A NATIONAL REJOICING?

A NATIONAL REJOICING?

But the Britisher owed allegiance to Britain and the Indian-born Britisher also owes allegiance to Britain. So, there's a huge difference, you see. And unless we are able to perceive this clearly we are still mentally colonised, understand this, especially when we so easily get excited over such nationally inconsequential things for us that happen around the world. The British colonisers served British interests of global domination and economic exploitation and Rishi Sunak is also going to help perpetuate that legacy in continuing to serve British nationalistic interests to the same effect, although in altered terms in altered circumstances. So, where's there anything much to rejoice about beyond feeding our propensity to get hyper over events that on the surface seem significant but in essence continue the status quo? We must be more perceptive in our world-view, more committed to our nation, less flimsy and more serious about the historical injustices we have been recipients of at the hands of invaders and colonisers. And we ought to have greater national self-resprct. Moreover, why rejoice in a negative way at the expense of others or even by way of a so-called national retribution of sorts in a peculiar and perverse manner out of an Indian-born becoming Prime Minister of our erstwhile coloniser? Our national celebration must be to provide decent living standards for all our countrymen, to stop exploiting them as the colonisers did and to creatively contribute to the well-being of the world by bringing to its service our heritage, ideas and ideals along with our prodigious civilising capacity. Vande Mataram!

Written by Sugata Bose