Father of Nation of India

Assertion By Mr.A.Rathnam (Erimalai Rathnam, - Known as "Volcano" Rathnam)

Rtd Indian Airlines Manager, Chennai, India.

WHO SHOULD BE THE FATHER OF THE NATION?

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Before deciding on who should be the father of the Nation, let us prevail upon who deserves to be the Father of the Nation.

To come to a conclusion on this topic let us consider or contemplate morally, socially, economically, politically, and educationally the conditions that prevailed in India.[1]

            India is a vast country and many people of the world have invaded it such as the Mohammadens (Muslims), British people, Portuguese, French people and Dutch people invaded.   

            The Muslims came to India not only with ‘Koran’ but also with swords and spears won and ruled the country for more than seven-hundred (700) years and they were the settlers of India (they divided India and got Pakistan).

            The British people came to India with the ‘Bible’ and rifle, established their regime, which was here for more than three hundred years (as business people for 150 years and then as rulers). They plundered the wealth of the nation as the early settlers but also have done something in the field of education and civilization.  

            The Muslims and the British people developed their religion, Islam, and Christianity respectively. The people who have forgotten the history cannot create new history; we have to know something of the history and bring into existence and create the present history in accordance with the past.

            Here I would like to go to the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (which means mound or hill of the dead) which is a 4,000-year-old civilization along the banks of the Indus River (which is in Pakistan now). The people who lived in sturdy, brick houses and their valued culture – vanished without a trace in history until discovered by the British in the 1920’s.

            The Aryans who came to India with their Vedic culture, fire rituals, sacrifice, and so forth destroyed the civilization. Even the arrival of Muslims and British rulers never changed the Aryan culture of Sathurvarna system – Brahmins or Brahman, Shathriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras – called the caste system. The Caste System of Manu, the lawgiver of Aryan culture is ‘Manu Neethi’ (Justice of Manu).

Castes:

            We know that India is a vast, great country. As great and old as India is, are the caste system with discrimination, degradation and humiliation of the human beings. They are still in practice in many regions in India and even today, they have a great impact on humanity. We say that there is ‘Unity in diversity’ but the caste system creates inequality, untouchability and many disadvantages in all walks of the life of the people. They still live in a deplorable condition. In the world we would find British People, Americans, Russian, Australian, Chinese, etc, etc but in India it is very difficult to find an Indian[2]. We could see Brahmins, Shakthriyas, Vysias and Shudhras; in addition to these four castes among the four castes system, we would find innumerable castes like Mudhaliyars, Vallalas, Naidus, Naikers, Gounders and Reddys. Even among the Scheduled castes, we can find many different castes and sub castes. One among the Hindu castes named as ‘Yadavas’ (in Tamil – Idaiyar – The people who raise cows and goats) filed a suit in the Madras High Court (Chennai). They demanded that one of the Hindu Gods Lord Krishna (so called Avatar of Lord Vishnu) should be pronounced as belonging to the Yadavas caste[3] since he was also raising cows. Thus, the caste system can be called as a “cancer” in India.     

Regionalism and Language:

            In most of the countries in the world, there is only one language or two. Even though there is more than one language, the official language is only one. However, in India the other monsters are regionalism and language. In India, there are nearly about thirty states and twenty-eight languages. If you come across any Indian and ask him ‘Who are you?’ the immediate reply is that ‘I am a Tamilian, or Bengali, Malayali, Kannadiga, Telugu, Gujarati or Marathi’. This means narrow mind of regionalism or affinity toward language, which breeds in fighting and forgetting that we are Indians first. We say that ‘we are the sons of the soil’. This kind of attitude will hamper the progress of the Nation.

Religion:

            In this world, there is no nation or any humanity without religion. One thing we have to bear in mind is ‘Religion is for man and NOT man is for religion’.

            We know that from the history of the world that French Revolution, Russian Revolution and the Peasant Revolution had taken place. These revolutions had made a change in the lives of the people. Besides, there were religious renaissances and reformations. The main religion in the renaissance era was Christianity, then Islam, and then the earliest religions like Buddhism.

            In European religious wars and Renaissance Protestant Reformation had taken place in Christianity. In India, the Hindus too wanted a change in religion. What kind of change they wanted?  What was the out come of their religious war? Let us see.

            The Hindu religion has two divisions, one is Saivam – the worshippers of Shiva and the other is Vaishnavam – the worshipers of Vishnu.  In Vaishnavam, there are two sub divisions. One is “Vadakalai” literally called the ‘Northern Sect’ and other “Thenkalai” literally known as the ‘Southern Sect’. There is a difference of opinion between these sects and there has been a fight has been going for a long time. The main cause for the fight is whether to put the Vadakalai Namam or the Thenkalai Namam on the forehead of the temple elephant in Srirangam near Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, South India one of the holy temple sites for the Vaishnavas.

This dispute led them to file a case in the High Court of Chennai (erstwhile Madras). The judge gave a verdict that they have to put the Vadakalai Namam on the forehead of the elephant for six months and Thenkalai Namam at the back of the elephant alternatively. Hindu Religion is a disease, which spoils the nation to the core destroying any chances of nation building with this heterogeneous mess of Indian society.

To such a Nation is it possible to frame a constitution, which has to be accepted by all? I do not want to give an answer of my own to my own question?. Let me quote what Dr.Babasaheb said:

Once, Mr.M.O.Mathai.I.C.S the personal secretary of Mr.Nehru the Prime Minister of India and his friend Mr.Panikkar met at the residence of Dr.Amedkar. Mr.Mathai revealed that Dr Ambedkar is going to be included in the Cabinet as Law Minister. Ambedkar said: “You know that the Hindus wanted vedas (Mahaharatham) they called Vyasa; who was not a Brahmin.  The Hindus wanted Ramayana they called Valmiki; he is an Untouchable; now they want constitution and calling me. It is not a wonder. (Reminiscences of Nehru age, by M.O.Mathai).

WHO IS DR.AMBEDKAR?

            He is one of the greatest sons of India, Rational Thinker, Erudite Scholar, Editor and a Rhetoric Orator. He is also a Philosopher and an Anthropologist, Luminary in Law (London, Britain), Economist from Columbia University, NY, USA and an Iconoclast.

He is the revivalist of Buddhism in India. Many Universities gave him honorable doctorates. Most of all, he is the chief Architect and the Father of the Indian Constitution. He has been glorified as one of the best brains among the six brains[4] in the world during his time. He was the great son of India who understood the social, religious, economical, political and educational conditions in India. He wrote the Indian constitution and we can admire his greatness from the PREAMBLE to the Indian Constitution reproduced below:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, DO HERE BY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.           

Hence, my conclusion is that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is not only the Father of the constitution and he ought to be the Father of the Indian nation!                                                          

Yours Fraternal,

A. Rathnam

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[1] The Portuguese named India, for reference see the history of Tinneveli by Robert Caldwell

[2] Did you find an Indian? Ref, Verdict on India, by Beverley Nichols

[3] This has been quoted by Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar in one of his writings and speeches and in his books

[4] Beverley Nichols, Verdict on India