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What are we going to achieve from this celebration?
1. The biggest campaign to promote Indian-ness.
2. The first pledge of allegiance
to the constitution.
3. The biggest campaign to hate corruption and terrorism.
4. The first national festival in the true sense.
5. The first national event to involve
all Indians in unison.
6. The first national event to involve
all religious institutions
7. The first stepping stone to a cultural
renaissance across the country.
8. The first movement to gives equal
importance to all languages,
all individuals and
all faiths.
9. It will be the biggest secular festival in the country to be
celebrated religiously.
10. It will be the first major step in the country to demolish the
walls of hatred amongst different faiths.
Pledge Festival -- 2011
Love
your country and defeat terrorism is the theme that
we want to spread through educational institutions across the country.
All educational institutions would be requested to join this movement and say the
pledge in unison on January 14 or January 15, 2010. The morning assembly could be
ushered in by bells, conch blowing and sirens together.
The students as a part of the morning assembly should say the pledge in English
or in their mother tongue. (pledge is available in our website
www.buildindiagroup.org in 14 Indian Lanuguages).
Immediately after the morning assembly, the school authorities should
provide each student an A-4 size paper and ask him/her to write by a sketch pen
a simple slogan from among the following :
1.
Love your nation. 2. Hate Corruption. 3. Defeat terrorism. 4. Country’s interest
is paramount.
2.
Bharat Sarbpratham, Aapne desh se prem
karo, Aatankbad ka nash karo etc.
If 2000
students attend the school on the pledge day, it means the school authority can
collect 2000 A-4 size posters. Students should also be asked to write their names
and class on these A-4 size posters.
As a part of this programme we plan to display these posters along with names of
schools in a public place where we would like to organize the pledge festival. In
Delhi
in could be huge graffiti making It a treat for the parents and children to watch.
Because if we gather 10,000 posters, we would require 10,000 sq feet space. In our
country we have over 20 croe students. Imagince the lasting impact if we can display
our commitment to the country and voice angst in unison against terrorism. It would
be a huge media event. The purpose is to inculcate in each child a sense of belonging
to the country, promote a sense of hatred against terrorism and corruption and thus
cultivate good citizenry. The purpose of conch blowing, sirens and bells together
is to ensure love and equal respect for all our faith systems whether Hindusim,
Islam or Christianity. The purpose of display of white A-4 poster is to ensure there
will be uniformity in display across the country as it is not an expensive proposition.
Let January 15, 2011 be a day of peace, love and harmony.
2.0 ABOUT BUILD INDIA GROUP & ITS
ACTIVITY
Build
India Group (BIG), a
Delhi
based civil society, is propounding an inexpensive and effective way of fighting
terrorism and violence in the country.
As a part of this campaign, BIG shall organize it fourth national event on the third
Saturday of January, 2011 when students and lawyers in
Delhi
will be requested to say in unison a pledge of allegiance in their mother tongue
to the Constitution of India and thus repose faith in the rule of law.
PLEDGE- ENGLISH
WE THE PEOPLE OF
INDIA
TODAY
DO SOLEMNLY PLEDGE OURSELVES
TO THE SERVICE OF OUR NATION
WITH HONESTY, SINCERITY AND COMMITMENT
ALWAYS KEEPING
OUR NATION’S INTEREST
PARAMOUNT
IN ALL THAT WE THINK DO
OR SAY;
FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF
THIS LAND
PLEDGE- HINDI
HUM BHARAT KE LOG AAJ
IMAANDARI, KARTAVYANISHTA
AUR PRATIBADHATA KE SAATH
APNI SOCH, KARM AUR KATHNI ME
DESH KE HIT KO
SARBOPARI RAKHTE
HUE
IIS BHUMI KE YASH HETU
RASHTRA KE SEVA ME
ANTAH KARANSE
ATMARPIT KARTE HEIN.
