Immediately after BJP’s historic victory in Tripura Assembly elections of 2018 wherein the winner stamped out 25 years old despotic Communist regime that allowed the beautiful State to rot in miseries and agonies, an excited mob demolished the statue of Lenin erected years ago by the oppressor regime. Later one more Lenin fell and that triggered a chain of serial reactions and counter-reactions. Several statues of Lenin, Dr SP Mukherjee, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, MK Gandhi etc were vandalized or demolished. It led to riotous flare-ups too, in some regions of the country in spite of appeals of peace from all over. Arguments were raised by several groups and lobbies to the effect that they nurtured anti-national/ anti-Hindu/pro-secular/pro-pluralistic/pro-communal/anti-Leftist/ pro-Rightist…ideologies incompatible with a rising modern nation. Some argued, all statues are national ‘assets’ debited to taxpayer’s ‘Consolidated Fund of India’ hence, must be preserved at all cost!!!! Quite interesting indeed.
I venture to assume the liberty of extending an alternate point of view whereby every statute may be transformed into a POLH – Point of Learning of History by either attaching an invulnerable plaque listing out all his/her achievements/failures or engraving the same on its pedestal to minimise possibilities of being defaced. I list out a few examples to illustrate the novel concept explicitly.
‘Bapu’ Gandhi: Let this be engraved on his ‘Samadhi’ and all statues-
He was such a great man that even an ardent Rightist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been compelled to sing ‘Bapu-Bhajans’ and spin ‘Wheels of Freedom’ accompanied by Chinese President and Israel’s Prime Minister at Sabarmati Ashrama!! Also, every visiting foreign dignitary visits his Raj Ghat which he richly deserves, to lay down wreaths of colourful, fragrant tributes.
In words of famous scientist Albert Einstein, “…coming generations shall not be able to believe that such a man in bones and flesh ever walked on this earth who succeeded in throwing out a very cruel, inhuman despotic British regime occupying the country just by singing Ahimsa-Bhajans, by drinking goat’s milk after a staple dinner of Khichari, by bathing with Multani-Mitti….’ His contribution to country’s freedom is so ‘enormous’ and ‘deep-rooted’ that several Gandhigiri-scholars are still researching through annals of history to identify that even after seven decades of so-called Independence-1947. We hope that will be identified soon, so mysteriously elusive hitherto.
Jawahar Lal Nehru: Probably he has the highest number of statues across the nation. His achievements and failures may be engraved to present a balanced picture –
First Prime Minister of India and a declared freedom-fighter albeit nobody knows his precise contribution to the freedom struggle as with Bapu Gandhi. It is still a mystery as to why he was not hanged to death by the despotic British regime if his contribution to the freedom struggle was so enormous!! Certainly, he was an expert in dodging the Empire.
Established IITs but did not restrain engineering graduates to serve the nation, allowed them to go abroad and serve the USA after receiving heavily subsidised engineering education in the true spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam!! The pauperised nation was strong enough under his tenure to bear with the financial/economic torture!!
While maintaining a semblance of integrity, he promoted corruption, black-marketing, hoarding etc. at it’s best. He justified corruption by declaring, ‘Corruption!! So what! Country’s money remains within the country’!! He proved, only fools and anti-nationals worry about corruption!!
No doubt seeded development of atomic energy albeit did not allow it to bloom to benefit the nation in the true spirit of nuclear disarmament.
Industrialised the country through public sector undertakings, nurtured ‘Licence-Permit Raj’ to ensure, the country barely survived. ‘So long as you barely survive, you remain virtuous’ was his vision for the nation. Admirable indeed!!
China attacked North East, massacred more than 40,000 people yet he did not order Army to protect them as he believed, Chinese were butchering Chinese!!
He declined to merge Baluchistan and Nepal with the country though they offered it eagerly.
Sultan of Oman offered Gwadar Port to us as a gift. Nehru declined the offer.
He gifted 11,000 sq. Kms. of Kabo Valley in Manipur and Coco Island to Burma.
He had agreed to gift Hyderabad to Pakistan which Sardar Patel thwarted firmly.
USA and USSR, both offered permanent membership of UN Security Council to us yet JL Nehru not only refused but also ensured, it was offered to China. He had been a glorious and selfless prime minister!!
He conferred upon himself Bharata-Ratna with utmost grace and dignity……
Indira Gandhi: Daughter of JL Nehru, made yet another great Prime Minister, being and should be remembered for –
She allowed Pokharan nuclear explosion yet did not allow the nation to become an atomic power in the interest of world peace.
She ordered firing on a procession of Sadhus led by Swami Karapatriji agitating for cow protection that too, in a secular country!! Some 5000 Sadhus were butchered in daylight, roads leading to Parliament were drenched in human blood, to strengthen roots of Secular Democracy. Thus she enjoys the honour of staging a repeat of Jallianwala Bagh right in front of Parliament on Nov. 7, 1966.
