Tiranga: Sullying patriotism with religion

By Ashna Patil

There’s a strange new undercurrent in the country. There is an evident aim to replace religion—something India has always been very enthusiastic about—with patriotism. The word intolerance, now more flung around than ever, is simply a by-product of this phenomenon. In the attempt to move from religion to patriotism as the common unifying force, both invariably end up getting tangled with messy results. A proponent of this, the Indian flag, is meant to represent a great uniting force—more so than most other countries because it carries a lot of pre-independence history along with it. In the present atmosphere, however, it is causing more division than not.

Tiranga: A symbol of far-right ideology?

It is important to remember that the Tiranga is, after all, a symbol—it possesses no inherent qualities of its own. The divisiveness versus unifying potential of a state symbol is a function of what it is being associated with and how it is being exploited politically. Due to the flag being present at every nationalist event—keeping in mind that nationalism and patriotism are vastly different concepts—the Tiranga has come to be associated with Hindutva and far-right ideology by many of the minority groups.

Right-wing organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have questioned the need to seek permission for hoisting the national flag and holding Tiranga Yatras anywhere they wish to. The problem here is that the frequency of these ‘Yatras’ they choose to embark upon is rapidly increasing, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh. The fact that this area is already simmering with communal tensions shows there is a clear motive other than strengthening feelings of patriotism—it is to alienate the Muslim community further. Shouting anti-Pakistan slogans in a Muslim dominated community encourages the divide and heightens social tensions.

Questioning the loyalty of minorities

A recent example is the Kasganj violence which emerged as the aftermath of the recent Tiranga Yatra—ironically a move meant to bolster patriotism and unification. When ABVP and VHP organised an unofficial flag rally through the area, they came across local Muslims getting ready for their flag hoisting ceremony. Jibes were exchanged, demands to prove loyalty to the country were made, and the altercations started.

This is increasingly a common theme throughout the country: Minorities are tired of having to prove their loyalty by uttering phrases like Vande Mataram over and over again. What happens, however, when religious statements get thrown into the mix; when Jai Shri Ram, Bharat Mata Ki Jai, and Vande Mataram are all essentially considered the same by the majority? This dilutes the effect of all these phrases while simultaneously causing the masses to revolt and engage in battles around saying or not saying them. A Muslim man refusing to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai because his religion does not allow for the objectification of a deity into a person is the same as someone refusing to say Jai Shri Ram, which does not equate to a refusal to praise the country.

Patriotism today is tricky, especially since it is increasingly tying itself with a new definition of secularism. As long as religion seeps into the matter, it is unlikely that communal harmony will ever be achieved. If the flag can turn into a symbol of discord, so can anything else raised by either of the sides.

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