Pledge has been drafted as a mantra to promote Indian-ness. It is drafted in such
a manner that it will not emotionally hurt any body. This has been tested in several
educational institutions across the country and the recital of the pledge in any
language in unison is just electrifying
Formation of Build India Group
Build
India Group was formed in 2006 by Journalist-turned-lawyer Biraja Mahapatra and seven others who brainstormed about
the idea of pledge festival as a method of mass communication. Apart from Mahapatra,
the others who had joined the group were HR Consultant Nabajyoti Das, Journalists
Sudha Passi, Gautam Basu and Avtar Nehru, media consultant Pankaj Sukhija, Advocates
Nishant Datta, Kiran Kumar Patra and Shanmuga Patro. In 2008, Biraja Mahapatra came
out with a book titled MY CALL : For The Greater Glory Of This Land. This book gives
the roadmap to the activity of the Build India Group. There was huge encouragement
from lawyers, particularly Delhi High Court Bar Association, Central Administrative
Tribunal Bar Association and Dwarka Bar Association to kick-start this programme
as lawyers recited the pledge in English and Hindi in their respective campuses
on Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations in 2008 and 2009. Over a period
of last three years, Build India Group has organized several programmes and workshops
on issues relating to corruption, terrorism and pledge festivals at Hindi Bhawan,
Constitution Club, Indian International Centre, India Habitat Centre, Mavalankar
Auditorium and Russian Cultural Centre in
Delhi
. Several educational institutions and Bar Associations across the country have
also joined this movement.
Build
India
Concert:
Build India Concert has been added in January 2010 to the programme of pledge festival.
The programme envisioned by Advocate Rajeev Saxena and executed by Advocates Santosh
Kumar Rout and Manoj Sharma and Singer Jai Kesarwani at Mavalankar Auditorium at
New
Delhi
’s Rafi Marg on January 16, 2010 was a huge success. This programme has been designed
to promote child prodigies in music and dance so that they could go around the country
to promote nationalism. Child prodigy Abhay Goyle, who has been recognized as the
youngest exponent on piano by Limca Book of Records, had along with Harjyot Kaur
and Shirish Soni enthralled the audience. We are inspired to do it in a big way
in our next programmes with nationalism as the main theme.
Hating politics is a crime against democracy:
Build India Group campaigns for introducing politics as a subject of management
right at the school level so that each and every citizen understands the value of
vote. The country needs leaders and statesmen, who must rise above the constituency-centric
politics and work for the country as a whole. People will not hate politics if their
legitimate expectations of food, health care, employment and
education are available to them in their own milieu as a matter of fundamental right.
It is essentially pointed towards proper management of resources at the Panchayat
level.. Build India Group believes
India
needs a university of politics with unit area management system as its credo and
the teachers in this institution should be experienced politicians while students
should also be practicing politicians. As a step forward in this direction. Build
India Group has already organized several seminars on “Hating Politics is a crime
against democracy” at several places including Bhubaneswar in Orissa, Delhi University
campus and also recently at Russian cultural Centre, New Delhi, in which Hon’ble
Mr Justice A K Patnaik of the Supreme Court, Hon’ble Mr Justice Kailash Gambhir
and Hon’ble Mr Justice P K Bhasin of the Delhi High Court, eminent lawyer Mr Ram
Jethmalani, MP Govind Mishra, Media expert Mr Ashok Tandon had participated.
