ON THE THRESHOLD OF A NEW AWAKENING

Students must devote themselves to studying and building up their character at this critical phase of their lives for effective contribution to the nation later rather than this lining up for devious political programmes in the name of nationalism which effectively will be ruinous in the long run both for their individual selves as well as for the nation at large. This sort of saffron nationalism or secular nationalism, however you may label it, stands in sharp variance to what the ancient forest universities of Bharatvarsha stood for when emphasis was laid on spiritual and academic pursuits in the Brahmacharya schools during the period of tutelage and politics left to be pursued after the blossoming of mature wisdom post the university days. If this government that upholds the cause of nationalism, truly stands for our ancient nation's values, then it will have to do a lot more of contemplation than the surface scratching of scriptural texts it is wont to doing and then articulating the findings thereof in the form of well-known aphorisms followed by the unleashing of the blossoming force of the youth of this nation along wasteful channels of violence and mass hysteria, all for the purpose of building its mass base for future electoral gains. My plea, therefore, to the nation is that politicians, perfidious as they are at any rate today across the spectrum, desist from destroying the flower of our youth by halting their induction programmes in university campuses and in this I include even academics who are culpable to the same charge. It is for professors to teach their courses and teach nobly, not to awaken hatred for the nation through one-sided discourses delivered nor not to encourage critical thinking about contentious national issues as is in vogue in totalitarian societies. But through it all, it must be remembered by academics that the youth must not be led into vociferous denunciation of the nation which plays into the hands of enemy nations like Pakistan. At the same time, the government must understand that the law enforcement bodies must control civil disorder which ought not to be the prerogative of student bodies like the ABVP. It is in the present government's best interests to take a more rational stance towards student demonstrations in universities and take to tackling the problem by genuine good governance instead of deflecting public scrutiny of its failings by thrusting self-interpreted definitions of nationalism and anti-nationalism. Let public discourse be civil and not brutal. May peace prevail despite pluralism of opinion! May the word of dissent be met with the word of debate and neither the bayonet nor the bullet! Let us once more prove that we are worthy inheritors of an ancient civilisation which had ample space even for the heretical Charvakas who were allowed to freely propagate their views, so potently against the Vedas, but which, nonetheless, by their contrasting colour heated up the public discourse in a civilised and rational way, thereby, facilitating in truest terms the flourishing of democracy of thought and action which in essence is the bedrock of our hoary culture. May the God of India's destiny (Bharatabhagyavidhata) bless the youth of our motherland with patience, fortitude and forbearance, and above all, love for each other, even though they be across the table of dialogue, debate and dissent! May Sri Ramakrishna bless you, young man, dear Meghnad Bose! Remember Swami Vivekananda's immortal mantra: purity, patience, perseverance.