ENLIGHTENED CITIZENSHIP FOR FREE INDIA Dr Suvarna Nalapat http://drsuvarnanalapattrust.org www.nalapat.com Another glorious Independence day .

We are free Indians for 67 years.The problems we posed in 1947 were dismal poverty,backwardness of nearly half of our population,the caste and communal loyalties causing separatism,and problems of free education, and health for all. The problems were the collective responsibility of all citizens of Free India to recognize, solve and thus strengthen the young democratic state of 1947 .Have we achieved these goals after 67 years of freedom ? If not what is the reason ? Every one of us should ask these questions to understand what Gandhi envisaged as the first ( and probably the last ) enlightened citizen of India . The word citizen is different from a subject , or a voter. A subject is subjected to several limitations imposed by others. A voter is just a person who gives a vote to bring a particular party to power politics and its positions. Their responsibilities are limited . But a citizen means a free individual who has unlimited potential,freedom and responsibility to think for his/her nation and thus for the world as a collective perspective.How many of us have understood this message and its meanings in modern India is debatable and the reason for our problems is precisely this.All sections including the political leaders,professionals,housewives and unskilled labourers belong to the group citizen and not to subject or voter or a leader.Citizenship confer a status of being free and responsible person in a free society. Freedom and Responsibility go hand in hand in citizenship. This is not mere individual freedom to do as one pleases .It is social ,national,global responsibility naturally flowing from the freedom of expression and activity of being a citizen. The question is have we acquired this sense of citizenship as envisaged by Gandhi, the Father of our Nation ? We have not yet achieved even the universal primary education , cost effective healthcare, economic and agricultural self sufficiency as the constitution envisaged. A value-oriented policy and lifestyle of each citizen , in the respective field of activity is essential for achieving this aim and to think that it is the responsibility of the Government alone to do everything has gone deep into our psyche. We think that we can pollute any place, water body and premises and it is the duty of the Governement to clear it . We feel that it is the duty of Government to give food, shelter, water , health,education to all of us while we have no duty as such to help in the process , as best we can. In a free democratic Government like India how detrimental is such an attitude to national goals ? What is our Government except a few citizens like us who had been elected and selected ( by vote or by merit) to some top positions. And from where does the Government funds come ? From where does food come if we neglect agriculture ? Who will keep our villages and towns clean if we are not doing it ? Who will plant fruit trees in every public place so that each one of our children gets vitamins and minerals free of cost to prevent diseases ? There is a great need for a change in our attitudes.There should be a motivation behind all types of work efficiency. The only motivation , at present seems to be How much money I can earn without making any effort ? The sense of pride in work has gone .Swami Ranganathananda calls this a mercenary work .A mercenary works hard for the money paid;but many of our people do not even

do an honest days work even for the wages and salaries received the swami observes.This is because the loyalty of a mercenary is not to any ideal or principle but only to money for oneself.If we work as mere employees , we function one way;but if we work as a citizen there is a tremendous difference in the same work we had been doing .This change in attitude causing efficiency is hallmark of a free citizen.The Japanese are proud of their Nation. Chinese are proud of their Nation. Every other nation has a pride in being the citizens of that geographic area and being the successsors of a heritage. The modern Eduated Indian alone has not developed that pride in the citizenship of being an Indian or in the glorious heritage of India . When someone points out that heritage, the so called intellectual,scientific educated Indian immeadiately throws a jargon word at that individual- of being a communal Hindu , so that that person is either silenced or marginalized from all serious discussions pertaining to the national welfare. Such a sad state of affairs has happened only in India .All efforts of Gandhi to inculcate a national pride, work culture, honesty and valuebased dealings ,educational and health reforms were in fact evidences of his far seeing visionary power , which predicted this state for Indians if their energies were not channalised in a special way , in accordance with the ageold heritage of India . The individual has to grow into a person. Education should help a child to achieve a vyakthithwa, and then a vikasithavyakthithwa.Vikaasa means expansion. One has to expand ones views from selfish individual motives to national and global motives to become a vikasithavyakthithwa. Gandhi said ,like Vivekananda , one has to learn thyaaga and seva for such an unselfish expanded vyakthithwa development . Only this will transform our immature ego-centric personality to a mature unselfish global personality who wishes :Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu.Vyakthithwavikasana is practiced only by going beyond our personal ego and loving everyone, everything alike , and protecting everything for a global wellbeing.Thus protecting nature , nonexploitation of natural resources for selfish needs become a goal of each citizen who has achieved vyakthithwavikaasa. Once this is achieved one will not use eduation,profession,natural resources etc merely as a tool for achieving money and other personal ambitions. We need viveka and dharma for achieving such attitude .No theories or books have ever made man realize truth .Thoughts, mental analysis, realization and practice of the realized truth alone makes an attitudinal change. Thinking makes us intellectuals as well as compassionate personsenlightened citizens of the world. There is no short cut for achieving enlightened citizenship except that .Rational questioning of what we need and what we achieved , what we can do to improve and practical implementation of those improvements alone can help us in realizing the goals of free India .Being a enlightened citizen of free India, to think for solutions which can help to reduce or solve those problems is my duty and to share those thoughts with others so that the thoughts spread . This responsibility should be felt by all citizens in their respective fields of work so that India become efficient and self sufficient in every sphere of activity. Recognize the equality of not only men and women but also of all living things in an ecosystem .The dignity of work, of individual, of the unity of the nation is what our constitution actually aims at and all of us are responsible in our own way for achieving or not achieving of that goal.Transcendence of a mere organic biological personality to conscious social participation gives us not only a happy personal and professional life but also National Integration , peaceful co-existence and world peace.

When I share my thoughts on India and enlightened citizenship , I think of Gandhi who envisaged such a free India and also of Tagore who wanted the Nation to raise to greatest heights of wisdom and compassion, freedom and intellectual excellance , with pride in a rich tradition of education . Happy Independence day. Jai Hind .