Others who contributed to the activities of the Build
India Group
In various
activities of the Build India Group, valuable contributions were also made by Additional
Solicitor General Amarjit Singh Chandihoke, Supreme Court Bar association President
Ram Jethmalani, former Supreme Court Bar Association President M N Krishnamani,
Supreme Court Lawyers R K Khanna, P H Parekh, Pinaki Mishra, P N Mishra and K K
Sharma, former Delhi Bar Council Chairman K C Mittal, Delhi High Court Bar Association
Secretary D K Sharma, Advocates Mukesh
Anand, H R K Suhel, Rakesh Chitkara, Ramakant Gaur, Ravikesh Sinha, R K Handoo,
Dr Umakanta Mishra, former PIO Director of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Prof B K Kuthiala, Vice Chancellor Makhan
Lal Chatturvedi University of Mass Communication, Sanjiv Sanyal, economist and author,
Dr Savita Datta, Director Distance learning in Delhi University, Associate Professor
Janmejoy Khuntia, Col B K Dargon, Director Amity University, Delhi, Prof P J Naidu
and Prof Kris Dev, Madras, Mrs Bushra Rani, Principal Aditya Birla Public School,
Hirma, Gupta Prasad Panda, Mumbai, Vandana Arya, BITS Pilani, Priyadarshi Mishra,
social activist, Bhubaneswar Sashanka Chudamani, Director, KIITS University, Bhubaneswar, Manas Ranjan Mishra, Principal, College
New Age, Bhubaneswar, St Vincent Public School, Berhampur, Orissa, Mrs Pradosh Ku
Debi, Principal. City Prince Public School, Mahavir Public School, Delhi, social
activist Promod Chawla, Management Guru Ranjan Mahapatra, Poet Raksak Nayak, , Journalist
Basudev Mahapatra from Bhubaneswar, Journalist Utpal Borpujari and writer Manas
Ranjan Mahapatra among others at various programmes. It is because of their support,
the programme is spreading across the country.
Our literature:
1.
My Call: For the greater glory of this land
2.
Pledge in 15 languages (Pledge
India
)
3.
The Campaigner- Annual souvenir
Our Website:
www.buildindiagroup.org
Our discussion forum:
build-india-group@googlegroups.com
Please contact
Biraja
Mahapatra
Rajeev
Saxena
President
Chairman- campaign committee
Build
India Group
Build India Group
9810935526
9810811180
birajamahapatra@gmail.com
rajeevsaxena.adv@gmail.com
Rakesh
Chitkara
Pankaj Sukhija
Convener
Media-coordination
Build
India
group
Build
India Group
9891678009
9810123446
chitkara.rakesh@gmail.com
pankaj.sukhija@gmail.com
Mr Manoj
Sharma
Mr Ashwini K Dwivedi
Secretary
Coordination-programme
Build
India Group
Build India Group
9810071241
9818685007
manojsharma_advocate@yahoo.com
ashwinik.advocate@gmail.com
“Pledge festival
forms a chapter of book MY CALL by Biraja Mahapatra giving the roadmap to the activity
of the Build India Group”
THE PLEDGE FESTIVAL
Dear campaigners!
India
is a country of rituals. Millions of Indians reaffirm their faith in God every day
in temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras across the land. People love and worship
Vishnu, Shiva, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, Mahavira and so many other gods and god men
that I may not be able to complete the list. As human beings we love music, songs,
bhajans, illumination, pictures and dance as a part of festivals. Traditionally
we all love festivals.
I believe we celebrate two types of festivals. One we bask in
glory as the saga of our achievements comes out alive in the form of opera or some
other symbolic functions like we celebrate Dusshera or Janmashtami.
Such functions remind us what we can do for ourselves. It gives us lessons
about victory of the good over the evil. The other type of festivals are a promise
or commitment. For example, Raksha Bandhan festival, in which a brother commits
protection to his sister, or Karva chauth in north
India
, wherein wives pledge absolute love and loyalty towards their husbands. Similarly,
every religion has an occasion for commitment to the faith in some form or the other.
The Muslims may observe Ramadan or the Catholics the Lent as a sign of commitment
to the faith.
There is another festival
of commitment that I will now talk about. Only, instead of commitment of individuals
to their faith, families and near ones, I am seeking the same kind of commitment
of Indians towards our nation. And this is a different kind of festival … it is
not religious but truly secular festival. Yet we can celebrate it religiously and
that too, for a great cause. A cause for the nation! This has to be a festival to
be celebrated across the country, from the Andamans to Anantnag? And if we observe
this festival with the sincerity of our hearts, this will be the biggest festival
in our history … the biggest stepping stone for a future which will see greater
glory for our country. A future of prosperity and transparency when temple bells
and church chimes will ring in a resurgent
India
with every new dawn.
The main feature of
this festival will involve Indians happily reaffirming their love and loyalty for
“Bharat” for only a minute by reciting this solemn Pledge? People from so many cultures
and communities across the world demonstrate their love and loyalty to the soil
to which they belong. We will do it but with a difference.
