Nationalism and Democracy in India

Nationalism and Democracy in India K R Narayanan The strength and balance of a nationalist movement can be determined by the degree to which its economic and social aspects have been joined on to the political aspect. The moment a nationalist movement gets divorced from necessary social and economic reform it loses its vitality as well as its hold on the people and gives place, almost inexorably, to a more revolutionary movement. Kuomintang China is the classic example of such a development. In India, as in most other countries of Asia and Africa, nationalism has thus to be understood in the sense of a constructive and liberating force. It is also a comprehensive concept transcending the boundaries of ordinary political usage in the West. ATIONALISM is the background pect in Europe, the British in their colo mind, but the manifestation of con N against which the drama of demo nial empire, the Russians in Yugoslavia, crete forces and palpable psychological cratic development has been unfolding Poland and Hungary, and the Chinese attitudes in society. This was largely itself in India since Independence. in Tibet. Indeed, many a battle of due to the peaceful and rational ap Every aspect of development—social, human liberty was fought under the proach of the leaders themselves who economic, political and cultural—is in nationalist banner, and even today over were constantly, even in the thick of formed by the spirit of nationalism, and vast areas of the globe nationalism the fray, examining and explaining the moved by its emotional impetus. For a spells freedom and dignity for man. One aims, methods and meaning of the renaissant nation like India, awakening must, therefore distinguish between movement It is, therefore, easy to from centuries of political subjection the nationalism of a big industrial reduce Indian nationalism to its basic and economic degradation, it is only and military power projecting itself in elements which are political, social, natural that the nationalist spirit should the international arena, and of new economic and cultural. When taken be the presiding force in society. underdeveloped nations struggling to together these amount to an Indian become independent entities or esta Renaissance. One could even go blish their newly-won independence on further and say that it was as if the Unlovely Forms firm foundations. Thus while the Renaissance and the Reformation h;ive In the past nationalism has express word conjures up many a fear and been taking place in India at the same ed itself in so many unlovely forms, suspicion, it also summons from the period. There was the idea of the both in Asia and Europe, that it is often depths aspirations of freedom, equ rebirth of the past glory of India, and regarded as a narrow and dangerous ality and prosperity for many millions also of the reformation of the existing creed in the modern world. Colonial of people. social order. While the vision of the imperialism, Fascism, and the 'co-pro past greatness of India was conjured sperity sphere' concept of the Japanese, up, it was combined with the challeng were some of its most spectacular mani ing of old ideas, beliefs, practices and festations in recent history. Even the In the Indian Context institutions. Thus nationalism las international creed of communism bears In regard to India, and most other been operating as a revolutionary the imprint of the big-power national countries of Asia and Africa, national force transforming, or more appropri ism of Soviet Russia and Peoples China. ism has to be understood in the latter ately rough-hewing, the age-old Indian While these political ideologies are not sense of a constructive and liberating social order into a system more ra merely expressions of nationalism, but force. It is also a comprehensive tional and modern. The rationality something infinitely more complex and concept transcending the boundaries and the modernity were, in the m;un, explosive, there is behind them a com- of ordinary political usage in the the result of the impact of Western mon irrational glorification of the na West. In origin it was, no doubt, a education and technology. A nsw tion, or the race, or of an ideology political movement born under the spirit of reason, of enquiry, of sceptic embodied in the concept of the nation. impact of foreign domination, with ism and of criticism has been let Joose This kind of expansive and aggressive the central objective of attaining the in India for the first time since the nationalism has played a black role in political independence of India. At spacious days of the Upanishads and human history, and in our own atomic the same time it was not a purely of the Buddha. Though confined, in age it is, undoubtedly, a major an political, but a renaissance, movement the beginning, to the educated upper achronism. The touch of technology embracing almost every sphere of and middle classes, this new spirit has made 'the whole world kind' in so Indian life. One could describe slowly percolated to the broad masses real a sense that the other expression Indian nationalism as a vast move in thousand subtle ways and stung of nationalism, that of arrogant and ment of a whole people towards na them with the desire for progress. brooding isolationism, has also become tional independence, national self- completely outmoded. respect, national well-being and na tional enlightenment. Except for certain Nevertheless, nationalism seems to be sporadic attempts at the apothesis of A Vehicle of Social Change a phase through which every nation has Mother India, the movement did not Therefore in India nationalism has to go through, and it is not inevitable develop a mystique or myth of its own not merely been an instrument of that it should always take a military or but remained mostly on a pragmatic political change, but a vehicle of aggressive or isolationist form. On the plane, swept though it was by the social and economic revolution. More contrary, it has often been a powerful winds of passionate ideas. In other than one stage of historical develop defence against tyranny and oppression. words, nationalism in India was not ment is being pressed into one perfer- Napoleon laced nationalism in this as the dream-child of a febrile collective- vid period of history. Struggle for 633 April 10, 1965 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY national independence, for political portant part of the thinking and pro and the will for social and economic democracy, for economic freedom and gramme of the Indian National Con development of the country. There social equality are all telescoped in a gress. "My outlook", wrote Pandit was a strong conservative element in single period of change. The strength Nehru about this period, "was wider, the Congress who looked askance at and inner balance of a nationalist and nationalism by itself seemed to me this kind of Socialistic planning. It movement could be determined by the definitely a narrow and insufficient is a tribute to the progressive poten degree to which these various aspects, creed. Political freedom, indepen tialities of the Congress and the bril particularly the economic and social dence were no doubt essential, but liant Fabian strategy of Pandit Nehru aspects, have been joined on to the they were steps only in the right direc that within a few years after indepen political aspect. In an underdeveloped tion. Without social freedom and a dence the Congress Party and the country purely political nationalism is socialist structure of society and the country as a whole have been commit a hollow thing, and is replete with State, neither the country nor the in ted to an economic plan much more irrational potentialities. The moment dividual could develop much". comprehensive and far-reaching, both a nationalist movement gets divorced Nehru was very much ahead of the in physical and social terms, than this from necessary social and economic Indian National Congress at that time, first fragmentary and rather academic reform it loses its vitality as well as but gradually the idea of social and exercise in planning. hold on the people, and gives place, economic freedom took possession of almost inexorably, to a more revolu the movement until, as Nehru himself tionary kind of movement. Kuomin- wrote : "The Congress represented not Acceptance of Planning tang China is the classic example of only the nationalist urge of India, The composition and membership of such a development. After indepen which had grown with the growth of this first planning body is worth not dence from foreign domination has the new bourgeoisis, but also to a ing. It consisted of widely differing, been achieved the main raison d'etre large extent proletarian urges lor and sometimes, conflicting interests. of a nationalist movement lies in its social change. In particular, it stood Provincial Governments, industrialists, ability to engineer a socio-economic for revolutionary agrarian change". In financiers, economists, scientists, trade revolution. It may be that the purely this respect a resolution adopted by unions and village industries, and even political revolution can still fulfil a the All India Congress Committee in Princes were represented on the Com certain residual function in the way of 1931, on Fundamental Rights and mittee. This heterogeneous body was, preserving the independence of the Economic policy, is of particular im however, able to arrive at some com country from outside pressures. Ihe portance. It stated that "in order to mon basis for planning, in very much point, however, is that after indepen end the exploitation of the masses, the same way that India after Inde dence this is at best a residual emo political freedom must include real pendence was able to find a common tion which could, no doubt, be kept economic freedom of the starving mil basis and a common set of objectives at a high pitch by propagandist rav lions".

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