Season’s flavor: Bow to Vande Mataram
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind” said the great mind of the 20th century Albert Einstein and elevating it to a step further; the Dayal Singh College (Evening) has been now renamed as Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya situated in the heart of New Delhi.
The Governing Body (GB) of Dyal Singh College (DSC), in a meeting held Friday, decided that Dyal Singh (Evening) College would be called ‘Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya’ once it is converted to a morning college.
Chairman of the Governing Body, Amitabh Sinha, a BJP leader and a lawyer, said the name was picked “to pay obeisance to the mother”. Sinha said the GB’s resolution, finalising the college name, has been sent to the DU Vice-Chancellor, who will take “necessary action” and give formal approval.
“Whether it’s your own mother or Bharat Mata, mother remains mother. Those who have a problem with paying obeisance to the mother, there is a question mark on whether they are human beings or not,” Amitabh Sinha uttered.
Although believed, the stirring words of Vande Mataram have a nostalgic value attached to it and have got the potential to skirmish against the British imperialists in the past; it cannot be an emblem of the contemporary India nationhood.
Indisputably, the song does instigate the feeling of poignancy of the struggle but the idea of commemorating the song elicits controversy with its limited sectional appeal despite valuing the pluralism of this country.
The official symbolic importance of the song and the ultra-nationalistic sentiments imbibed in that has also got many ill-effects.
But who will enlighten our political sailors that nationalism is a feeling which comes automatically from one’s soul and imposing stuff on young minds is just not going to work. Believing that the song Vande Mataram is just a souvenir, not an emblem; let’s not bewilder nationalism with its close resemblance Jingoism.
A sense of national consciousness, exalting one nation above all super national groups is as evil as war. The grey line between nationalism and jingoism and the near-synonyms of nationalism has got its own distinct meaning.
Let’s not forget that intense nationalism has been one of the key the reasons cited for war.
Generating fresh momentum for the majoritarianism, our government is forcing us to bow whatsoever convinces them. With the recent mandatory playing of Vande Mataram before the screening of movies gathered much controversy here comes again our government with their same political agenda.
Explaining why ‘Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya’ was chosen over ‘Madan Mohan Malviya College’, Sinha told, Whose child was Malviya? We are paying respect to her. The stature of the mother is above all else. Vande Mataram means to pay obeisance to the mother. There is no politics in the name.”
While penning down the song, even Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on no account imagined the kind of controversies it would craft in future. That same song leaves us to justify our sentiment to motherland but do that really necessitate?
Think it twice but for the time being, let’s sheer ‘Vande Mataram.’