In 1975, she imposed Emergency as Opposition Leaders were after her life and endangered very continuance of the Republic of India. Her prompt actions, massive arrests of anti-national leaders, press-censorship, prolonged torture of citizens on the lines of British brutes and monsters during their occupation of the nation, saved the day for the country!!
She derogated and humiliated Sikhs, then ordered raid of the Golden Temple to save Panjab from separatists. She sacrificed her life for the sake of country’s unity and plurality!!
She deserved Bharata-Ratna and was graceful enough to order that for herself…..
Rajiv Gandhi: Yet another great Prime Minister from the Royal Dynasty, son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, deftly parachuted from the cockpit of now dead Indian Airlines to the Cockpit of the nation at South Block in New Delhi. Following may be engraved on columns of his statues –
He ordered military training of LTTE and armed them so as to enable them to assert for their rights, entered into a pact with Sri Lankan President Jayavardhana, deployed IPKF to slaughter LTTE. When IPKF was parachuted into Sri Lankan territory, they were fired at by LTTE shooters from the ground. The world witnessed a rare spectacle wherein dead bodies of Bharatiya soldiers rained like monsoon from skies of Sri Lanka, in a foreign country, for the sake of foreigners!! Very broad-hearted PM indeed. The nation was kind enough to confer upon him Bharata-Ratna for staging the rare spectacle!!
He followed Chanakya-Niti of being suspicious for his security and continuance in Office in spite of having more than 400 MPs and enacted Anti-Defection Act!!
He is very famous for buying Bofors guns that were very useful during Kargil War…his achievements are too many!!
Lenin: Let this be declared on every statue of VI Lenin –
The leader of the USSR era attempted his best to impose Communist ideology at any cost in his country. Russians were naïve enough to reject the ideology decades later. Massive blood-bath in the USSR that he caused, was a small price that any country must concede to for such a ‘revolutionary’ ideology!! This statue stands in honour of lakhs of Lenin-Bhaktas in the Dynasty’s India. Bengal and Tripura were particularly very fortunate to have Lenin era for decades and flourished to no limits.
‘Bahan’ Mayawati: Let this be engraved on every statue of ‘Bahan’ Mayawati –
She started as a promising ‘Dalit Leader’ under the supervision of her mentor ‘Manyavara’ Kanshi Ram from the levels of abject deprivation, rose to become one of the wealthiest ‘Dalit’ leaders in the country. She is an outstanding example of ‘Dalit’ empowerment through ‘Dalit’ politics of ‘Dalit’ hatred for non-Dalits, erected her own statue and worshipped it herself!! Long ago, a notorious pseudo-intellectual known as Ramakant Tiwari had ruefully remarked, ‘…coming generations shall not be able to believe such a great ‘Dalit’ leader ever walked on this earth in flesh and bones who erected her own statue with taxpayer’s funds and worshipped herself with her own hands…’
Her statues are really unique ones that way and must be preserved intact for being a source of motivation and empowerment for all deprived sections of society across the world!!
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar: He served the country as Law Minister in JL Nehru’s Cabinet. Citation for his statues may read something like this –
He dwarfed several stalwarts in his erudition and wisdom. In spite of years of humiliation, he was truly a very great man with malice towards none. He crafted an entire Constitutional framework to ensure sound governance of the nation on principles of equity, equality and equanimity. The nation would have been honoured had he held high Constitutional positions like Dy. Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Vice President or President of the Republic, which he eminently deserved.
Dr K B Hedgewar: Let this be engraved on every statue of this titanic personality for the knowledge and wisdom of all –
He was the greatest visionary of the 20th century who for the first time in recorded history of Sanatana Dharma conceptualised Hindu-unity and Hindu-Community inclusive of all sects, groups, Varna etc. The organisation he raised to accomplish the dream famous as RSS, is now a gigantic banyan tree whose ‘Shakhas’ encompass the entire globe. The augmented possibility of his being raised to the glory of Gautama Buddha by generations down the stream very much exists.
Similarly, we may ferret out all positives of every statue erected throughout the country and engrave those achievements for the benefit of all ignorants and ignoramuses. It is all the more necessary to impart lessons of correct history and achievements of our great as well as not so great ones because our school education provides exactly the opposite in lessons and turns the youth anti-Hindu anti-nationals by the time they are adolescents. School curriculum was severely distorted with blessings of the Royal Dynasty by proclaimed ‘enemies of the nation’ like Maulana Azad, Nurul Hasan, Irfan Habib, Romilla Thapar, DN Jha etc. The visual impact of these statues transformed into Points of Learning History (PsOLH) would be tremendous for adults and children both. Certainly, it will bring about perceptible and significant course correction in minds of all with respect to our glorious history.
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