2 October 2014

Patriotism, Modi and Clean India

I have never been a fan of patriotism. I think it restricts our love (there are my people and then there are other people), doubts our actions (how can I leave my country for better economic prospects) and questions our judgement (supporting your country's decisions simply because it is your country and not because its right/rational).
I also believe that Indians have a strange sense of patriotism. We take pride in everything and everyone that is Indian - the Mars mission, jugaad, Bollywood, Gandhi, Nobel laureates of Indian origin and basically everything that has a connection to India. But I suppose, that's where our patriotism stops.
Loyalists to a country would be expected to service the country when the call of duty comes. While this is true for India in times of natural calamities and days of war; the same is kind of patchy in everyday life. Without hesitation, we pollute our community, bribe our government officials, discriminate on the basis of caste and maintain our apathy to governance in general. The question regarding what we owe to the country and what the country owes us, is rarely answered.
One would argue that this matrix of rights and duties is a question of morality and law and there is little that patriotism can do over here. However, my belief is that some morality can also stem from the State. Take for example civic sense (don't pee in public, don't through garbage in the open, give pedestrians a right of way etc.). Why do some communities have high civic sense vs others? While the natural answer is education, there are instances (especially in India) where educated people also pollute. Also, I don't believe that civic sense is a function of education. These things are so obvious, that you really have to be super-apathetic to falter on civic sense (try asking someone why they throw garbage on the road or why they pee on the pavement - there cannot be a rational explanation to this; alternatively ask if they are aware of the benefits of civic sense).
Hence, when the benefits are so elementary and even then you fail to perform the act, the natural conclusion is that you are apathetic. Failure of civic sense is because of gross apathy - that you really don't care about your community (and by extension your country). Therefore, for morals like civic sense, you do need a sense of patriotism or love for your country/fellow mates/community. It is not the only source of morality, but one of the sources.
Devil's advocate might argue that while Indians pollute in India, they don't pollute when they travel abroad and that is not because they change the locus of their patriotism; but because good civic sense is the norm/law outside. I completely agree. The reason why Indians pollute in India is also because it is the norm. But the question we were trying to answer was why is this the norm in India?
Having said this, I will spend a few words on the cause of this apathy (previous posts describe this in detail). The first cause is the British Raj. The birth of Indian nationalism was during the independence movement, but I believe it was restricted to only that. The nationalism represented freedom from the British and not a nationalism of an ideal State with ideal citizens. Post independence, we got a robust constitution with great many rights, but not necessarily rights that people understood or reflected with/demanded. Hence, Indian nationalism in the beginning did not indulge in the rights-duty matrix.
The second cause (which maybe an effect of the first), are regular failed governments in India; none of which have inspired the people. Most were seen through the lens of doubt, corruption and inefficiency. Hence, there is a general feeling of apathy towards governance and law and order. This has further skewed the rights-duty matrix.
Now finally coming to Modi. What can be undoubtedly agreed upon is that since his tenure he has created an atmosphere of enthusiasm and patriotic spirit. Whether through the independence day address, the grand spectacle at Madison Square Garden or the huge hypes around his foreign visits. He has tried to invoke the "duty" spirit in Indians (resident or otherwise).
This is especially true with his "Clean India" campaign. Calling on the nation on a national holiday to come out and clean is a great way to instill duty and care for the nation (while there are problems with that as well, the larger call to duty is important).  If Modi is able to instil patriotism and this duty to care among Indians, then my belief is that the going will be a lot easier.
Finally, my scepticism of patriotism has not reduced in anyway. I had once remarked to a friend that nationalism is a weapon of mass destruction, and I still hold that view. I just hope that the current use of patriotism is for the good.


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