There was an interesting write up in today’s Hindustan Time (pg 10).
It’s a response from Balram Misra to Sitaram Yechury’s article Lotus in the mud (DEC 28, 06)
The article quotes an interview of Golwalkar done in 1962 and later used in an 1980 essay of Panchajana to prove that Golwalkar did not believe in the book We,or Our Nationhood Defined.
Here’s how the interview goes:
The interviewer asked Golwalkar, “Country, race, language, religion and culture are said to be five syndromes of a nation. If all these elements are found together on their full bloom, shall we say that nationhood has been attained?” Golwalkar shot back,”[This] concept of nationhood…belonged to the 19th century. Now it is obsolete. It is not necessary that all these five elements be available together at a given point of time to indicate the group consciousness of nationalism.”
Interviewer asked, “ Doesn’t your book…interpret nationalism onn the basis of these five elements?” Golwalkar replied, “ forget about the book. It is outdated.”
Then Mr. Balram Mishra tells us the real (and supposedly final) concept of nationhood propounded by Golwalkar as the chief of RSS is (quoting Golwalkar)
“When I consider about the country, I do not think in terms of Hindus and Muslims. How do people look at it? Mostly from a political angle. Everybody is busy in availing benefits from the political conditions of the country, either for personal or the community’s sake. These is only one way to defeat this status quo: to look at politics with a view of general good for the whole country.”
My question is what is this elusive thing “The General Good”.
Mr.Balram seems to know.
Also, Mr. Yechury seems to know.
I for one surely do not know.
It’s a response from Balram Misra to Sitaram Yechury’s article Lotus in the mud (DEC 28, 06)
The article quotes an interview of Golwalkar done in 1962 and later used in an 1980 essay of Panchajana to prove that Golwalkar did not believe in the book We,or Our Nationhood Defined.
Here’s how the interview goes:
The interviewer asked Golwalkar, “Country, race, language, religion and culture are said to be five syndromes of a nation. If all these elements are found together on their full bloom, shall we say that nationhood has been attained?” Golwalkar shot back,”[This] concept of nationhood…belonged to the 19th century. Now it is obsolete. It is not necessary that all these five elements be available together at a given point of time to indicate the group consciousness of nationalism.”
Interviewer asked, “ Doesn’t your book…interpret nationalism onn the basis of these five elements?” Golwalkar replied, “ forget about the book. It is outdated.”
Then Mr. Balram Mishra tells us the real (and supposedly final) concept of nationhood propounded by Golwalkar as the chief of RSS is (quoting Golwalkar)
“When I consider about the country, I do not think in terms of Hindus and Muslims. How do people look at it? Mostly from a political angle. Everybody is busy in availing benefits from the political conditions of the country, either for personal or the community’s sake. These is only one way to defeat this status quo: to look at politics with a view of general good for the whole country.”
My question is what is this elusive thing “The General Good”.
Mr.Balram seems to know.
Also, Mr. Yechury seems to know.
I for one surely do not know.
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