Justice Markandey Katju explores the timeless wisdom of Thirukkural and urges modern Indians to rise as true patriots. In his article, Katju discusses the need for a patriotic revolution to address India's socio-economic challenges and transform the country into a global powerhouse. Discover his insights and reflections on the path forward for India's future.
The living and the dead
By Justice Markandey Katju
In the great Tamil classic Thirukkural there are these verses ( in chapter 22 )
"Kaimmaru venda kadappadu maarimattu
En Aarrum kollo ulagu " ( Verse 221 )
i.e.
"The benevolent man should serve society seeking no return
How can the earth recompense the bounty of the rain clouds ? "
"Puttel ulagattum eendum peral aaridey
Oppuravin nalla pira " ( Verse 213 )
i.e.
"There is no pleasure in this or the other world
Equal to the joy of being helpful to others "
" Otta tarivaan uyirvaalvaan
Marraiyaan settaarul vaikkap padum " ( Verse 214 )
i.e.
"Only those who help others are living
The others are as good as corpses "
In my opinion, these verses should be interpreted to mean that in India today only patriotic people ( who are a tiny minority ), who want to rid the country of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, price rise, lack of proper healthcare and good education, and other socio-economic ills, are living beings. The remaining vast majority of the 1.4 billion Indians, who only care for themselves and their families, are corpses.
Our national aim must be to transform India from a backward country to a modern industrial giant, like USA or China, for only then can we get rid of the great socio-economic evils mentioned above, which have plagued us for centuries. But this historical task can only be performed by modern-minded patriotic people, who genuinely love India and its people
The great Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib wrote :
Main andaleeb-e-gulshan-e-naa-aafariidah hoon”
i.e.
”I sing with the heat (excitement) of the delights of things I imagine and foresee.
I am the nightingale of the garden that is yet to be born.”
This sher (couplet) succinctly describes a genuine patriot. He is a visionary, always thinking, and fighting to create a country, in which his people will be happy and prosperous.
In his imagination, he sometimes lives in a future, unborn, prosperous country ( which India will become one day ), and delights in it, and momentarily forgets the present state of affairs, in which the masses live in misery.
He is like the stormy petrel described in Maxim Gorki’s famous poem ‘The Song of the Stormy Petrel’.
Yet, his life’s journey is full of hardship, and his chosen path is full of thorns:
”Hum inquilabiyon ko naya jahaan banaana hai magar,
Yeh safar hai mashaqqat-o-museebaten liye hue.”
He sings this song :
And he recites this poem
The patriot's life is often lonely. He often has to face great hostility from the common people who are conservative by nature, and do not like changes. Often his own family members urge him to give up his idealism, which they regard as a foolish whim. Yet, he does not flinch or surrender, but carries on his struggle to help uplift his people.
He is a creator of new, modern values, and does not follow the morality of the common people, who have feudal mindsets (as in India, which is full of casteism, communalism, and superstitions). The patriot rises above them, he overcomes great obstacles, engages in epic struggles to change the existing social and political order (not always successfully), pursues new goals unfamiliar to the common man, and transcends and transforms existing values.
He knows he may not live to see the day when his dream comes true and India is prosperous, for he may die in this struggle, and not see in reality what he sees in his imagination.
But how does that matter?
As Zarathustra said in Nietzsche’s book ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’:
“What matter about thyself Zarathustra ? Say thy word and break into pieces.”
i.e.
”Speak the truth, even if it results in your death.”
In Charles Dickens’ famous novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, at an early part of the novel, there is a conversation between Defarge, a wine seller, and his wife Madame Defarge, both of whom are secretly patriots and revolutionaries.
Defarge is despondent and dispirited because he thinks that the revolution for which he has been working for many years may not occur in his lifetime. To which Madame Defarge replies: “What of that? It will come.”
Defarge asks, “But when will it come? How much time does lightning take to strike the ground?”
“How much time does it take to build that lightning,” asks Madame Defarge in response. “An earthquake strikes suddenly, causing massive death and destruction. But how much time does it take to build that earthquake? You may not see the end. But you have contributed to it. Let that be your consolation, and be satisfied by it.”
A true patriot is like Madame Defarge, who patiently continued with her knitting ( of the names of tyrants ).
Though patriots ( and therefore living human beings ) are very few in India today, and the vast majority of our 140 crore ( 1.4 billion ) people are corpses ( as the Thirukkural has declared them ), I am confident that the numbers of the former will rise exponentially in the coming years.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court. These are his personal views.)
