THE COMMUNISTS

How Communism strikes root-Wrong approach of the West-Reactionary; Bhoodan - Danger of Socialism – in the footprints of China - Revive national genius.

A

fter the British quit this land and we became free to shape our future national set-up, the discussion of various theories and 'isms' has become a live issue for us. No doubt we have opted for the Western type of democratic set-up. But have we been able to reap its beneficial fruits after all these years of experimentation? Instead of symbolising the

collective will of the people, it has given rise to all sorts of unhealthy rivalries and forces of selfishness and fission.

Preparing Ground for Communism

A serious failure of democracy in our country is the growing menace of Communism, which is a sworn enemy of democratic procedure. In a bid not to be left behind the Communists in their economic appeal to the masses, our leaders are only making Communism more respectable by themselves taking up the Communist jargon and the Communist programmes. If the leaders imagine that they will be able to take away the wind out of the Communist sail by such tactics, they are sadly mistaken.

They also feel that economic development is the only defence against Communism. It is the constant dinning into the ears of the masses of the promise of 'higher standards of life', thus raising their expectations at a time when they cannot possibly be satisfied, that is aggravating the sense of frustration and paving the way for popular discontent and chaos. Nowhere do we find the appeal to higher sentiments like patriotism, character and knowledge; nor is there any stress on cultural, intellectual and moral development. It is only in such imbecile and despairing minds that the seeds of Communism strike root.

Adding Fuel to the Fire

The approach of the Western countries to the menace of Communism is contributing its own share in giving a fillip to the spread of Communism here. America believes that dollar aid will solve the problem of Communism. As experience had shown in the case of China and now Viet Nam, such aid will be of little avail without a corresponding building up of national character and morale. The countrywide propaganda that accompanies each one of their economic aids is only aggravating the 'economic consciousness' of the masses to the exclusion of those aspects which form the real backbone of a free and democratic life.

The westerners also suffer from a strange hallucination that the 'old Hinduism' must go if our country is to be saved from Communism. They feel that Christianity alone can stem the tide of Communism. Once, Arnold Toynbee bad truly described Communism as a 'Christian heresy' and strangely enough it is he who has now come forward to say that Christianity is the one answer to Communism. How can Christianity solve a problem which came up as a reaction due to its own deficiencies? Those who think Christianity alone can save this 'heathen country' should pause and ponder why Russia, the most orthodox country of Christendom, disowned Christ. In our own country, is it not

significant that the province where the Christian population and influence is the greatest, Kerala, is also the biggest Communist pocket? If the Westerners believe that by pouring men and money to convert Hindus to Christianity they will save this country from

Communism, they are only labouring under a suicidal self-deception. Because, the spread of Christianity shatters the ancient faith and nationalism of the people, and Communism takes root only where faith is shattered. That has been the major psychological factor in the growth of communism.

When Faith Goes Communism Comes

Man does not live by bread alone. He must have a faith to live by and die for. Without such a faith life loses its direction and meaning, and man begins to drift. He feels lost. It is an impossible state of being. Till the rise of science, Christianity provided the

necessary faith for European life. But science made mincemeat of Christianity. It blasted the Christian concept of time, space, life and the world. However, Europe lost one sheet-anchor but gained another. It lost its faith in religion but gained a new faith in science.

Indeed, science became its new religion. Then people believed science to be omniscient and omnipotent as any God thought of in any religion.

However, within a course of some centuries, science began disproving itself. The

scientists began to confess their ignorance of the Universe. Einstein, than whom there has been no greater scientist in recent times, admitted the existence of a Reality beyond the reach of physical sciences. Thus, from the omniscient mood of the Victorian Era, the scientists felt themselves no more than picking pebbles on the shore with a whole ocean of knowledge lying unexplored before them. This collapse of faith in science left the Western man rudderless on an unexplored sea. The old faiths were dead and no new faiths were in sight. It was in this situation of vacuity of faith that some specious faiths came to fill the gap. One such faith was Communism.

So any attempt from whatever quarter, to uproot our ancient and life-giving faith, a faith, which has sustained us and produced the finest flowers of human culture, is bound to bring about sure national disaster.

Danger of Reactionary Approach

Various are the attempts going on to neutralise the appeal of Communism in our country.

Some people feel that the Bhoodan movement launched by Vinobaji will take away the appeal of Communism. On the contrary, with its Communistic slogan of 'land to the tiller' and with threats by some of his shortsighted followers like, "If you do not give of your own accord, Communists are bound to come up and take away your all by force" it will only give rise to an impression in the mass mind that after all Communism is correct and is inevitable. It will be an indirect sanction for Communism. Further, the masses will have a suspicious feeling that all such movements, which come up in the name of their uplift are only half-hearted and deceptive. They may very well say, "Now that the Communists are making headway, you want to come forward with all these reforms and promises! We would rather prefer the blunt Communists. They are at least honest and bold. They mean what they say and we can believe them." Thus, contrary to expectations, this movement may pave the way for Communists. In fact, to work merely with a view to counteracting Communism is always dangerous. It is only the inculcation of a right and positive faith that can make the masses rise above the base appeal of Communism.

