Jan 06, 2005 05:05 PM
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(Updated Jan 06, 2005 05:05 PM)
[Could not find an appropriate forum. Therefore, putting it here, which is nearest in context to the following opinions. I think MS should have a forum for current affairs also.]
Context: National Anthem of India.
BackGround: Someone has moved the Supreme Court of India to update the country's national anthem. The said petetion seeks to delete the word 'Sindh' from the national anthem and include 'Kashmir' so as to reflect the reality of geography.
Review/Opinions: Tagore is regarded as a perfectionist in expressions. If you replace any one word from any of his composition -poetry or prose- you loose some of the essence of his composition. He is an example of how an expression can be perfect. And to replace certain words from, or to add some other words to his creation would spoil the creation altogether. Therefore the suggestion to ''update'' the national anthem to ''reflect the reality'' is junk.
In case of the flag of US, which was 'upgraded' to include 51 stars, it was okay because it was just that- a flag, which was not a 'perfect' creation in the first place. In the same manner, words cannot be added or deleted or replaced from a poetry penned down by a poet of immense international repute.
True that Sindh is not a part of modern India, but then the national anthem is no geography. It is the spirit of inclusiveness that matters.
Moreover, when the anthem was composed, Sindh was a part of India. Instead of trying to engineer the form, we should concentrate on imbibing the substance.
Therefore, my appeal is that let the anthem be as it is. Instead of changing the anthem, let us change ourselves so that we can understand the spirit behind it. Nation is a man-made concept (God created ONE WORLD only), the boundaries of nation was created for better political control - there is no difference between humans in this big world. Therefore, we are proud to have a national anthem that does not exhort militarily, that does not evoke nasty jingoism of any kind, but one that reminds us of inclusiveness in the vast diverse world.
Footnote: Long time ago, when there were no shoes there lived a King. One day while he was walking in the sun, his feet burnt in heat. He was a mighty king, and he ordered his entire kingdom to be covered with leather and fur. However, one of his wiser ministers told him, instead of covering the entire kingdom in leather, why does not he cover his own feet with a piece of leather - after all, that will take less time, and will cost less. Thus was born the shoes.
Moral - It is always more meaningful to change yourself, than attempt to change the circumstances.
So be it with the national anthem.
