Karl Marx was wrong on one count at least. The State has not withered away. In fact, it has become more domineering in the years that have gone by everywhere in the world. More than ever before, shows of arms have become the signature of the power of a nation, when it should actually be the balance sheet of the nation, and the way it looks after the welfare of its people, which does this. Never mind if the coffer of the nation is far from full and its people are starving, so long as its arsenals are impressive and modern, the nation will still be seen as powerful and prosperous, therefore command international respect. This in a way we suppose is inevitable, but in every other way a tragedy. While at the plush Raj Path, in New Delhi, the latest multi-crore rupees weaponry will be paraded for the world to see on January 26, not too far away, in squalid and crowded places such as the Old Delhi railway station, there will be dehumanised, diseased, human creatures begging for loose coins on the same day. Men, women and children with no identity or ambition which imaginably can extend beyond the prospect of the next mouthful of food, will also witness India celebrate the day it became a republic, 66 years ago. Indeed, the Republic which will be showcased tomorrow, in name belongs to them too.
But it should make any questioning man wonder if this section of the population would care at all that the celebration is also in their name? We very much doubt it. Do they realise or appreciate the spirit that is India? We very much doubt this too. What actually is the number of these unwanted, “absolute poor” section of the Indian society. People who have absolutely no income, or means to respectable livelihoods. Conservative UNDP estimates have put the number at above 270 million. For these 270 million and more people, what does India mean? Nobody has attempted to search for the answer honestly, because there are not many who are bothered to give it a try. Just as the dregs of the society do not have an identity, the creams of the same society too do not want to give them any. The two are aliens to each other. The recent suicide in the Hyderabad Central University, by a Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, which is causing a storm of outrage in the country currently, is yet another indication of this widening chasm between the privileged and outcastes of India.
There are other kinds of dichotomy of interests. As for instance, in the Northeast, militants outfits have called for a boycott of the Republic Day celebrations as in the past years. In fact, these boycotts have become a yearly routine reducing the celebrations in most of the Northeastern states to mere shows put up for official records. That tomorrow’s celebrations are not going to be any different is a foregone conclusion already. Even the official records may be incomplete as many important officials will prefer to stay at home during the show, for fear or whatever other reasons. The point is, in this situation too, there is still a good section of the people who are not willing, or are even opposed to being absorbed into the spirit of India. Here too, the serious question is why is this happening? Is there something wrong with the people, or is there some shortcoming in the spirit of India? If the spirit of India is that of a republic, must it not reflect the will of all sections of its people? If there are sizeable sections of people which still do not understand or are opposed to the spirit, can the spirit be one of a complete republic? These are disturbing questions long discarded. But the time has come for each of us to readdress these questions to ourselves and to the powers that be. If the spirit cannot accommodate all sections of the people, should the people be crammed into it by force, or should the spirit be expanded, altered, reformed in accordance with the will of the entire people? We must add here we belong to the school of thought that supports the latter option. We believe India can be a true republic only if this happens.