Before your start connecting this ‘title’ to anything else, let me tell you that it is being used here simply as an English translation of famous Indian freedom fighter’s song, “Mera Rang De Basanti Chola”. Many people who relate saffron colour to religion, may not be knowing, that the freedom fighters who sung this song while walking towards the rope of capital punishment were completely atheists. Just read this line from Sardar Bhagat Singh. “As regard the origin of God, my thought is that man created God in his imagination when he realised his weaknesses, limitations and shortcomings”.
Today on Martyr’s day, while I am penning this article for you, I decided to delve little deeper into Bhagat Singh’s philosophy of freedom and of Religion. I found that both Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh had similar opinions on the matter of human weaknesses. The reason for Mahatma to pray was this weakness and the same reason applied for Bhagat Singh, for not praying. While the concept of religion seems to be binding us into many rituals, the concept of freedom is actually not much different from the real concept of religion. Bhagat Singh advocated the need for freedom to help an Individual move above the boundaries of religious beliefs. Mahatma, however thought that religion helps to fill social gaps, by explaining the concepts of empathy towards others and thus achieve inner freedom. Today saffron colour has become a sort of brand for many to promote and force their own faith, in the name of “Return to Home”. The same colour is almost hated by few other groups for the fear of losing the political battle. I always relate to saffron as being a colour that provides the head to our tricolor. Head relates to thoughts and it was the power of thoughts that Bhagat Singh demonstrated to the world. So folks! Let us power our minds with saffron power, or the power that gives freedom to our expression, freedom to our deeds and freedom to choose our beliefs.
Dr. Sunil Ji Garg
No comments:
Post a Comment