As we have discussed,
most Indians are God-fearing. Many possibly worship this land as a goddess or benign
mother. Indians of all religions do not mind bowing before the National Flag. Some
kiss the soil of this land in veneration. Therefore, all Indians for that matter
would not mind demonstrating their respect to the country in some fashion or the
other. We in the Build India Group propose an oath in the form of a National Pledge
and a ritual in the form of a National Festival.
If a Pledge can be taken
by all, or at least the overwhelming majority of, Indians, it will be a historic
event. If such a Pledge can be taken as part of an institutionalised National Festival,
it will be the greatest triumphal moment for
India
since the clock struck midnight on August 14, 1947.
Such a Pledge, for obvious
reasons keeping in mind India’s diversity, has to be simple and lucid, and capable
of being uniformly translated into all Indian languages so that the time taken to
recite it is the same in any part of the country.
The underlying philosophy of the Fundamental Duties in the Constitution does serve
as the edifice of such a Pledge, with an abhorrence of terrorism and corruption
as its focal theme. It should also exhort Indians to love their nation and do their
duty to their best. Many may ask us what good will a National Pledge do? We would
like to ask what good will it not?
A National Pledge will be a major step in changing the collective Indian mindset
towards the heinous ills that plague our nation. It can be the most effective vehicle
to convey the message of hatred against corruption and terrorism. The Pledge will
constantly remind us of our national and social duties, so much so that even a child
will rebuke his father when he finds his father’s actions lacking probity. Not only
will it tangibly infuse patriotism but the shades of regimented discipline that
it inherently carries will also build commitment among citizens just as the morning
assembly seeks to teach the value of orderliness among schoolchildren. It will also
bolster leadership qualities in our youth and instill in them a sense of nationalistic
pride.
But how do we of the Build India Group go about
institutionalising a National Pledge? Such a Pledge has to be taken in unison by
the maximum number of Indians from all over the country. It is, therefore, imperative
that a particular hour or a particular day is earmarked for this ceremonial recital
of the National Pledge by our countrymen. We have decided to call this day the “National
Pledge Day”. On the first such National Pledge Day will we kickstart a campaign
to hate terrorism and its sibling evils.
The media will be key
to this initiative. Television and the print media will be instrumental in bringing
the Pledge into every Indian home just like it does with the Prime Minister’s August
15 speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
The concept of a pledge
is not new in
India
. In every prayer that we recite everyday there is an inherent pledge that we make.
But for the first time we will be having a public reaffirmation of a national missive.
Hence the National Pledge will be taken concurrently and widely by the greatest
number of individuals together.
A university teacher
had once asked us to name a festival which is celebrated all over country by all
people of all religions, castes and languages? A friend said it was the Gregorian
New Year’s Day. This applies internationally. On the other hand, we have two other
exclusively Indian festivals, that of Independence Day and Republic Day. Both these
days are unique. On 15th August 1947 more than 350 million Indians won the freedom
to determine their destiny after centuries of foreign rule. And on 26th January
1950 more than 500 princely states officially aligned with the nascent republic
to forge one great nation.
New Year’s Day has no
mode or ritual specific to it. There are only personalized conventions; one may
send out greetings cards or choose to celebrate a holiday with a family outing.
It’s a day spent in thoughts of welcoming a new year of hope and dreams.
A family wedding in
India
also assumes festival contours. Relatives far and near gather at one place to celebrate
and cement family ties. A wedding also serves as a benchmark of one’s position in
one’s family circle. The gifts that we buy for the newly-wed couple are our way
of reiterating this position. At other village functions the entire clan gets into
celebratory mood. Here the occasion morphs into a carnival, a festival jamboree,
involving the entire village and even beyond. Festivals essentially make up merge
our identities into the collective and are occasions for mirth. One very significant
aspect of a festival is that it provides a great opportunity to the participating
people to bond among themselves. When marriage was solemnized into an enduring institution,
humankind gave it the colour of a festival. While both partners promise undying
faithfulness, their friends and kin celebrate the union in one great display of
festive mirth.
