{"id":268,"date":"2013-07-13T01:27:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=268"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:27:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:27:00","slug":"066-wanted-a-policy-vol-01-bande-mataram-volume-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/01-bande-mataram-volume-01\/066-wanted-a-policy-vol-01-bande-mataram-volume-01","title":{"rendered":"-066_Wanted, a Policy.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n


\nWanted, a Policy<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n <\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b>               
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>A<\/font><\/b><\/span> SILENCE<\/b>
\nhas fallen on the country since the inauguration of a new repressive policy by
\nthe bureaucracy, a silence broken only by Cocanada riots on one side and talk of
\na special Congress session on the other. Srijut Surendranath Banerji has gone to Simultala to think over the situation and other leaders are thinking over it
\nwherever they happen to find themselves. The only gentleman in authority who has
\ncome forward publicly with a policy is Srijut Bhupendranath Bose and we are
\ngrieved to find that the country has received this honourable and legislative
\ngentleman’s proposals with the supreme contempt of neglect. It is natural that
\nour adversaries should exult over this silence and point to it as an evidence of
\ncomplete demoralisation, and it is natural that those of us who are not in
\nconstant touch with the mofussil should also feel the silence burdensome and
\ntalk of demoralisation. We do not believe that the country is demoralised. On
\nthe contrary we believe that circumstances have taken an extremely favourable
\nturn. There is, to begin with, an immense revolution of opinion all over Bengal
\nwhich has brought all but the inveterate loyalists to understand the situation
\nand face realities. Secondly, if our information from the mofussil is correct,
\nthe people, the rank and file, are by no means cowed down, but rather from every
\npart we hear news of men girding themselves for real work, now that the outer
\nexpression of our feelings is hampered and our hopes and aspirations driven in
\nupon themselves. We are especially glad to find in West Bengal, so long
\napathetic, new stirrings of life and resolution. Nevertheless, in a certain
\nsmall section there is undoubtedly bewilderment, hesitation and something like
\npanic and we would be glad to believe that these feelings are not shared by any
\nof our leaders or at least by those who have hitherto arrogated to themselves
\nleadership and the credit for all the work that has been done. One cannot help
\nthinking that they are, some of them, in the<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-<\/font><\/span>397<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\npredicament
\nof the Homeric heroes: \u2014<\/span> "They feared to take the challenge, to refuse
\nit they were ashamed."
\n   
\nIf they are not demoralised, if their hearts and hopes are as high as ever, they
\nshould take some trouble to show it. On the other hand, if they are demoralised,
\nif they are suffering from sinkings and searchings of the heart, they ought to
\ntake some trouble to hide it. The words of the Mahabharata <\/i>apply with
\nparticular force:<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>"Never should a prince and leader bow his haughty<\/p>\n

head to fear,<\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>Let his fortune be however desperate, death however near.<\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>If his soul grow faint, let him imprison weakness in his heart,<\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>Keep a bold and open countenance and play on a<\/p>\n

hero’s part.<\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>If the leader fear and faint, then all behind him faint<\/p>\n

and
\nfear.<\/font><\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>So a king of men should keep a dauntless look and forehead
\nclear."<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

           
\n<\/span>What the country wants is a pronouncement of policy \u2014 it need not be a
\ndetailed or indiscreet pronouncement, but at least a lead is wanted. The
\nbureaucracy has altered its front and changed its plan of campaign. Will it be
\nenough to modify our old policy to meet a new but surely not unexpected
\nsituation or will it be necessary for us also to change our plan of campaign?
\nOne thing at least is certain, we in Bengal have no intention of giving up
\nSwaraj, no intention of giving up Swadeshi, no intention of giving up Boycott;
\nto this the Bhupendranaths and the others must make up their minds. If any
\nleader tries to lower this triple banner of the cause, he forfeits his
\nreputation and his position from that date. The country has no intention of
\nwithdrawing from a single essential position that has once been occupied.<\/p>\n


