We have become a nation that calls an attack on student-activist Umar Khalid a ‘publicity stunt’.
When I was younger, I’d get up early to watch the Independence Day speech. As I grew up, I usually tried to watch a recap of it before the day ended. This year, I don’t know if I will bother. When the speech of the person who leads my country is less a matter of inspiration, and more a matter of fact-checking, is it really worth it?
Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slowly, but surely, pushed the limits of the number of wild, implausible things he’s slipped into his speeches. From the latest assertion that one can make tea from the ‘gas’ collected in gutters to claiming that a train derailment was a conspiracy from “across the border” to attacking Jawaharlal Nehru for apparent disrespect to the Indian Army — he has trained people who follow him to believe in him blindly. He’s also trained them to defend him blindly. Whatever the Prime Minister says is taken as the law (often when it overreaches the law, too).
This allows for a clear binary. Whoever is ‘with’ the Prime Minister is ‘with’ the country. Everyone else is an anti-national, a seditionist, and a criminal. In a world that is becoming increasingly complex and fractured, most people find it easy to believe in a man they see as their saviour. As liberals try to struggle with a nuanced, accommodating theory that doesn’t offend or exclude anyone, the charging wave of ideology allows shelter to anyone and everyone that bows down to it.
Also read: India celebrated Modi’s ill-thought Independence Day speech but it hurt Balochistan badly
This cult of personality trickles down to his government too. There are ministers like Smriti Irani who are actively suspicious of the media and let their suspicions be well-known. Then, there are those like Arun Jaitley who once engaged with the media in ways that fostered a spirit of trust and responsibility, but now they don’t. Add to this mix people like Jayant Sinha and Chander Prakash Ganga who are comfortable with showing their biases in public. In the end, what you have is an angry, loud, and buzzing noise.
This noise is jagged and sharp. It cuts anyone trying to wade through it, and overpowers anyone who tries to question it. Asking the simplest questions can turn this tide of uncontrolled vitriol towards anyone. Take the example of minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj. She’s been a darling of social media for a witty, proactive stance towards governing, but the minute she tried to speak about this cacophonous hum, she too was overridden. The message was clear. If she is vulnerable, we are simply not important enough to even question this new normal. We’re supposed to shut up and bear it. When JNU student leader Umar Khalid was attacked, the noise said he deserved it. The noise tried to shape the attempt to murder as a ‘publicity stunt’.
Also read: Ravi Shankar Prasad wants to curb fake news, but forgot to mention BJP IT cell
I guess that’s what educates my wish for India this Independence day. I just want silence. This noise, this head-splitting, ear-bleeding barrage of hate and falsehoods and acid, needs to stop. Pablo Neruda’s Keeping Quiet comes to mind.
‘If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving
and for once could do nothing
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.’
Maybe, that’s what we all need. A moment of silence. A moment to pause and ask ourselves what we have come to. A moment to allow ourselves to heal.
Harnidh Kaur is a poet.
Haha, during childhood we waited for independence day speech? Are u kidding me? Before 2014 there was Manmohan singh for 10 times whose speech was difficult to know what he is saying. And before those years. There were shitty gandhi families, who have never lived a life of normal people, who just show off for their political drama and vote bank. They eat sleep rave all in luxary way.. ThePrint is a printer of Congress. And yes i will say it always and you can call me bhakt too but if you dont like indian govt you can leave india. You don’t have even courtesy for country’s PM for his speech on independence day.
*Ahem*. What happened to freedom of speech and thoughts?
The facts in political speeches have always been misleading in India – so Mr Modi is neither an invented nor a politician with any difference. I think the difference is in the level and audacity at which such gibberish Is being spread by Modi government. And then the people who blindly take modi’s words as law. That doesn’t use to happen before, at least people used to question or show dissent on Congress decisions. But here we see a blind army eating/wearing/speaking Modi.
The Comments section gives a sample of the noise.
Agreed. Blasting guns and still thundering
Don’t listen. No compulsion . It will save you a lot of effort.
I don’t listen to Raga at all.
well!..its good that you are still free to get your opinion printed and no daring attacks on you till date..but think once for sake of the country what those whom you wish to hear in the yeasteryears.what they have done for the country? what about corruption? what about ruling class creation..son after father continues?…its shameful that you belong to that class who seeks to control the mind of the people and dont want someone else to do it accept you!…those days are gone…INDIANS are not fools anymore, qualified and not garib, wants to work hard and don’t want to live on doles by the government, wants to pay taxes and not evade it…think before you post!…time for people like OU are over in this country!..go to pakistan maybe you will get some audience there!!!
So your point is that since previous governments have not done any thing, so let’s shutdown or reasoning and cognitive brain and jaap Modi!
When was the last speech you recall from a prime minister where you heard such fake appluses – burning stove from open gutter gas!!! Come on, at least respect the stature of PM!!
