In caste-ridden India Dalits have not felt the sense of belonging in their own homeland for centuries. Here, Modi silences the fact that the inhuman caste system is unique to India, which is the invention of Hindu religious text/Hinduism. In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 27th September, 2019, Modi, quoted the ancient Tamil philosopher Kaniyan Pungundranar’s verses – “Yaadhum oore yaavarum kelir” (We belong to all places and everyone) – emphasizing the sense that “belonging beyond borders is unique to India.” He also said on another occasion that Tamil is the “world’s oldest language.”Īt the outset, Modi’s newfound love for Tamil, repeated invocation of Tamil, may imply that it is a political design of the BJP to make inroads into Tamil Nadu where the party could not secure a seat during the time of ‘Modi wave’ rather, it is an attempt to silence and homogenize history and identity. However, on the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quotes Tamil classical literature and language in his speech on several occasions. Why do we live with them? We have blacks, black people all around us.” Here, the argument by Vijay demonstrates that North Indians are generous and tolerant enough to live peacefully with the dark-skinned Dravidians it is an obvious manifestation of racism. In 2019, in a panel discussion on an international news channel, Tarun Vijay, a BJP leader, in an attempt to defend India against the charge of racism following attacks on African students, commented, “If we (Indians) were racist, why would we have the entire South? Which is you know… completely Tamil, you know Kerala, you know Karnataka and Andhra. Will an ever-evolving sense of nationalism bring ‘constructive justice’ to the people? Can’t it be a catalyst in the nation-building process? Nationalism’s Many Facets The history of human civilization has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, building-rebuilding of identities and nationalisms of one kind or the other. Nationalism can be viewed from multiple angles however its understanding and interpretation have always been subjected to political conundrum. Nationalism is not simply a sense of belongingness to group identity but also a spirit that manifests in the social, cultural, political, economic life of the people at large.
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