Before advent of formal democratisation and/or republicanism and emerging of more rational science guided human consciousness, world was ruled by various kings, princes, Jamindaars kinds, who used to take over charge as caretakers or keepers or just plain usurper of territorial authority.
There used to be no geographic entities as present day nations we commonly know of. It was all open ground inviting political change as and when new raider establishes new administration or some local bully rises to gang up over all citizens of that geography.
People used to be part of many states under different rulers during their single life time. Kaun raja hai bhai aaj kal … who is the king these days was usual query which used to remain unanswered for majority of people who were busy in day to day efforts to meet ends. Very few bothered and these were the elite who used to be beneficiaries of power sharing emanating from authority of local king who used to get authority from some bigger king and so forth.
If religion or faith was important for keeping the ruler’s authority strong and going, it was misused or used or even created for that objective as it still continues to be done today.
India too before 100 years or so was nothing but geopolitical collage of variety of independent rulers each holding and protecting territory and looking forward for opportunities to expand further. Most of these rulers were part of family or common interest pyramid of authority which from time to time had different apexes like Maharaja Dheerrajah or Badshah or Monarchs because many of these rulers of rulers arrived from far off places to subjugate territories and its inhabitants.
Not that people from across Hindukush and Himalaya only adventured from far of places into north India as Hun, Kushan, Sakas, Greeks, Mughals did, even ambitious kings from south of Vindhyas tramped north or rajahs of central India went fighting wars in south and east. None of these rulers had been popular with locals who were made subjects forcibly by the raiders, be it Indian or malechhas raiders. This was true for foreign invaders as much for the sons of soil Indian raiders. These kings had no emotional attachment to any single superset country like we now refer to as India. They all had attachment only with their region of origin, themselves and the ruling family. That’s it. There was no collective war or resistance against common enemy like say British or Mughals or Kushans and Huns solely for the sake of any larger binding national cause, because for them there was neither a nation nor a common cause. They all were fighting for the control of personal and family owned territories and authorities of their own or on lein from some Badshah or Maharaja Dheerrajah or Monarch.
Today we are country of true commoners, bound through a constitution we wrote for ourselves. There is no king or ruler who could claim divine right to govern over us. The glories of past are mostly glories of kings written by their trumpet players and courtiers. That glory is no glory to be glorified today. Let past kings slide past in past and rest. There is nothing we can learn from them.
No comments:
Post a Comment