On the road to Liberty

My article titled "India is that sacred land of cultural union which never sent anyone back" was published in November 1999. "India is that sacred land of cultural union which never sent anyone back", the Prime Minister quoted this line from Tagore, live on national television recently, on the occasion of the release of a special CD containing recitals and songs by the poet himself. It is ironic that the same Prime Minister also wants a "national debate" on whether any foreign-born person should be allowed to hold highest political offices in the land. One does not know whether the PM has lately read that poem of Tagore from Gitanjali (1910). Because just prior to the lines which the PM quoted, the poet says "hethai arya, hetha anarya, hethai dravir o chiin, shok, hun dal, pathan o moghoul, ek dehe holo leen". That is the Indian civilisation has successfully assimilated the aryans, the non-aryans, the dravidians, the chineese, the shaks, the hun...

My article titled "Who is an Indian?" appeared in the newsletter of Liberty Institute in May 1999. It is ironic that the Prime Minister has sparked off a “national debate” on whether any foreign-born person should be allowed to hold the highest political offices in the land, because only a few weeks earlier, he had quoted from Tagore in a programme broadcast live on national TV–"milibey aar milabey; jaabey na pheerey... Aiyee bharoter mahamanober sagaro teere"– From these sacred shores of cultural union, India has not sent any one back. More so since, in the lines preceding those that the Prime Minister quoted, the poet says the Indian civilisation has successfully assimilated the Aryans, the non-Aryans, the Dravidians, the Chinese, the Shakas, the Huns, the Pathans, the Moghuls. The question of the “foreign born” was settled by the members of the Constituent Assembly after substantive deliberations fifty years ago. It is strange that the question of nationality a...