It sounds funny to know that the man who postulated the philosophy on the rights of working-class never worked himself. Yes, Karl Marx, on whose name many a people took guns and violent means to ensure that labour gets their due, never laboured – even to sustain himself. He lived on loans and lived filthy. As a child, I read a story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who gave up eating sweets before telling one young boy not to eat more sweets. I leave it to the wisdom of readers to infer and apply the idiom – ‘practice before preach’, to which personality it can be more suitable.
However, unlike Ramakrishna, what Marx had preached was easier to say. It was something like telling a young boy to eat more sweets. Yes, who doesn’t like the idea of Utopia? Even I do!
As a student, I had my share of experiences to the Jana Natya Mandali with songs of Gaddar and detailed explanations of how the exploitation of the weaker sections happened over millennia, ever since humans existed. It took actual living in some Naxal affected district for two years to disbelieve the doctrine that communism is the path to the Utopia. Yes, the propaganda was music the young ears. Exposure to the hypocrisy in the household, school, and in the outside world makes them frustrated at themselves, feeling what they were doing to correct things that are not. It happened earlier and it is happening now.
With all its might, America could not eliminate communist rule from Cuba, forget the world – that is the power of doctrine inflicted on to the young minds. With live examples – only twisted. It was true that America could not eliminate Castro’s rule in Cuba, but did he rule as per the doctrine? For that matter, is there a single country in the league of nations that call themselves – communist nations? All that was there in the name of Communism was – dictatorship, in its crude and violent form – suppressing all sorts of rights, so that only left is left. While USSR had collapsed after killing millions of their own and treating people like slaves behind the iron curtain, China transformed itself a full fledged capitalist nation and now controlling world markets. People of China could answer the question, whether the days of communism were good or the free market days, despite the fact that the change was limited to only economic policies and not for the general style of governance. None of the communist leaders could show one – yes, only one ideal communist country, despite they controlled half the world a few decades back. People of all those countries ruled by the communist s were simply slaves to the few masters who could climb the party ladder. And, it is really funny to hear these very leaders who believe power comes through the barrel of the gun, talk about human rights and democracy!
Even in India, many brilliant students in the fifties and sixties had sacrificed their lives – not careers believing in these doctrines. Many universities had become breeding centres to Naxalites. The first generation of Naxalites were highly educated and with a good financial background. The futility of fighting the state was realised and slowly the induction of educated cadres had reduced or limited to only preachers. The current cadre of Naxalites (now they are called Maoists) are simply a bunch of poor people forced to support the violent cadres and guns thrust in their hands. They became nothing but – decoits. And the forest dwellers of India are now crushed between the brutality of these decoits and of those in uniform.
If really these Maoists care for the poor, why the hell they stop road pavings and construction of schools and health centres? Neither D Raja nor Sitaram Yechury can answer.
The real-life stories of all these communist leaders will make one wonder why they don’t practice they preach. Their students go to private institutions. They could afford luxurious life styles without ever working. Show me any taxi union leader who ran a taxi in the last ten or twenty years. Even the notorious Sharad Rao of Mumbai didn’t touch the steering for decades, but remained taxi union president. Worse is the dynasty leadership thrust on the unions! How shameless they should be to preach utopian doctrine to the very poor they exploit!
Just rewind the clock to three decades ago. There was one incident involving the revered Jyoti Babu, who was carried in a chair by four people to the stage that was set up in the fields, only to prevent his feet from getting a coat of mud. And he talked about the equality of people and classes. No wonder Bengal saw the saviour in the form of Mamata, who proved she was equally capable of misruling.
Kolkata, the original industrial city, apart from Kanpur had become some tier two city, due to the migration of people who really work. Same with Kerala, the other state where Communists shared power with Congress in the last six decades. Despite being a highly educated state, it is a fact that Keralites stop working once they enter city borders. And Kerala works for the Middle East, a majority manual labour.
Once into power, the lust for power had made them crueler than the capitalists or even the Tsars. No wonder they want to align with Congress in Bengal to defeat Mamata, as they had earlier even aligned with BJP. Perhaps Communist parties must have had alliance with all other political parties one or the other time exhibiting their intellectual fallacy and lust for power that only helped the ruling party members. And the justification of killing political rivals might have inspired Jihadi John to justify his killings. If John was wrong – so were these communist s, for both killed for the doctrine they believed in.
Though their patriotism was always questioned – for they supported China during the war, it appears that they were hand in glove with all other terrorist forces that try to destabilise the country. And what better venue than JNU and what better occasion than celebrating the day of punishment of one terrorist organiser, who conceived, engineered, coordinated, arranged logistics and got the attack on the Parliament – executed.
But, can anyone expect anything better from these gangs of retorted minds? No. All they did was what they could. But, the young minds of one of the prestigious universities of the nation were shouting slogans decrying the very nation they belong to – and the bodies that are connected to these very minds are still living – shows the tolerance of the nation. Probably we tolerate more intolerance – to take a leaf from another intellectual Dr. Amartya Sen, albeit in reverse context. Had it been China, the temple of Maoism, these students would have been murdered without a question, as was done in Tiananmen Square. And if one really believes in the cause, they should give up personal comforts and be ready to do sacrifices.
The arrogance in their voices could be heard when they talk about freedom of speech – to condemn the very country they belong to. Yes, the constitution had guaranteed freedom of speech. And in the institutions of higher learning, various opposing ideas would emerge and evolve. No problem. If they want to divide India, they can very well express their wish. But, before that they should come out of the university that was run by the money we tax payers pay. So, first get out of the university and stop using subsidies by the government and then try to divide the country.
If they want Kashmir, they can very well express the wish. No harm in that. But, one should be careful what he is wishing for, for sometimes these wishes would come true and become nightmares. Nobody can deny Kashmir belongs to Kashmiri Pandits also. So, if they decide to do what the terrorist groups of Kashmir did to Pandits – driving them out of their own place; if Kashmiri Pandits claim Kashmir belong to only Pandits and others should leave and go wherever they want – will that be considered as exercising one’s freedom of speech?
All the dramatist intellectuals would cry hoarse that such a wish from Pandits would amount to intolerance towards minorities, though minorities are the majority in Kashmir and kicked Pandits out of their dwellings and forced to live as refugees.
Knowledge and Wisdom are the power that humans have over other creatures. Power, if misused would cause devastation. It is expected of these students of higher education to think before opening their mouths. They shall at least behave like an uneducated but civilised citizen of this country, before exercising the power of collective voice.
But, like Spiderman said – “With great Power comes great Responsibility”! It is high time these students change their idols from the leftist preachers to at least a comical character, who could make them realise what they really were.