In the recent debates on nationalism, almost all ‘nationalists’ used a particular symbol as an authenticating device for their patriotism – the symbol of a soldier and his patriotism (he is always a he). Does a doctor not contribute to the nation? the teachers , the students? Yet it is the soldier who is the patriot par excellence. Soldier who dies for the nation (he always has to die). The typical statement by ‘nationalists’ was- soldiers give their lives but JNU students are saying…). The death of the soldier, then, is a very important component of these statements. A soldier enter these narratives only in his death. Still, the question is why the soldier? Is it just because his service conditions involve life risks and they do die? Why exactly is soldier such a potent symbol of patriotism? The answer must lie somewhere in the strategies of nation making and the imagination of the nation by the regime in power.
Savarkar, one of the progenitors of the current right wing regime imagined Indian nation as a space which historically had one culture (Hindutva) and one race (Hindu). Within this framework, nation as a historic space is very important. Nation is not just people but it is a historically fixed geographical entity having a common culture. Except Hindutva, all other cultures and religions are excluded from Savarkar’s idea of Indian nation (Savarkar, Essentials of Hindutva). This geographical space must have a sovereignty. This space must also have a state. Within this idea the state and the nation both belong only to Hindutva. Hence, the idea is about a historically fixed geographical space which is politically sovereign and culturally monolithic. Since, the idea is to preserve this politico-cultural monolith, the border of this space becomes very important. This border needs protection against any sort of outside attack. It is only in protecting the borders, making them impenetrable, that the imagination of such a nation can be realised.
No wonder why then, the soldier and his martyrdom becomes important in such a scheme. Soldier emerge as the most important symbol in this nation because it is the soldier who is the symbol of this nation state saving its sovereignty, protecting its border. The soldier is an integral part of this nation state whose job is to save the nation state’s sovereignty. A lot of this is true to any nation state irrespective of the fact, whether it is ruled by fascists or Marxists. This is the reason why every primary school texts, even before the current regime always had a chapter on the soldier where words like ‘shaheed’ and ‘balidan’ are always used.
The soldier even if he is 50 years old is a jawan. He has to be a jawan to symbolise the youthful virility of the nation in protecting its sovereignty. In these ideologies the soldiers become the best sons of the nation. Every son of the nation, in the right wing propaganda aspires to be a soldier and die for the nation as soon as he is born. Within the right wing ideology, the only one who can be greater than a Jawan is a dead Jawan. The grief caused by the death of the person is not important anymore. The only grief that such ‘nationalism’ allows to be narrativised is the martyrdom of the soldier. That the soldier is also an ordinary person, whose death can cause serious pain and suffering is not allowed to be expressed. Death is the ultimate sacrifice the soldier can make. It is actually this sacrifice, which is important. This explains a lot, why an unknown Hanumanthappa turned into a national hero overnight, recently. This also explains why streets are named after shahid jawans e.g. Shaheed Pankaj Juyal Marg. These are the narratives within which a soldier locates and identifies himself. A soldier indeed internalizes all this. So do the masses. This is the way, in which we are schooled by the nation. Our school text books, our films, songs, right wing propaganda- all these makes it impossible for us to think otherwise. They do not let us understand, that every single profession serves the nation. Teachers, scholars, students, doctors even butchers and cobblers. All of them are equally important. Patriotism is beyond certifications and comparisons.
Shourjendra N. Mukherjee
whyhistorymatters 