By Salil Gewali
Some people still hold that power comes only from the barrel of the gun. But power also comes from the pen. Power from the pen or the written word is mightier and more impactful. That’s why we have the works from the pens of great thinkers like Hegel, Friedrich Engels and Karl Max which easily “demolished” the monopoly of feudalism, aristocracy, monarchy and church dogmas that no weapons on earth could have done.
Probably about 100 countries had determinedly opted for communism till the first half of the 20th century. The leaders were euphoric that they would bring “equality” among all; that they would fill the stomach of each individual. The ordinary citizens will have no worries. Hence a new-found joy and peace among the commoners veritably spread world-wide. But very soon, standing on the elevated pedestal of power, the torch-bearers of Communism projected themselves to be “more equal.” Thus, in spite of major changes in the socio-economic fabric, the Marx-Lenin doctrines also came to wreak havoc with the lives of the people who at times raised their voices against the brutal atrocities in the name of achieving equality. Millions of people were killed. Consequently, endless violence and bloodshed have further bloodied the pages of history. The second half of the twentieth century thus saw the fall of Communism like a ton of bricks.
This rapid transition was in fact prompted by various factors. The loss of “integrity” of the leaders was the prime cause. On seeing the rise of power of the leaders who acted with unusual arrogance, George Orwell could not hold himself back. He wrote – ‘communism to totalitarianism is terribly frightful’. Orwell penned down a satirical novel – ANIMAL FARM. This touched everyone’s heart. It was a lethal attack upon self-righteous Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union.
True, the wayward and whimsical misinterpretation coupled with the loss of human values turned out to be Frankenstein’s monster to kill this well-intended ideology. Within a period of less than 50 years, only a few nations stood up to continue to follow the pathway conceived by Karl Marx and his masters. Many rational political scientists had set forth diverse reasons for the chronic sickness of the classless system of governance.
Yet, the literature of Marx and his ilk still continue to cast its spell. In some countries, it roars and thunders with a vengeance. This results in barbaric riots and violence disturbing the peaceful co-existence of the diverse communities. Like other countries, India has also been suffering the onslaught of such ideologues and their proclivities. Therefore, we regularly witness the “cruel avatar” of Marx-and-Mao. Just recently, the statue of Swami Vivekananda was mindlessly “defaced” by a group of Leftist students in JNU, Delhi. If you ask earnestly what they have found wrong in the Indian monk then their answers come with the tone of immaturity, dogmatism and hatred. JNU has earned a reputation of being infested with a swarm of crackpots whose eyes can’t bear to look at elements which glorify the nation. Their minds are weighed down by the heavy load of prejudices. They are almost like spoilt brats kicking their parents and smashing their own household furniture. “Tukre-tukre” gang is a new term to describe them for their open subversive activities. What is appalling is that round-the-clock they are motivated and protected by certain forces. Those forces also held the Indian academia to ransom for the past over a hundred years. Therefore, many wrongs are taught in Indian schools as being ‘right.’ They are the kind of intellectuals who see virtue in all foreign despotic invaders and plunderers but vehemently criticize Indian icons who are invariably the paragon of righteousness. Right from the epitome of righteousness like Krishna, Rama, Ved Vyasa to the present social and literary figures who have contributed remarkably in the making of INDIA, are the objects of regression and derision for those scholars who hold Karl Marx, Hegel… in the highest esteem. Therefore, when the statue of Vivekananda was desecrated, we noticed conspicuous “silence” while the cabal of intellectuals rocked the country when the statue of Lenin of Russia was pulled down in Tripura.
To be fair, Swami Vivekananda was a thinker free from worldly affairs. He is known to have realized the divinity in every being. He is also known to have preached across the world that we must learn to see every individual as God manifested in flesh and blood. Is this not the universal wisdom of humanity? Is loving each being without discrimination the first teaching of right-thinking philosophers and all religions? Even Karl Marx and Engels will not disagree on this. But it is disgraceful that such great men with great ideas from the home country are treated with derision and demeaned. It’s time for serious introspection!