Ideas in India

Only real change can lie at the heart of real change. The real strength of ideas comes from belief in those ideas by enough number of people. Sometimes, ideas, when not actively applied or engaged with, loose their strength, just as body parts not exercised lose their vitality. 

Democracy, or democratic improvements across the world, have perhaps been a result of two forces. A widespread disenchantment with the ruling dispensation, coupled with a conviction in the elite sections of society for change. But then perhaps, this is not just the case for democracy. This is the prerequisite for any idea to gain traction in a society.  An elite that has an idea or is the in grip of that idea, for ideas are the muse of the well-fed. And then there is wider group of people, who must be sufficiently disenchanted, to be willing to rally behind new ideas. 

Democratic ideas in India, were an elite project, which found approval in the masses as a result of the disenchantment with the British. It was the independence that was more valuable, combined with a broad suspicion of autocratic power, that perhaps enabled a democratic nation to emerge. The visible power of British Kings and Queens was also perhaps, a reason to dislike such political structure thereafter. 

But there was a stream of ideas, powerful too, that advocated for a more Hindu India, that sought justice for the Hindu community in the face of rampant Muslim mobilization. While the latter found utterance in the creation of Pakistan, the former, even though made irrelevant from the public eye following Gandhi's assassination, continued it's fight for justice. It continued to exercise it's idea of justice in the political and social sphere, ensuring that it fought and acted in the manner it deemed, aligned with it's values. 

On the other hand, the main stream of thought during Indian independence, the secular, scientific & socialist project of the Congress, manifested itself into a successful political party. The party came to represent perhaps these three values. Secular in the sense that they didn't see India as a civilization of the Sanatanis or the Hindus. Scientific in that they viewed history or medicine or culture, with a cynical eye, demanding evidence at every turn. Socialist, in their firm belief, that government had a key role to play in every sector. This is markedly different from the thought system of the RSS and the right wing. They avowedly believe in an unbroken Hindu civilization, which was "interrupted" by the Muslim and British invasion and that the current national project must return in it's core to that civilizational idea. As a Hindu nation then, they are more faith loving, and see great value in respect, admiration for all old ideas, thinkers, mores & values that had roots in the Sanatana dharma. Finally, in their economic thinking, they are open to the free market and absence of government intervention. 

Ideas, find their true strength in action. And only conviction leads to action. Politicians on the other hand, act altogether from different motivations than any ideas or ideology. Their's is only the logic of acquiring power, even at the cost of their own "ideology". There in lies, perhaps, the travesty of the "Congress" thought process. The ideas that Congress took on, that gave it power, it's openness and active embrace of all religions, it's scientific approach to taboos, the caste system and rituals & the socialism, all were eventually sacrificed, and the apparent gaps in their values were clearly seen. 

Today these three words suffer from different levels of decay. Secular, which stands at the heart of the left-right divide, is a joke at best and a cuss word rest of the time. Pseudo-secular, sickular are words often used to describe the Congress party and those who stand by it. The idea is simple. It captures the false-secularism or the false sense of equality, in the eyes of the right, espoused by the Congress. That while one hand maintains a one-hand distance from the Hindus, the other hugs a Muslim, symbolizing the false-ness. This narrative also brings forth another idea, that of perhaps, Hindu timidity and lack of self-respect. The BJP and acolytes on the other hand, have no such pretensions. Occasionally they may call themselves secular but they are openly dismissive of the concept. They are happy to have the PM inaugurate a temple, openly use Hindu symbols & slogans as head of government and more. 

The word Socialist, while less maligned, is probably dated. It doesn't mean anything anymore to call oneself a socialist. In a world where everyone is openly consuming capitalist goods and recognizes the impact of private industry led growth, socialism is a lost cause. 

The idea of a scientific temperament is a curious case, but it's complete disappearance from public discourse and imagination is startling. In high contrast to the open praise heaped on engineers for building rockets, bridges, rails and roads, scientists seem not to be offered the same pedestal, let alone social scientists. Right groups have a history of hounding & murdering activists who have openly espoused the scientific & rational thinking, such as Narendra Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh. Their insistence has instead been focused on recognizing the scientific achievements of the past, of their rishis and munis, who they feel, have been completely neglected and obliterated from the history of science and progress. So most of their efforts are engaged here, in ensuring that their ancestors are recognized and given their due, rather than on the present moment and what happens in the future. Interestingly, the left has also deserted this space. Except for college professors and retired scientists voicing in opinion pieces, there is no political attempt to rescue this ideal.