During the Eid holidays this year, I got some time from my socio-political activities to watch a movie titled ‘12th Fail’. The story revolves around Manoj, who along with his fellows, attempts to cheat to pass the 12th class examination. However, a police officer, DSP Dushant, stops the cheating. As a result, all the students, including Manoj, fail.
Manoj, on the advice of a police officer, gives up the intention of cheating and starts trying to pass the examination again with his hard work. Then finally, the day comes when Manoj succeeds in crossing all the hurdles to becoming a government officer. In the film, the world-renowned socio-political leader Dr Ambedkar is also specially acknowledged. He gave the oppressed classes a clear vision of educating, agitating, and organising to move forward in life.
The film also reminded me of the lessons of wisdom attributed to the ancient philosopher Kautilya Chanakya, a resident of our land Taxila more than two thousand years ago. In his books, 'Arthashastra' and 'Chanakya Niti', he described that the concept of a strong nation (Rashtra) is based on a united and strong state whose citizens have a common sense of national identity and collective purpose.
Chanakyaji stated that national security is the number one priority for the survival of any nation, under which an impregnable defence system is created to protect it from external and internal threats. Chanakya presented the philosophy of Durga (fortress) to protect the country's borders. He believed that a strong fort not only prevents attacks from external enemies but also provides a sense of security to the citizens.
According to Chanakya, a successful king should also establish Dharma Durga, a fortress based on moral principles and ethical values, such as: justice, kindness and good governance to protect the kingdom, while the Mantra Durga is most significant fort for protecting the intellectual, rational and ideological borders of the state.
Chanakya declared the presence of a strong army as indispensable for national interests. He believed that any nation can cross the milestones of development rapidly only when the people are firmly convinced that the country's borders are secure and strict action will be taken against those who dare to cast a malicious eye on the country.
Due to strong defence, several national goals including good governance, continuity in policies, investment, trade activities and economic success can be achieved. On the contrary, a state with a weak defence system is always challenged by external threats, internal turmoil and foreign pressure. According to Chanakya, the secret of a strong nation lies in the ability to protect its citizens, promote economic prosperity and maintain social welfare.
Unfortunately, today when I look at the current situation of my beloved motherland Pakistan, I get worried from all fronts. Eight decades of independence are coming to an end but we have not been able to become a nation. Our integral part of the country is still under occupation. Our eastern part has become separated due to our weaknesses.
Today, the Pashtun living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Sindhi living in Sindh, the Baloch of Balochistan and the Punjabi living in Punjab all seem to be suspicious of each other. Due to such an ugly situation, external elements are taking undue advantage. The volume of external debts is increasing day by day and the dollar, despite being the most expensive, is rare in the market.
Today, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the symbol of a strong federation, is not among us but her vision of democracy always provides guidelines.
I believe that Chanakya's golden thoughts are still applicable in the 21st century. He provided rulers of all time with a clear roadmap for development and prosperity. Today, there is a dire need to make national interests, including Raksha (security), Vriddhi (economic prosperity) and Yasha (good reputation) our top priority for the sake of strong nation-building.
The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council. He tweets/posts @RVankwani
