Freedom?!?

 Recently, on July 23, we celebrated Lokmanya Tilak's birth anniversary. Unfortunately, most people, if they remember him at all, would remember August 1, his death anniversary. In the public arena, however, that day, too, is mostly, and hugely, celebrated as Annabhau Sathe's birth anniversary.

One of Aai's 'mavashi's had never heard of Tilak at all. She was genuinely surprised when I talked to her in very simple terms of Tilak's stalwart contribution to the freedom struggle. She was not aware, for example, that Tilak started the Ganapati festival as an extremely intelligent and creative way of uniting people through religious/cultural activities/symbols. 

Unfortunate, in brief, is the fact that, these days, great leaders are 'caste-(wise)-divided'! The irony of the matter is that, during his lifetime, Tilak was often denigrated as the leader of the dispossessed, of the reject!

What I admire the most about Tilak was his fortitude. Sure, he was basically  so gentle that sparrows, very shy birds otherwise, used to nestle on his shoulders while he would be busy writing in his cell in the Mandalay prison. 

The famous "I did not eat the groundnuts..." or the " even if the skies were to fall on my head,..." quotes show his tremendous  courage and bravery. In my opinion, however, his fortitude is best revealed in his attitude to journalism.

He was the editor of 'Kesari' and 'Maratha'. His editorials were fierce attacks on the then government of the colonial masters. He suffered often because of his frank opinions. Yet never ever could anyone argue that he was partial, partisan, or even judgemental. 

It is indeed a great quality as a journalist. The truth of this statement would be apparent when we look around us right now. Very, very few of the columnists, news anchors, debate participants think through issues as an honest, fair and balanced individual, as a committed intellectual enunciating in the public sphere for the general welfare. Basically, most are ignoramuses, fulminating either against (mostly) or pro a party, a government either at the state or at the central level. 

'Minimise the image of the leader you choose to hate' is the only agenda. The reverse of the coin, of course, is to 'build narratives'  that suit your preferred political  party. The attacks hence are vicious, and extremely personalised.

'His Master's Voice', be it George Soros or a given political party, is the motto. Such journalism never sees the darkness behind its own shadow, under its own feet. However much these types may be internationally acknowledged, actually they are stooges of a given ideology. 

Totally tragic is this sad situation because everywhere  across the world, both the public space as well as the welfare state are shrinking. As a thought leader, one's role as an editor/journalist/author with at least some intellectual stature has to be guarding such generous humane ideas.

Instead, these journalistic mafiaosi of all ideological varieties, are conveniently shrill and completely shrewd 'influencers', however big nationally/inter-nationally their fan following may be. Full of freshly minted recent most terms such as 'setting a narrative', for instance,  they would beat black-n-blue, metaphorically, of course, A government, X politician, and so on. Their favourite netaji may be guilty of those very actions they consider vile in the 'enemy'! It, however, mattereth not!

Surely, this was not the freedom our great leaders such as Tilak or Bhagat Singh fought for. Sadly, it is such state of affairs makes one wonder if Tilak should have accomodated more in his idea of freedom the Agarkar-Gokhale notion of independence whereby societal/cultural/intellectual growth mattered as much as or even more than political independence.

Otherwise, as is the case today,  we have an affluent society as far as opinionated atmosphere goes. This societal space, however, is truly poor when it comes to sensitive sensibility!

Pratima@ Freedom should consist of respecting others' liberties, too.