{"id":2764,"date":"2013-07-13T01:43:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=2764"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:43:42","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:42","slug":"20-bande-mataram-1-9-06-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\/20-bande-mataram-1-9-06-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","title":{"rendered":"-20_Bande Mataram 1-9-06.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n\t<\/p>\n

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

\n

\n\t
\n\t{ CALCUTTA, September 1st, 1906 }<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\tLessons at Jamalpur
\n<\/font><\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tThe incidents at Jamalpur are in many ways a sign of the times. They reveal to us, first and foremost, as many incidents of the
\nSwadeshi movement have revealed to us, the great reservoir of potential strength which the Congress movement has for so long
\na time left untapped. The true policy of the Congress movement should have been from the beginning to gather together under its
\nflag all the elements of strength that exist in this huge country. The Brahmin Pandit and the Mahomedan Maulavi, the caste
\norganisation and the trade-union, the labourer and the artisan, the coolie at his work and the peasant in his field, none of these
\nshould have been left out of the sphere of our activities. For each is a strength, a unit of force; and in politics the victory
\nis to the side which can marshal the largest and most closely serried number of such units and handle them most skilfully,
\nnot to those who can bring forward the best arguments or talk the most eloquently.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\tBut the Congress started from the beginning with a misconception of the most elementary facts of politics and with
\nits eyes turned towards the British Government and away from the people. To flaunt its moderation and reasonableness before
\napproving English eyes, to avoid giving offence to British sentiments, to do nothing that would provoke a real conflict, this
\nwas its chief preoccupation. It concerned itself with such things as Simultaneous Examinations, Exchange Compensation, with
\nthe details of administration and the intricacies of finance: it presumed to give the Government advice on its military policy,
\nand it passed omnibus resolutions covering the whole field of Indian affairs. All the time it had nothing behind it that could be
\ncalled strength, no tangible reason why the British Government   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 126<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tshould respect and give form to its irresponsible criticisms. The
\nGovernment on its side took the measure of the Congress and acted accordingly.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\tUnder the stimulus of an intolerable wrong, Bengal in the fervour of the Swadeshi movement parted company with the old
\nideals and began to seek for its own strength. It has found it in the people. But the awakening of this strength immediately brought
\nthe whole movement into collision with British interests, and the true nature of the Englishman, when his interests are threatened, revealed itself. The Swadeshi threatened British trade and immediately an unholy alliance was formed between the magistracy, the non-officials and the pious missionaries of Christ, to crush the new movement by every form of prosecution and
\nharassment. The Trade Union movement threatens the tyranny of British Capital over Indian Labour, and at once British Capital
\nresponds by unprovoked lockouts, illegal dismissals and finally by “volleys of gunshot”. The struggle is bound to increase in its
\nintensity and the prospect it opens, is one which only the most courageous can face. But for us there is no choice. The faith in
\nBritish justice has crumbled into the dust. Nothing can again restore it. Go back we cannot, halt we cannot, go on we must.
\nIt will be well for us if our leaders recognize the situation and instead of hesitation and timidity which will not help them, meet
\nit with clear eyes and an undaunted spirit.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t______<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tBy the Way
\n<\/font><\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tThere is a limit to everything. There is also a limit to
\n\thero-worship and to self-laudation. It seems to us that limit was
\npassed in the extraordinary proceedings of the Pandits’ meeting which deified Babu Surendranath Banerji, and in the undignified
\neffusion of the report which appeared in Babu Surendranath’s own paper the Bengalee<\/i>. A regular “abhishek<\/i>” ceremony seems
\nto have been performed and the assembled Brahmins paid him regal honours as if he had been the just and truthful Yudhishthira
\nat the Rajasuya sacrifice. If Babu Surendranath wishes to be the king of independent Bengal, he should surely conquer his
\n   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 127<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tkingdom first and then enjoy it. Even Caesar refused the crown
\nthrice; but Surendra Babu has no scruples. He accepted his coronation with effusive tearfulness; in the touching language of the
\nBengalee<\/i>, “his mighty voice shook and he got choky”. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t*
\n\t\t\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tBut the thing passes a joke. Whatever differences of opinion we may have with Babu Surendranath, we have always recognized
\nhim as the leader of Bengal, the one man among us whose name is a spell to sway the hearts of millions. We do not like to see him
\nmaking himself publicly ridiculous, for, by doing so, he makes the whole of Bengal ridiculous. Such performances are rather
\nlikely to diminish his prestige than increase it. But ever since the rise of a party which questions his methods and ideals, Surendra
\nBabu has shown an uneasy desire to have his personal leadership proclaimed on the housetops and an almost hysteric tendency
\ntowards self-praise. The indecorous comparisons of himself with Christ and Gauranga, the tone of his Barisal speech and this
\ncoronation ceremony are indications which make us uneasy for our veteran leader. He should remember the last days of Keshab
\nChandra Sen and avoid a similar debacle.
\n\t\t\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t*
\n\t\t\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tIt is time that public opinion should forbid this habit of
\n\tself-laudation in our leaders. The Mahratta leaders have a much
\nkeener sense of the decorum and seriousness which public life demands. Recently a movement was set on foot in the Deccan
\nto celebrate Mr. Tilak’s birthday and pay to the great Mahratta leader almost the same honours as are paid to the memory of
\nShivaji in the Shivaji Utsav. The whole of Maharashtra prepared to go mad with a frenzy of hero-worship when everything was
\nbrought to a sudden end by prompt and imperative prohibition from Mr. Tilak himself. This entire absence of self-seeking
\nand self-advertisement is one of the most characteristic features of Mr. Tilak’s public conduct. We hope it will become a more
\ngeneral standard if not of character, at least of public etiquette throughout India.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 128<\/font><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bande Mataram { CALCUTTA, September 1st, 1906 } Lessons at Jamalpur   The incidents at Jamalpur are in many ways a sign of the times….<\/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-2764","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\/2764","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=2764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2764\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}