TikTok and Facebook videos of youngsters where they are appealing to others to not abide by the rules and roam freely during these difficult times.
We live in a nation where it is impossible to have a socio-political imagination without Gandhi. The Mahatma has been a figure that many a million people revere till date, for his ideals of truth and 'ahimsa' (non-violence). Not only in India, Gandhi has inspired lives across the globe, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Nelson Mandela, people cutting across the ideological spectrum have placed their faith in the ideas of a man who India calls its father of the nation.
We have known Gandhi to be a man who never compromised on his values, he spoke for the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. He was a strong proponent of an India where young minds lead the country to greater heights, an India free from hunger, poverty and discrimination.
It is a fact recognised by all that the future of any country lies in the young minds who study and set out performing their professional and national duties. If a country is to succeed economically and progress socially, young men and women must be taught values of hard work, truth and the importance of 'ahimsa'. Gandhi knew that India’s time will come, when India will reclaim her place amongst the global powers and it is because of this that he repeatedly emphasised on making young Indians patriotic. And this process has to begin during student days because these are the formative years of young men and women who later on become leaders of the nation.
In his book 'India Of My Dreams', Gandhi laid down a code for students. This perhaps remains a less talked about idea of Gandhi’s India as our history books, intellectuals and the public discourse surrounding Gandhi have always been about either politics or religion. Gandhi the statesman, his economic thought and his broader vision for independent India remains buried under the shadow of his political decisions before and during partition of undivided India.
Gandhi, in his code for students, after cautioning them to remember that they aren’t politicians says: “they may not resort to political strikes. They must have their heroes but their devotion to them is to be shown by copying the best in their heroes, not by going on strikes if their heroes are imprisoned or die or are even sent to the gallows.”
He adds: “On no account may they use coercion against dissentients or against the authorities.”
What we have seen in the recent past, in universities like JNU and Jadavpur, is that the Left-leaning student organisations not only resort to violence against their ideological opponents but have also held hostage elected representatives who were merely performing their constitutional duties. The manner in which Member of Parliament Swapan Dasgupta was held hostage in Visva Bharati University, the assault on Union Minister Babul Supriyo in Jadavpur University. Even the West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, who is also the Chancellor of the Jadavpur University, was not spared -- protests by students led him to return from a convocation ceremony that he was to preside over.
The use of Jamia Millia Islamia to fuel violent protests by some political parties and religious groups in the garb of a student movement not only led to disruption of academics, but also created unrest and social disharmony in the university and across the country.
These incidents make one wonder where the student community is headed, if some student organisations resort to violence against those who hold constitutional positions following the inciting speeches by some Left-leaning politicians and activists, then the country has a problem at hand, solution to which must be thought of and implemented soon. The later the steps are taken, the bigger the problem will be by then.
Let us pledge that as the future of this great nation, we will revisit the noble ideas of the Mahatma and make the India of his dreams, with our rich spiritual legacy to look back at and a great future to look forward to.
(Rahul Chaudhary is the National Convener, Media, of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad. Views are personal.)
Comments
0 comment