The year of 1947 would be forever etched in the memories of Indians not only because they earned their liberation from the British but also because the year witnessed the largest human migration ever in its entire history. The "partition" as it is now famously recalled displaced lakhs from their houses, sowed the seeds of enmity between people who had until then lived as one. Till today, and probably forever, this event will cause heartache to many people.
Sadly, this phenomenon gave fuel to what is now known as a secessionist attitude. It added strength, rather unfortunately, to their belief that the only way to achieve prosperity was to form a state for them and people who belong to their clan. Since independence, we have seen numerous such demands - Dravidanadu, Khalistan, the North-east, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal, Chhatisgarh, Vidarbha and so on. The first three relate to demands of new countries and the latter pertain to states within India. The ideology behind all of them being the same - prosperity is only possible if their clan got their own independent state.
It is surprising how they do not see a further disastrous extrapolation of this phenomenon; that is, further secessionist demands cropping up in time within subgroups/subclans until it is no longer possible for the entities to sustain itself and finally be usurped by a larger entity. History has set numerous examples before us how this ideology has failed, and yet, somehow, people are forced to take this option.
So, where does the fault lie? Within the people, or the Government?
To me, human psychology is inherently inertial when it comes to change. We have never accepted changes easily if we are happy with the way things are going for us. As long as this condition is satisfied, human mind does not venture out to seek changes. So, putting the blame solely on the people is not appropriate. This is in no way an attempt to condone the secessionist's acts. It can be argued that its the greed that overpowers reason that makes people resort to a secessionist attitude.
But, we must not absolve Government of the blame either. The British may have had reasons to cause parition of India, but Government of India has no reason to create environment where such demands could get cultivated. Take the example of the north-eastern states, and it will not be hard to imagine why people of these states feel so neglected. Till today, the region can boast of only one National Highway and one Railway link! There is no industrial growth there, no employment opportunities for the educated youth, no infrastructure.
For any society, an increasing pool of unemployed youth is a sign of deterioration. "Idle minds are devil's workshop", they say, and combined with the aggression and energy of the youth, form a potent weapon for unscruipulous elements to use against the state and the country. This is the reason behind whats happening in Kashmir, the north-east, the Telangana and elsewhere.
The politicans, instead of attacking this problem, use the same problem to further their politicial careers even though they could do it by finding a solution to it.
The heart of the matter is that a sincere effort should be made to provide opportunities to the youth to pursue their dreams, be it acads, be it sports, be it industry.
The matter of the heart is that it is our motherland and it should pinch all of us every time a talk of dividing it is brought about. We are brothers and we have shared a long part of the history together. There is no reason why we must now go separate ways. Remember, "United we stand".
