Mohammed Ali born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. He won a gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Unfortunately Ali threw his medal into the Ohio River in frustration over the racism he experienced upon returning home to the United States.
The story of Mohammed Ali goes back to 1960 and 63 years later it seems the shadows of that incident are about to shake the conscience of each Indian today. It is due to the inherent human nature that I am invoking the conscience though in many cases in the last few years this conscience has been largely elusive from the Indian society. When a daughter of India brings forward in public domain her agony with regard to an attempt to challenge her modesty, the nation is curious to know where are the people who wants every Indian to chant “Bharat mata ki jai”. Are they not realizing that with each such attempts it is the modesty of Bharat mata that is being compromised?
The debate now is that what is at stake for India when we undermine the achievements of our people. The hoisting of tricolor on Indian Independence Day or Republic Day is ceremonious to remember the struggle, the people of India have undergone to achieve its own flag. These world champions have kept the Indian flag flying high with their sweat and blood and no matter how much grateful and proud we are, that can never be enough in return. Their tears at the ghats of Ganga in Haridwar might be a moment to be recorded in history and never to be forgiven in times. The Indian democracy is strong enough to protect the state from any dictatorship but the matter in hand is the insensitivity of the society that has wrecked the very soul of India.
The blemishes of human lynchings, bulldozed houses, laborers’ long journeys back home in Covid 19, hunger deaths, police action on university students, puppet journalism and the humiliation of our world champions has failed so far to evoke the moral values which are the pillars of a sane community and a sensitive society. Whether Nehru or Savarkar, no one with human heart and love for his motherland will find the prevailing inanity in India as acceptable. But will these remain unnoticed in the times to come? I will leave this to the audience with these lines from the poet Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’….”समर शेष है, नह ीं पाप का भाग के वल व्याध, जो तटस्थ है, समय ललखेगा उनके भ अपराध” (The time will also write those as opressors who stoodsilently and watched the sin to happen).
Mohammad Fahad Ullah, PhD, MRSC Professor Mississauga, ON L5B 0K4 Canada