Nowhere in “The Constitution of India” are written such words
as “Bharat Mata” and “Vande Matram”. Neither are found their English equivalent
like mother land, mother India.
We have Preamble in the beginning which says clearly :
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA,
having solemnly
resolved to constitute India into a
1[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 2[unity and
integrity of the Nation];
It enables us as we the people of India
having resolved to constitute India
into a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and Democratic Republic. Nothing less than
this and nothing beyond this. As Indian Citizen we have to show our express
allegiance to the National Anthem and National Flag. There is no mention of
National Song, (Vande Matram) This is what
our Constitution wants us to commit to remain as Indian Citizen, the rest are
just implicit derivations which have subjective and philosophic orientation.
Some consider it as mother land so they have created a picture which is just a
figment of some creative thinking. Everybody has a right to think so. Every
poet has legitimate right to expound his thinking in one way or the other. We
can like it, appreciate it but not necessarily adopt it. The very same preamble
states clearly “Liberty
of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship and makes a clear demand to
allow this for others and enjoy the same in your own case. We puts all doubts
to rest.
India
is a country, a national entity recognized politically, socially, economically
at all levels, whereas the other implication of this word is that it has the
same derivation as the word habitat. A habitat is an environment which allows
its inhabitants to breed, feed and weed and fulfill all their natural needs to
grow in accordance with their requirements. This enables and infuses a sense of
nativity and a sense of belonging which is returned in the form of our love and
affections, loyalty and patriotism. It is a natural instinct and as citizens of
modern India
we should respect rights and growth of one another. But on the other hand the
Indian constitution goes a step further and recognizes the objective identity
of Indians as its citizens.
India
is a country inhabited by the Indian citizens who are required to abide by “The
Constitution of India”, the National Flag and the National Anthem. I have
searched through the entire text and I failed to find the above words.
Therefore, it should be obvious that anything beyond the Constitution of India
is a mere subjective derivation and it can not be enforced on the Citizens of
India.
Sh Jawahar Lal Nehru made the following observation about
Bharat Mata in his well known book “The Discovery of India.” :
"Sometimes as I reached a gathering, a great roar of
welcome would greet me: Bharat Mata ki Jai-- Victory to Mother India! would ask them unexpectedly what they meant by
that cry, who was this Bharat Mata, Mother India, whose victory they
wanted? My question would amuse them and surprise them, and then,
not knowing exactly what to answer, they would look at each other and
at me. I persisted in my questioning. At last a vigorous Jat, wedded to
the soil from immemorial generations, would say that it was the dharti,
the good earth of India,
that they meant. What earth? Their particular village patch, or all
the patches in the district or province, or in the whole of India? And
so question and answer went on, till they would ask me impatiently to tell
them all about it. I would endeavour to do to and explain that India was all
this that they had thought,
but it was much more. The mountains and rivers of India,
and the forests and the broad fields, which gave us food, were
all dear to us, but what counted ultimately were the people of India, people
like them and me, who were spread out all over this vast land. Bharat
Mata, Mother India, was essentially these millions of people, and victory
to her meant victory to these people. You are parts of this Bharat Mata, I
told them, you are in a manner yourselves Bharat Mata, and as this
idea slowly soaked into their brains, their eyes would light up as if
they had made a great discovery."
Obviously it is just a philosophic idea to call the land of
the country as mother land.or Bharat Mata. This carried an invincible emotional
appeal as this shows our attachment to our mother. Just as mother feeds her
children and takes care of the needs of her children, so does the land of the
country. A attempt has been made to draw similarity between mother and the land
we live on. They called it their motherland.
We have created similar concepts in various walks of life. Instead
of calling it Natural language we tend to call it Mother tongue to strengthen our
belief in the language spoken by our mother to communicate and develop it as
our own. Similarly all rivers are addressed as mothers. With the exception of
Brhamputra, all the rivers have been named as feminine gender. This is a
cultural tradition. Some follow it some do not. In some countries land is
addressed as Father. They call it fatherland. In Russia they call it They father
oriented families. They carry the name of their father in their names.
Before Independence the use of such derivations were very
common and acceptable as they infused the feeling of oneness and people across
the Indian subcontinent liked to to use this term for India. It was used to
realize that they were one and united and they can fight the British out. Such
philosophic concepts helped Indians psyche to rise above their differences and
fight against the British dominion.
However it is apt to bring the following information for our
readers taken from the Government of India website
www.knowindia.gov.in :
National Symbols
This section introduces you to the National Identity
Elements of India. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and
heritage. Indians of all demographics backgrounds across the world are proud of
these National Symbols as they infuse a sense of pride and patriotism in every
Indian's heart.
National Flag
The
National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top,
white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio
of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white
band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra.
The top saffron colour, indicates the strength and courage
of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma
Chakra. The green shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.
Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus
of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width
of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was
adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.
National Anthem
The National Anthem of India Jana-gana-mana, composed
originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version
by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 January 1950.
It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian
National Congress.
The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza
contains the full version of the National Anthem.Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is
approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last
lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on
certain occasions.
National Song
The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by
Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their
struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. On January
24, 1950, the President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad came up with a statement in the
Constituent Assembly, "the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic
part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana
Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it."
The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896
session of the Indian National Congress. The song was a part of Bankimchandra's
most famous novel Anand Math (1882).
State Emblem
The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion
Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to
back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of
an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening
wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished
sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).
National Bird
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the
National Bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped
crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The
male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue
breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated
feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the
tail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and
preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
National Animal
The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal.
It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace,
strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as
the national animal of
India.
National Flower
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn) is the
National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position
in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious
symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.
India
is rich in flora. Currently available data place India
in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia
in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far,
47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India
(BSI).
