BOT P3 Ch 26

Realities of world situation - Allow not Shatru-shesh - 0ur traditional attitude towards war - People's support, the mainstay - The lessons.

THE present war has thrown the country into a melting-pot and cast the nation's mind in an inspiring mood of unity and patriotic fervour. It has once again proved that our nation is intrinsically one. It has also cleared, as nothing else had done so far, the many cobwebs of confusions and illusions, which had enmeshed our thinking.

After the British had left our shores, we ardently believed that our dedication to the goal of peace and goodwill to one and all in the world would naturally be reciprocated. But the repeated doses of bitter experience administered to us over the last 25 years have disillusioned us about the unscrupulous ways of the world. A fond hope, which we had cherished with great faith so far, has also been dashed to the ground in the present crisis - the hope that we have sincere friends around the world committed to the same noble ideals as ours and who would rush to our aid in times of aggression upon us.

One more experience that has shocked us is, that thought ours is a democratic country - in fact the world's largest democracy - no other democratic country has come forward to openly support us and unequivocally condemn the brutal military dictatorship of Pakistan.

Many of us were also ardently believing that America - a nation professing high human values - would always remain a sincere friend of our country which is also firmly committed to the same ideals. But its blatant support to Pakistan has rudely jolted us out of all such illusory dependence. Before the present war, our Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi had traveled round the world to seek support for our just and humanitarian cause. She returned a wiser and chastened person and bitterly remarked that the world powers were content to express only lip sympathy for the plight, without going to its root cause of millions of refugees who have been squeezed out of East Pakistan.

Our faith in the capacity of UNO to deliver justice has also been found to be totally misplaced. The UNO has, by its pro-Pakistan and anti-Bharat tactics and by throwing to winds all canons of justice, truth and human values, betrayed itself as the hunting-ground for some self-seeking super-powers. Our Prime Minister has rightly declared that having once burnt our fingers in the case of Kashmir, we can no more risk a solution at the hands of UNO.

A foremost legal authority of our land, who was one of our counsels before the Kutch Tribunal, was once requested by an advocate friend to speak on International Law. The eminent jurist said that he had no time for a long speech but would give out its essence in two small sentences. He said: "The first International Law is 'Jis ki Lathi, us ki Bhains' (a not-so-graphic translation into English would be - "Might is right"); and the second, Repeat a lie hundred times and it becomes truth (notorious motto of Dr. Geobbels)."

This being the reality of the world in which we are living, we have to fashion our policies strictly in pursuance of our enlightened national self-interest and not be needlessly worried and swayed by the so-called world opinion.

So long as we fear that the world may interfere and are afraid of acting on our own, it will interfere. If we give up fear and act, then the world also will not interfere. That is the new and valuable experience we have gained this time.

Coming to Pakistan, its thoroughly barbaric and predatory nature is now completely exposed. Pakistan's present aggression against our country is its fourth. Hatred for our country is in its blood. It was, in fact, born in hatred and bloodshed. And it cannot exist without continuing to feed on the same. Even as it was born, it attacked us in 1947 and managed to gobble up two-fifths of Kashmir. And again in 1965, it attacked us in Kutch, occupied a part of it then invaded in Chhamb in an attempt to grab the rest of Kashmir. Later, it joined hands with China in its nefarious designs against our country.

It is not merely that Pakistan has repeatedly aggressed upon us. Right from its inception it has been indulging in inhuman atrocities and religious domination of the worst type on its hapless minority and throwing them out in millions across the borders into our country as human wrecks. Its latest action in East Bengal, the unparalleled genocide and the uprooting of ten million citizens, has condemned it in the eyes of the world as the most heinous criminal against humanity.

Pakistan's repeated aggressions upon us and its crimes against humanity and the way we have been reacting to them till now, hold a solid lesson for us. It would be futile-nay, it would be only inviting further and bigger troubles - if we merely take up a defensive posture and somehow try to save our skin; we should, on the contrary, vanquish such an evil enemy completely; not because we harbour any territorial ambitions but to put an end, once and for all, to his capacity to indulge in his anti-human crimes or to pose a threat to our security in future. Such a total victory ought to be our aim. Our wise forbears have declared agni-shesha, roga-shesha, runa-shesha and shatru-shesha (residues of fire, disease, debt and enemy) should not be allowed to persist. Even their smallest traces will have to be eliminated. Otherwise, the residual spark may well develop in course of time into an all-consuming fire. It is because many of our heroic commanders of freedom struggle in the past did not heed this wise warning that they had fallen a prey to wrong notions of Kshatra-dharma and let off the captured enemy kings and commanders. History tells us that these enemies recouped themselves, attacked our men once again and destroyed them.

After all, Pakistan was an artificial political creation foisted upon us by foreign masters. The present disintegration of Pakistan itself is a proof of its unnatural patchwork, with no bond of mutual affinity to bind its several parts. Even in West Pakistan, deep fissures have developed which are threatening to split it further into four more states.

Such an advocacy is often dubbed as war-mongering. Advocacy of fighting against evil and for the vindication of justice and human values should not be confused as creation of war-psychosis. War psychosis had never been in our blood. Our philosophy teaches us to fight with all our strength, but at the same time eschew war-hysteria. Sri Krishna commands Arjuna to fight, but without war-fever - Yuddhyasva vigata-jwarah, and in a spirit of doing one's duty unwaveringly - swadharmamapi chaavekshya na vkkampitumarhasi.

Let us now turn to the responsibilities devolving on us, the common people, in times of war. We should concentrate our thoughts and feelings on how best to mobilise and channelise all our energies in a practical way to help our government and enthuse our jawans. As is well known, the present wars are not fought merely by the soldiers. They are total wars in which the entire people, in one way or the other, are intimately involved. Their morale, therefore, will have to be kept high. The danger of subversion by enemy agents inside our country is very real and needs to be watched and nipped in the bud. Only a vigilant public can do the job, not merely the police. Civil defence, blood donations, nursing of wounded personnel, etc., are some of the essential services to be organised forthwith.

Most important of all, the entire people should display a spirit of austerity and self-sacrificing zeal in their daily life and strictly eschew all pomp and luxury. Especially, if the youth of the county were to be chasing the fleeting fashions and pleasures of the flesh even at a critical hour like war and our people continue to indulge in petty bickerings and political rivalries, will the soldier be inspired to lay down his life for such a nation? On the other hand, should he not be assured with the conviction that his countrymen are also with him in all his trials and tribulations - and that, by chance, if he dies on the battlefield, his family will be looked after and that they will not be put to any physical hardships? Will not such a faith in the people's appreciation of his heroic role inspire him a hundredfold for display of valour and dedication on the battlefield?

Finally, the lessons we have learnt during the present ordeal at a heavy price should not be allowed to be lost. Firstly, the national unity and fervour manifested now should not be allowed to be dissipated by petty political bickerings. For, it is only a nationally conscious and cohesive people who can become progressively powerful and prosperous. Secondly, the tempo of hard work should be maintained. Production should shoot up on every field, so that our country may become self-dependent. The foremost task before us, therefore, is the moulding of such a self-sacrificing and disciplined and virile national manhood. And verily, this is the one mission to which the RSS is wholly and solely dedicated.