{"id":2734,"date":"2013-07-13T01:43:32","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=2734"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:43:32","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:32","slug":"91-bande-mataram-5-6-07-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/06-07-bande-mataram\/91-bande-mataram-5-6-07-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","title":{"rendered":"-91_Bande Mataram 5-6-07.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n\t
\n\t\t\t<b{
\n\tCALCUTTA, May 30th, 1907 }
\n\t<\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tBande Mataram<\/font><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\t{
\n\tCALCUTTA, June 5th, 1907 }
\n\t<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n
\nWanted, a Policy
\n<\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nA silence has fallen on the country since the inauguration of a new repressive policy by the bureaucracy, a silence broken only
\nby Coconada riots on one side and talk of a 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 wherever they happen to find themselves. The only gentleman in authority who has come forward publicly with a policy is Srijut Bhupendranath Bose and we are grieved to find that the
\ncountry has received this honourable and legislative gentleman’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 complete demoralisation, and it is natural that those
\nof us who are not in constant touch with the mofussil should also feel the silence burdensome and talk of demoralisation. We do
\nnot believe that the country is demoralised. On the contrary we believe that circumstances have taken an extremely favourable
\nturn. There is, to begin with, an immense revolution of opinion all over Bengal which has brought all but the inveterate loyalists
\nto understand the situation and face realities. Secondly if our information from the mofussil is correct, the people, the rank
\nand file, are by no means cowed down, but rather from every part we hear news of men girding themselves for real work, now that
\nthe outer expression of our feelings is hampered and our hopes and aspirations driven in upon themselves. We are especially
\nglad to find in West Bengal, so long apathetic, new stirrings of life and resolution. Nevertheless, in a certain small section
\nthere is undoubtedly bewilderment, hesitation and something like panic and we would be glad to believe that these feelings
\n   
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 478<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nare not shared by any of our leaders or at least by those who
\nhave hitherto arrogated to themselves leadership and the credit for all the work that has been done. One cannot help thinking
\nthat they are, some of them, in the predicament of the Homeric heroes;\u2014 “They feared to take the challenge, to refuse it they
\nwere ashamed.”
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\nIf they are not demoralised, if their hearts and hopes are as
\nhigh as ever, they should take some trouble to show it. On the other hand, if they are demoralised, if they are suffering from
\nsinkings and searchings of the heart, they ought to take some trouble to hide it. The words of the
\nMahabharata <\/i>apply with
\nparticular force.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n“Never should a prince and leader bow his haughty head
\nto fear,
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

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

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

\nKeep a bold and open countenance and play on a hero’s part.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\nIf the leader fear and faint, then all behind him faint and fear.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\nSo a king of men should keep a dauntless look and forehead clear.”
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nWhat the country wants is a pronouncement of policy\u2014 it need not be a detailed or indiscreet pronouncement but at
\nleast a lead is wanted. The bureaucracy has altered its front and changed its plan of campaign. Will it be enough to modify our
\nold policy to meet a new but surely not unexpected situation 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 Swaraj, no intention of giving up Swadeshi, no intention of giving up Boycott; to this the Bhupendranaths and the others must make up their mind. If any leader tries to lower this
\ntriple banner of the cause, he forfeits his reputation and his position from that date. The country has no intention of withdrawing from a single essential position that has once been occupied.   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 479<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tAlthough we can make no claims to leadership, we have,
\nas a responsible organ of public opinion, the duty of laying our views before the people and we have not failed to do so
\nto the best of our ability. The policy we advocate now is the policy we have always advocated, the policy of the organisation
\nof Swaraj and passive resistance. To push forward Swadeshi, to push forward National Education, to take up Arbitration in
\nearnest and for the effective working of this positive side to create what we have not up till now created except in certain
\ndistricts,\u2014 a compact, well-managed, earnest organisation; on the other hand, to follow a rational, effective and steady system
\nof Boycott, and passively to oppose Government repression at every turn, to disregard the Risley Circular, to disregard the
\nbureaucratic intimidation of the Press, to disregard or circumvent if we cannot disregard the Coercion Ordinance, to meet
\nwith silent contempt the danger of deportation and the threat of imprisonment; this is the policy we would favour if there are
\nmen in Bengal bold enough and steadfast enough to carry it out. Doubtless there are other dangers more serious than any
\nthat have yet threatened us, but if we lower the tone of the movement on account of anticipated calamities which may never
\nhappen, we may stand charged before posterity with the crime of sacrificing the future to vain and timid imaginations. Here
\nagain the wisdom of Vidula has a word in season for us; “Make not great thy foeman by thy terrors, panic eyes behind.” The
\nbureaucracy will use every method to kill the movement, guile as well as terrorism; they will try to bribe us with remedial
\nmeasures as well as to bludgeon us with ordinances; they will wave the sword at us whenever we make the slightest movement
\nand use it on occasion. Our future depends on our surmounting both inducement and intimidation. Let us take possible dangers
\ninto consideration, by all means, and provide against them, never run our heads against them wantonly and without occasion; but
\nto be turned from our path by possible dangers is neither true manhood nor true prudence. The path to Swaraj can never be
\nsafe. Over sharp rocks and through thick brambles lies the way to that towering and glorious summit where dwells the Goddess
\n    <\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 480<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tof our worship, our goddess Liberty. Shall we dare to aspire to
\nreach her and yet hope to accomplish that journey perilous with unhurt bodies and untorn feet? Mark the way; as you go it is red
\nand caked with the blood of those who have climbed before us to the summit. And if that sight appals you, look up and forget
\nit in the glory of the face that smiles upon us from the peak.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t_________<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPreparing the Explosion
\n<\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\tThe Simla Government has again opened wide its mouth of thunder and another Resolution has issued from its capacious
\njaws. This time, as we had expected, it is aimed at the Press. The Resolution is full of sound and fury signifying little. It has
\nbeen decided to institute, if necessary, a campaign against the liberty of the Press and throttle it as effectually as the liberty of
\nspeech has been throttled by the Coercion Ordinance. But the Simla Government seems to be ashamed of having to do all this
\nrepressive work with its own viceregal hands and therefore it gracefully retires behind the curtain and asks the local governments to take the stage. That is all. At the same time the Press is a necessity to the foreign rulers and the Platform is not; they
\nare therefore unwilling, we take it, to apply the same absolute gag to the Press as they have applied to the Platform. They are
\ntrying first the effectiveness of the threat of prosecution. “Look, there is the policeman Andrew, (or the policeman Denzil, as the
\ncase may be). Mind you, behave yourself. He has orders to 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 have much effect on the tone of the Press, unless
\nour publicists are cursed with a much greater timidity than we give them credit for. A crop of Press prosecutions may therefore
\nbe confidently expected. If that is not sufficient, other 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 how easy it was to quell this absurd agitation.
\nThere is not enough statesmanship among these heaven-born   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 481<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\trulers to perceive that they are playing into the hands of the
\nmost revolutionary section of opinion in India. Ajit Singh in his exile may rejoice, for his work is being done for him far
\nmore effectually than he could have done it himself. National feeling is like certain explosives which need resistance in order
\nto be effective; unresisted they explode harmlessly and mildly into the air, but resisted, repressed and confined they become
\ndevastating forces and annihilate the substance that resists and confines them.
\n    <\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 482<\/font><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<b{ CALCUTTA, May 30th, 1907 } Bande Mataram { CALCUTTA, June 5th, 1907 }   Wanted, a Policy   A silence has fallen on the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-06-07-bande-mataram","wpcat-54-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2734","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=2734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2734\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}