Editorial

10th August 1997

Freedom at midnight

In what has come to be known as one of the most momentous events of the century, India’s ‘‘freedom at midnight’’ from British colonial rule 50 years ago began with Nehru’s vision of reaching for the stars while keeping the feet firmly in the grassroots. As the Indian Houses of Parliament hold a symbolic midnight meeting again this Friday to mark the Golden Jubilee with the voices of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru resounding from beyond, it seems that economic turmoil and the realities of geo-politics along with neo-colonial undercurrents have taken India through another long night though the dawn will surely come. Nehru had longed that his beloved India and Asia would experience a haven of peace and calm even amidst the tempestuous world of politics in which he found himself and much of this had to do with the partitioning of India.

Had Mountbatten known that Jinnah was dying would Pakistan have been created in the first place? Or like Bangladesh would it have been born by caesarian operation? Would the Muslims have lived in peace in Hindu India? These are some of the questions analysed even today as the subcontinent including Sri Lanka ponders on what has been done and what we have failed to do over the past 50 years.

It is academically interesting to study the system of government in India and Pakistan - one a democracy, the other largely a system where martial law is temporarily interrupted by democracy. Both countries have had their share of violence. Kashmir was the flashpoint. Initial hints by Pakistan to ask Sri Lanka to help resolve it were quickly shot down by India.

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, the majority Buddhists and the Hindus have a natural affinity with India while most Muslims have a tendency to be sympathetic to the Islamic state of Pakistan. Our plus cover story today shows how close India’s rulers like Pandit Nehru were to Sri Lanka and her people. Most Sri Lankans admired India and its people and followed the teachings of its greatest son, Gauthama the Buddha. But modern politics and India’s hegemonistic intentions under Nehru’s daughter, for a greater Indian Empire to replace the British one saw India train and bankroll a separatist movement which still leaves its deadly stamp in Sri Lanka.

We cannot easily forget the forced food drop followed by the twisting of our arms by Nehru’s grandson to sign an accord. Also the controversial Provincial Council system forced down our throats along with the deployment of some 100,000 Indian jawans on Sri Lankan soil immediately thereafter.

But they were taught a bitter lesson when they violated the hallowed Panchasila principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The Indian Army left with a bloodied nose and Rajiv Gandhi was blasted to death, allegedly by those who had been trained by India’s spy agency RAW.

Now happily attitudes and actions have changed. The Gujral doctrine provides the means of tapping the potential in the reservoir of goodwill that still exists between our two nations. As equals and old old friends we see more accommodation and understanding in the years to come.

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