\n           
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>Although we can make no claims to leadership, we have, as a responsible
\norgan of public opinion, the duty of laying our<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-398<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nviews
\nbefore the people and we have not failed to do so to the best of our ability.
\nThe policy we advocate now is the policy we have always advocated, the policy of
\nthe organisation of Swaraj and passive resistance. To push forward Swadeshi, to
\npush forward National Education, to take up Arbitration in earnest and for the
\neffective working of this positive side to create what we have not up till now
\ncreated except in certain districts, \u2014 a compact, well-managed, earnest
\norganisation; on the other hand, to follow a rational, effective and steady
\nsystem of Boycott, and passively to oppose Government repression at every turn,
\nto disregard the Risley Circular, to disregard the bureaucratic intimidation of
\nthe Press, to disregard or circumvent if we cannot disregard the Coercion
\nOrdinance, to meet with silent contempt the danger of deportation and the threat
\nof imprisonment; this is the policy we would favour if there are men in Bengal
\nbold enough and steadfast enough to carry it out. Doubtless there are other
\ndangers more serious than any that have yet threatened us, but if we lower the
\ntone of the movement on account of anticipated calamities which may never
\nhappen, we may stand charged before posterity with the crime of sacrificing the
\nfuture to vain and timid imaginations. Here again the wisdom of Vidula has a
\nword in season for us: "Make not great thy foeman by thy terrors, panic
\neyes behind." The bureaucracy will use every method to kill the movement,
\nguile as well as terrorism, they will try to bribe us with remedial measures as
\nwell as to bludgeon us with ordinances; they will wave the sword at us whenever
\nwe make the slightest movement and use it on occasion. Our future depends on our
\nsurmounting both inducement and intimidation. Let us take possible dangers into
\nconsideration, by all means, and provide against them, never run our heads
\nagainst them wantonly and without occasion; but to be turned from our path by
\npossible dangers is neither true manhood nor true prudence. The path to Swaraj
\ncan never be safe. Over sharp rocks and through thick brambles lies the way to
\nthat towering and glorious summit where dwells the Goddess of our worship, our
\ngoddess Liberty. Shall we dare to aspire to reach her and yet hope to accomplish
\nthat journey perilous with unhurt bodies and untorn feet? Mark the way; as you
\ngo it is red and caked with the blood of those<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-399<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nwho
\nhave climbed before us to the summit. And if that sight appals you, look up and
\nforget it in the glory of the face that smiles upon us from the peak.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nPreparing the Explosion<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nThe
\nSimla Government has again opened wide its mouth of thunder and another
\nResolution has issued from its capacious jaws. This time, as we had expected, it
\nis aimed at the Press. The Resolution is full of sound and fury signifying
\nlittle. It has been decided to institute, if necessary, a campaign against the
\nliberty of the Press and throttle it as effectually as the Liberty of speech has
\nbeen throttled by the Coercion Ordinance. But the Simla Government seems to be
\nashamed of having to do all this repressive work with its own viceregal hands
\nand therefore it gradually retires behind the curtain and asks the local
\ngovernments to take the stage. That is all. At the same time, the Press is a
\nnecessity to the foreign rulers and the Platform is not; they are therefore
\nunwillingly, we take it, to apply the same absolute gag to the Press as they
\nhave applied to the Platform. They are trying first the effectiveness of the
\nthreat of prosecution. "Look, there is the policeman Andrew, (or the
\npoliceman Denzil, as the case may be). Mind you behave yourself. He has orders
\nto run you in if you don’t." This is a fair translation into vernacular
\nEnglish of Sir Herbert Risley’s latest literary effort. We hardly think it will
\nhave much effect on the tone of the Press, unless our publicists are cursed with
\na much greater timidity than we give them credit for. A crop of Press
\nprosecutions may therefore be confidently expected. If that is not sufficient,
\nother measures will be used. And when they have silenced the Press and the
\nPlatform, Anglo-India will no doubt exult over its victory and avow wonderingly
\nhow easy it was to quell this absurd agitation. There is not enough
\nstatesmanship among these heaven-born rulers to perceive that they are playing
\ninto the hands of the most revolutionary section of opinion in India. Ajit Singh
\nin his exile may rejoice, for his work is being done for him far more
\neffectually than he could have done it himself. National feeling is<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-400<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nlike
\ncertain explosives which need resistance in order to be effective; unresisted
\nthey explode harmlessly and mildly into the air, but resisted, repressed and
\nconfined, they become devastating forces and annihilate the substance that
\nresists and confines them.<\/font><\/p>\n


\nBande
\nMataram<\/i>,
\n<\/i> <\/font>June 5, 1907<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage-401<\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wanted, a Policy                     A SILENCE has fallen on the country since the inauguration of a new repressive policy by the bureaucracy, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-01-bande-mataram-volume-01","wpcat-8-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}