We humans are a strange species! Amongst the many things that set us apart from each other, there is, however, one common commonality that connects every human being on the planet. You see, we love labels! Whether these labels are put on expensive goods and merchandise that are bought and sold in the market or whether they are put on warm-blooded bodies of human beings. Thus, we humans too — just as livestock — are branded with our very own “labels”.
One such label is that of — A Nationalist!
While denotatively speaking, a nationalist is simply defined as someone who is devoted to one’s country, the word however contains myriad meanings and connotations. Most of these connotations, in the present context, unfortunately are not favourable, which is why being a nationalist isn’t easy (nor it ever will be). For in today’s world, being a nationalist is often compared and equated to being a bigot, being a fanatic or being a fascist.
Hence, it’s little wonder then that the word ‘nationalist’ itself has become a loaded word. That’s because today the world is often confused (in terms of its connotation) with concepts like ‘Hindutva’, ‘Saffronisation’, etc. Then again, it isn’t surprising to note its strangely negative connotation, especially in light of the monsters (who claimed to be working on nationalist principles) such as Hitler. Unfortunately, such ruthless fanatics, whose notions of nationalism were clearly misplaced, gave ‘nationalism’ its present-day bad image.
Against this backdrop, people forgot that nationalism, when expressed in its positive light, actually refers to the sense of loyalty one feels towards one’s country and community. This is the nationalism that was envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi, who saw the rise of India as important and beneficial to the rest of the world. This is because, nationalism is not just desired, it is a prerequisite for any society to exist. In fact, if truth be told, without nationalism…there can’t be the concept of sovereignty.
And…yet…instead of wearing the label of ‘nationalism’ proudly, we have been forced to hide our true nationalist spirit, for who knows when our labels are misread and its meaning contorted to mean those individuals who are fanatically promoting and peddling the concept of ‘Saffronisation’. And it is this label that people are afraid to wear…even those who are busy peddling the Hindutva concept.
Then again, if we are so afraid of being dubbed a nationalist, why are we still carrying our national identities? Maybe it’s time, we all surrendered our passports and become citizens of no country. But can that even be a viable solution?
Truth be told…not really! For we all were born to belong…to a family, to a group, and to a community. And that is what nationalism truly means. It is not just a political paradigm, nationalism is a cultural construct. It is the reason why we all – irrespective of our political thoughts – live in our respective nations.
Then again, carrying a passport (of a nation) is rather easy…but carrying the load (of a word) isn’t!!!