Keeping in view the
potent unifying force of the festival, Bal Gangadhar Tilak converted a festival
into a social and political platform. The rousing call to unite and oust the British
was given to the people of
Maharashtra
on Ganesh Puja. In 1893 he extended the religious celebrations to all over the country
to make the occasion a part of the campaign against British imperialism. Thus here
we see a family and community festival assuming the dimensions of a national event.
Another example that
comes to my mind is an annual festival in Bargarh district of western Orissa. All
of Bargarh, a nondescript township known for its fine-quality paddy, is transformed
into a sprawling proscenium to recreate the myth of the slaying of Kansa by his
nephew Lord Krishna. The city becomes the capital of Kansa and the people his subjects
in a two-week-long colourful pageant called Dhanu yatra. No one is sure who started
this unique festival which first happened in the early 20th Century after the British
placed a garrison there. The purpose again was to create an event which will involve
all residents so that a particular message can reach out to the maximum audience.
When Dhanu yatra was
initiated, the British were depicted as Kansa. Citizens of Bargarh had devised a
unique method to beat the British ban on nationalist propaganda. Every resident
carried a whistle on him. Every time an Englishman beat up or insulted a native
the latter would blow his whistle. Anyone hearing a whistle was required to blow
his. Thus every resident was alerted within moments of something going wrong. This
is how the festival began. The trick adopted by the people to communicate with was
a huge success.
The British have left
but the yatra continues till today in Bargarh as an integral part of its tradition.
Consider this for a moment: Today we have more dangerous
Kansas
in the form of corruption and terrorism. Such
Kansas
have proliferated into all corners of the country. What if we all blow the whistle
to alert every one to contemptuously demonstrate their hatred against these
Kansas
of our times?
In this land of religious
festivals, there are no truly secular or nationalist festivals but for August 15
and January 26. The primary intent of celebrating these two days is to inculcate
a sense of patriotism and unity among the people. These two days have been declared
national holidays. The hoisting of the Tricolour on these two days is a symbolic
activity to remind the people of their nationhood. As Sarojini Naidu put it, “under
this flag, there is no difference between a prince and a peasant, between the rich
and the poor, between man and women.”
Many of us feel a tug
in our hearts when we hear Vande Mataram being sung or see children carrying the
Tricolour walk past with cries of Bharat Mata ki jai. At the same time, do we wonder
often how may of us participate spontaneously in Republic Day and Independence Day
events instead of being compelled to do so as part of a group or institution?
Indians do not identify
with these two celebrations at the individual level. Accept it or not, we do not
feel the urge from within to participate in such programmes. These have become mere
official dos that we have to get done with. Even in educational institutions many
children attend such programmes twice every year simply because they have to or
they do not wish to displease their teachers.
Had Indians empathized
with these two “national festivals” or made these family events that are participated
in with pride, it would have immensely contributed towards inculcating a sense of
being Indian in us. This pride could have been translated into solidarity with the
nation and contributed to nation-building. But this has not happened.
I discussed the
National Pledge with several friends, acquaintances and colleagues, and extensively
with my excellent team of Campaigners. I also thought on how this Pledge could be
linked to some kind of a ritual or festival with nationalistic flavour involving
the entire country. Such a festival would be
India
’s one true National Festival.
The idea of a National
Festival is to bring people together to sensitise them towards their motherland
and dedicate themselves to its betterment. And if there ever was a time when we
needed such a festival the most, it is now. I believe a National Festival should
be organised simultaneously all over the country on a particular day during which
every Indian would take the National Pledge in unison and commit himself to his
country.
My Campaigner friends
in the Build India Group agree that a National Festival with a National Pledge will
indeed be a powerful instrument in building national unity. If you do not agree,
ask yourself what the impact of such a festival is successfully organised and such
a pledge meaningfully taken.
In the years preceding
our
Independence
in 1947 almost every Indian newspaper had joined the campaign against British rule.