And you say, at least we are able to write/say our mind – get a count of journalists/writers killed since current government. Journalists/cartoonists quitting and media houses crawling under government pressure.
Stop watching republic tv, go to Twitter, Indian Express. Maybe you will see what is happening.
And be clear – You can carve out your own religious rightist state somewhere… we, the people of INDIA are not going anywhere!
fools
A great article. I didn’t listen to the speech of Modi exactly for the reasons mentioned in the article. He will not touch on subjects which an ordinary citizen would like him to dwell upon. He will blurt out numbers which you know are not likely to be true. But he will blast them with so much conviction which is frightening. I am really afraid of people who tell untruths with conviction. You don’t know what they will not do. Yes, I want to run away from people who say that Umar Khalid’s attack was stage-managed for publicity. It has pierced my sensitivity like a sharp-edged knife. I feel threatened by the mere presence of such people. It is like I am in a place a few centuries behind when killing human beings was a game like the present day Football. Yes, I think Modi enjoys the fear he evokes in me. I don’t want to hear his words.
This is not that nation has changed. Only those who looked poverty, violence, in tolerence, queues and un-employment through the windows of their AC rooms have been thrown out. When there was Lathi charge by Police in Midnight on helpless people in Delhi than you called it a Public Stunt. Cities after Cities were hit by serial Bomb Blasts but never ever you felt the poor are suffering. Now Loot-yens are being thrown out of their Family owned Shops so you are making hue and cry. Go dug and dug up history of past 70 years and you will come to know the sins of Left and Congress. Did you ever raised any voice when Left single handily decimated once flourishing Intellectual capital of India, Bengal into the league of UP and Bihar in 4 decade of their rule?
nother jumla speech, it was not the independence day speech, it was the speech as if there is election in Delhi, hahahahahahaha, modi betrayed the trust we all reposed in him in 2014, when he showed us big dreams big promises, but he failed in all of those, he did not even implement one of the promised modi made in his election manifesto i.e. 15 lakhs in everybody account, that he will bring back all the black money from Swiss bank within 100 days of his coming to power(no almost 4.5 years, we dont see a single black money, but instead the black money of the Indians increased to 50%), modi promised 2 crores job every year,now we should have gotten 9 crores jobs,but we got only around 5 lakhs, hahahah, modi is double standard PM he is anti Muslims, anti-dalit, anti-sc, anti-st, anti-Christians, because he is half chaddi turned full pant, hahahahah, he is speak about Muslims,because he know that without Muslims votes he will never PM and his party will never come to power, earlier his party used to say that they dont need Muslim votes, if he has love for Muslims, why he is not giving tickets to Muslims candidates, this shows, how he hates Muslims, his 4 years report card is total failure, he is useless Pm we have so far had , dont give example of Farsi or Parsi.
Parsi are very small in number all over the world, dont give us their example, whereas Islam is spreading like a fire all over the world, hope this answers to your questions.
It is bcoz of biased narratives thrown at general public day in day out by media persons with suspect professional ethics,they think they are ultimate custodians of “what is good for us public” and when confronted ( thanks to social media) their egos are hurt and critics are then dubbed Modi Bhagats as if these guys hold exclusive rights for intellectual views
Do we have to fact check your news items too? Why didn’t you blurt out such news when the UPA was in power?
Is it a issue worth discussing. It is a law and order problem and investigating officers will find out the truth as the possibility of its being stunt can’t be ruled particularly in view of the fact it is politically being used to target BJP and modi in particular. Writer has an agenda in highlighting such issues for political purposes and doesn’t not merit any credibility.
You touched my chords. Excellent piece. Yes SILENCE would indeed be calming from his (56″ chested) lies and deception that he’ll scream from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
People get that you disagree with this government, but you conveniently skip over the the details of events to shape them into your narrative, just to get clicks. I understand that clicks get your livelihood, but if you have any conscience, you know it yourself that these biased “opinions” of yours holds little truth. I won’t label you as an anti-national, a seditionist, or a criminal BUT simply as a person who blurts out their opinion not to state something but only to get attention.
People get that you disagree with this government, but you conveniently skip over the the details of events to shape them into your narrative, just to get clicks. I understand that clicks get your livelihood, but if you have any conscience, you know it yourself that these biased “opinions” of yours holds little truth. I won’t label you as an anti-national, a seditionist, or a criminal BUT simply as a person who blurts out their opinion not to state something but only to get attention.
Hindi poetry from my latest book
Udaseen kuchh Ko rah kar ke
Jhoonth bolatee jaye
Satta jab jumlebajee Ko
Bas Adarsh banaaye
Aisee Shanti Diwana Dil Ko
Kabhi nahi hai bhati
Socho sambhlo shantipujaaree
Kranti naveentam aati
DDSharma 7 poetry books including Nutan Geeta in English poetry.