May Divali’s Light guide both Voters and Politicians

By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee

As far as I can remember this is the first time ever that Divali and Aapravasi Ghat Day are almost coinciding, taking place this year within a day of each other – and but a few days away from the general election due on 10 November. Although the one is a celebration (of the return of Bhagavan Sri Rama to his kingdom Ayodhya) and the other a commemoration (of the arrival of the first batch of indentured labour from India), both occasions carry a common message of sacrifice undergone by the respective protagonists.

“Aapravasi Ghat Day should remind us of the broadly similar narrative of people who were lured away from their homes and families to toil under the harshest of both working and living conditions. They too struggled to survive, and almost half of them never returned to be reunited with their families again, and those who remained had to overcome further hardships so as to improve their lives. For many still, however, this is yet to happen. This is because the true Ram Rajya, which our political leaders have frequently alluded to while campaigning, hasn’t really taken place across the board. Not only because they have been bickering among themselves for a start, but once they were installed, they became self-centred…”

Thus, Sri Ram was banished to the forest for fourteen years with his wife Sita instead of living a princely life as ruler. This ordeal was compounded by a further, hard struggle to bring back his wife from Sri Lanka where she had been kept captive by the demon King Ravana. He had used deceit – disguise as a sadhu or holy man — to abduct her from the compound where she and Sri Ram had settled in the jungle while the latter was temporarily away.

Incidentally, Ravana was a highly educated and pious man too, but that didn’t prevent him from committing this heinous act.

Aapravasi Ghat Day should remind us of the broadly similar narrative of people who were lured away from their homes and families to toil under the harshest of both working and living conditions. They too struggled to survive, and almost half of them never returned to be reunited with their families again, and those who remained had to overcome further hardships so as to improve their lives. For many still, however, this is yet to happen.

This is because the true Ram Rajya, which our political leaders have frequently alluded to while campaigning, hasn’t really taken place across the board. Not only because they have been bickering among themselves for a start, but once they were installed, they became self-centred. Instead of humility, the arrogance and spoils of power clouded their previously avowed vision for the people.

Our leaders too are highly educated and do not miss an occasion of publicly displaying their piousness.

Let us hope that this fortuitous coincidence of a celebration and a commemoration make them commit themselves – for the times demand it even more forcefully – to the genuine spirit of Ram Rajya, which serves as a benchmark for an ideal form of governance ensuring progress, prosperity, and peace. In Ram Rajya, there is no room for discrimination, the poor are not marginalized, and the rule of law prevails. People act out of free moral responsibility and self-discipline, inspired by Ram’s own practice of austerity, generosity, kindness, justice, welfare orientation, and the ability to care for and plan for his subjects. This consciousness is deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people – under the inspiration of true leaders.

They wholeheartedly strive to establish a polity that seeks to fulfill the legitimate expectations of the people in an environment of peace and prosperity.

Thus, Ram Rajya gives context to what one would expect, namely that there are sources of higher wisdom that can serve as inspiration to everybody but in particular to those who take on the responsibility to be national leaders and to serve the people. A strong dose of the humility and compassion of Sri Rama should be the hallmarks of such leaders.

These traits should infuse the promise to do politics otherwise – faire la politique autrement – that we have heard of time and again. Since a wind of change seems to be blowing, let us hope that for a start, it takes a sweep at the topmost level of the country’s deliberations, namely its Parliament. If it materializes, may it freshen and at the same time illuminate the parliamentary minds that will give direction to the country’s affairs. Read More… Become a Subscriber

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 1 November 2024