The media has proliferated today in its reach and access. The Internet has also
increased the speed of communication exponentially. If the media gets involved in
propagating even a cracker of an idea, the message will reach millions of Indian
homes instantaneously. That is the power of the media; and ours is a media-centric
proposition.
To begin with, we can
involve schools and educational institutions. We first can try with them.
The pledge will truly be a mass movement. If all conscious people in the
country motivate their neighbours, friends or relatives to take the Pledge, the
message can also be amplified to millions of others through the e-mail and by word
of mouth. This would be an excellent beginning and the impact would be tangible
indeed.
I am sure you would
agree that this model is workable. Why should we not give it a try? One fine morning
we will see citizens, office-goers, servicemen, students, housewives and children
come out of their homes in an unrelenting wave of solemn purpose to take this pledge
in unison at sites which will be hallowed by their patriotism. Such a moment would
be the greatest moment for national unity in our history.
If the National Pledge
is taken even once, the consequences will certainly be startling. And if the Pledge
Festival can be institutionalised and observed with true patriotism and zeal, the
nation shall be changed forever. Greater transparency in our national lives and
a lessening of corruption due to a change in our mindsets is inevitable. An Indian
who has pledged himself to the nation will think twice before he allows corruption
to even cross his mind.
Dear campaigners, never
must you once feel, while reading this book or discussing it, that we are spreading
the message of loving our nation at the expense of hating others. When I respect
my country will I not understand that others too respect theirs? The purpose of
taking a National Pledge is to reiterate that our nation’s interests are paramount
for all of us. My country comes first, and I am proud to be its citizen. This principle
applies to all men of the civilized world. Nationalism never implies that you hate
another country. If you love your soil and your land, you love all humanity and
the whole world. You hate only the bestial qualities in yourself. If we shut our
eyes for even a moment and ask ourselves what bestial qualities we have, our conscience
will answer us truthfully. Only when we learn to hate our bestial qualities will
be become better human beings and, by extension, better and more worthy citizens.
Perversion within oneself transforms us into thieves, fraudsters, rapists, murderers,
hooligans, mafia men and even terrorists. And once we are one of these there is
no coming back. The Pledge is the pill that can cure an entire gamut of social ailments.
Let us then take it, and take it in unison!
If a victory by the
young Indian cricket team at the Twenty20 World Cup can instill so much patriotic
fervor and Indianness amongst us, imagine the lasting impact of a nationwide affirmation
of Indianness made by all Indians. A National Festival can unleash similar euphoria,
and with more lasting impact. Let all our celebrities, public icons and opinion-leaders
from all fields — who command respect by virtue of their merit — take the lead in
this unique mass movement. Let the media, the entertainment industry, the clergy
and the governing class take the lead to endorse such a festival to the common man.
And let the aam admi take it upon himself to treat this as doing his bit for the
nation.
Taking the Pledge in
unison will take less than a minute. The Pledge, however, has to be associated with
some kind of festival for setting the stage. The modicum of such a festival can
be left open to the opinion of the people. The one rider is that such a festival
must be truly secular and in no way hurt the sentiments of any community or religion.
This shall be a festival for all
India
, by every Indian and for all time to come.
Friends and peers who
have been enthused by the idea have come up with many suggestions. The National
Festival has to be a secular festival, but it has to be observed religiously. Let
the pledge be printed on a greeting card-sized paper that is flushed with the colours
of the Tricolour. Let it be translated in all Indian languages. Let it adorn the
porch of every household like a solemn pennant on the appointed day. Let it also
be displayed in our homes, schools and offices as a totem that we take pride in.
Let it reach every nook and corner. Let it enter our hearts and homes!
At the stroke of the
appointed hour, let the sirens and conches be blown, let the cymbals crash, drums
beat and bells ring to augur the sanctimonious moment.
It is Pledge time!
Let every Indian fill
his heart with pride and step out of his home to pay homage to the nation. Let us
take the Pledge solemnly, and with our hearts and minds resolved to abide by it
for the rest of our lives. Let the Pledge be uttered in unison, and let it ring
in our hearts true!
That is all I ask. |
