The Freedom Movement saw an epoch August 9th when the nation took to its heart one mantra ‘Quit India’ which gave sleepless nights to the British Imperialism. The year 1942, August 9, reflected the general mood of the Nation, the strong resentment against the clutches of foreign bond brewed to the hilt, the breaking of the imperialistic chains was only a matter of time. The then British Governor, General Lord Linlithgow, had no qualms in declaring the Nation a party to the Second World War without any consultation, in order to achieve their aim of holding the nation in its fold, and to fissile out tension, the Cripps mission was sent to create an impression that the devolution of power was imminent.
The Quit India movement sent an unequivocal message to those at the helm of Imperialist administrative affairs that their days were counted, the Nation stepped itself on a fast mode to relieve itself from the maladministration guided by the divide & rule policy, unparalleled loot, which drained its resources and the pseudo-intellectual reforms. But, the imperial rule had tactically laid down many secretive agendas which had a lasting impact on the years to come. The rule succeeded in instilling a feeling among the English educated masses that the Nations customs, traditions, and it’s very thought process were the root of all evils.
An agenda of instilling self-pity among the masses over its own culture and tradition was another well-devised strategy to continue the rule in the years to come through inflicting an intellectual amnesia so as to arrest the spontaneity of the Intellectual growth. The divide & rule policy carefully crafted by the imperialistic powers were used by those who were power hungry, not only to divide the Nation on religious lines but also to effectively use the same policy in the years to come, so as to capture power and to sustain the power. The Nation eventually freed itself from the foreign bonds but even after decades of Independence, the dreaded policy of divide & rule continues to haunt the Nation. The statements emanating from various quarters instilling fear among the minorities by kicking off a false propaganda of an “impending threat” to them especially in the backdrop of upcoming general elections points to the vicious agenda, the same reminds us the hard fact that though the British imperialism and its dreaded administrators left the Nation, there are still practitioners of these divisive agendas.
The National Movement had a lasting impact on the educational Institutions, thousands of students left their studies chanting “Vandemataram” and the Swadeshi movement especially after the partition of Bengal, saw the throwing of foreign goods into bonfire, too flared up nationalism across the Nation and particularly it inspired students in the educational institutions. The various instances of anti-national slogans emanating from premier educational institutions and the various anti-national tirade sprouting from the various Universities across the Nation in last few years consistently make one seriously disturbed of the unfinished agendas still blossoming through the agents who dream of shaking the unity of our Nation. The challenge to certain inequalities which has crept into the Constitution by way of Article 370 and Article 35 A before the Apex Court has invited the wrath of a cross section who threatens mass revolt in case of any such appraisal, this along with the stiff opposition to the process to identify the foreigner’s through a transparent process monitored by the highest court has again unveiled the sinister designs and turbulent times through which the Nation is passing through. It’s not the duty of any party or an organization to keep vigil against such sinister designs of those who intend to sow seeds to the division. It’s time for the Nation and its citizens to be ever vigilant against these trouble mongers, let the constant vigil make them fail, let the spirit of freedom unite us all.
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