There are some who feel that the growth of Communism is inevitable so long as economic disparity persists. But the fact is, economic disparity is not the real cause for mutual hatred on which the Communists thrive. The idea of dignity of labour is not

properly imbibed by our people. For example, a rikshawala who makes a daily earning of 3 to 4 rupees is addressed as a 'fellow' and a clerk getting but Rs. 60 a month is addressed as 'Babuji'. It is this disparity in outlook in all walks of our life which creates hatred. This is a recent perversion that has entered our life. In our philosophy, there is no distinction of high or low in one's karma, i.e., duty. Every work is the worship of the same Almighty in the form of society. This spirit has to be revived once again.

'Socialism by Ballot'

The threat of Communism has become real from another quarter in our country. And that is by the present policy of our Government who have declared 'Socialism' (same in content as Communism and differing only in the method of achievement) as their goal. In the first place, our leaders say that they will achieve Socialism by the ballot-box, and not by the bullet as was done in Russia and China. That only means that there is a difference between the people in Russia and China, and the people in our country. In Russia and China, probably the people were alive and kicking and therefore they, had to be cowed down by the bullet. Here our people are docile hero-worshipers. If the hero comes and says, "My dear friend, come on, bend forward, I want to behead you", our people will certainly bend forward and offer to be beheaded! With such docile people, why is the bullet required? A ballot-box is sufficient. If the leader says, "Vote for Socialism", the people will vote for it. If tomorrow they find that having voted for Socialism their

independence is gone, and as individuals they have become only dead parts of a machine, they will take it as an ordinance of fate and submit to it.

Our people submitted to the Muslim rule for more than a thousand years, to the extent that even today we find people saying that Muslims were great godly persons! Some have even gone to the extent of saying that we must erect statues of Hyder who jailed his Hindu king and usurped his throne, and of his son Tippu who forcibly converted

countless people to Islam, demolished many temples and molested a number of women!

To this extent the infatuation still remains. When the British came, some persons said,

"They have been sent from heaven." Some even said, "In the Bhavishya Purana, it has already been prophesied that our country would be ruled by a queen named Vikateshwari and she is none other than Queen Victoria herself"! With such a docile people a little propaganda is enough.

In John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, the Pilgrim is caught by the Giant. The Giant wants to murder him straightway but on advice from his wife tries to persuade him to commit suicide. The Giant says, "Why are you undergoing all the troubles of life?

Nothing is sweeter than suicide. Choose whatever you like, knife, halter or poison, make an end of your miserable life and be relieved forever." He so convinces the Pilgrim that the latter gets ready to commit suicide. Just then a friend counsels the Pilgrim and prevents him from falling into the trap. The moral is, for innocent docile people, a little persuasion does the work of a bullet.

The Writing on the Wall

Under the grab of Socialism, what is it that is actually taking place? We find that all the measures being undertaken here are only an improved carbon copy of what has happened in China. The only difference is that these developments were brought about by brutal violence in China whereas here the same things are being done through polished propaganda. This will be quite clear to us if we compare the governmental measures of both countries. When the present Communist Government in China first came to power, they did not want any challenge to their absolute power. So they liquidated the old nobles, chiefs and industrialists and nationalized all industries. They liquidated the big landholders and ultimately the smaller zamindars and framers.

Here also, landlords were liquidated. Now the 17^th Amendment has come by which even the smaller farmer, having even half an acre of land, is considered an estate holder, and the Government is empowered to take away his property practically without any compensation. Co-operative farming, collective farming, nationalisation of banks and industries and such socialistic doctrines are in the air. All this is, in a way, following the Chinese line step by step. Let us try to see close parallel and read the writing on the wall.

And before we are reduced to mere slaves and tools, beware!

Further, socialism is not a product of this soil. It is not in our blood and tradition. It has absolutely nothing to do with the traditions and ideal of thousands of years of our national life. It is a thought alien to crores of our people here. As such it does not have the power to thrill our hearts, and inspires us to a life of dedication and character. Thus we see that it does not posses even the primary qualification to serve as an ideal for our national life.

Unfit on All Counts

And finally, as we have already seen, Socialism (the same as Communism in its original form, as even Russia calls itself a Socialist State) was born as a reaction steeped in the theory of class conflict and has failed to deliver the goods in Russia itself. As a theory it was exploded long back and now it has been exploded in practice also.

Nowadays our leaders are trying to cover up the fatal defect of Socialism, i.e., the wiping out of the individual as a living entity, by coining new slogans like 'Democratic

Socialism', 'Socialistic Democracy' and so on. As a matter of fact, the two concepts of Democracy and Socialism are mutually contradictory. Socialism cannot be democratic and Democracy cannot be socialistic. For, individual freedom, as we have seen, is the first faith with Democracy, whereas it is the first victim of Socialism. In Democracy, the majesty of the individual is held high, whereas, in Socialism, he is only a cog in the wheel, just a lifeless screw in the colossal machine called State.

Revive National Genius

Thus, after the quitting of the British, we find ourselves in a confused state of affairs trying to catch at something of each of the foreign theories and 'isms'. This is highly humiliating to a country, which has given rise to an all-comprehensive philosophy,

capable of furnishing the true and abiding basis for reconstruction of national life on political, economic, social and all other planes. It would be sheer bankruptcy of our intellect and originality if we believe that human intelligence has reached its zenith with the present theories and 'isms' of the West. Let us therefore evolve our own way of life based on the eternal truths discovered by our ancient seers and tested on the touchstone of reason, experience and history.

PART THREE - THE PATH TO GLORY

(A) ROUSING NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS

In document Bunch of Thoughts - M.S.golwalkar (Page 159-165)