“Aatmanirbhar”: Meaning, Connotations and Undertone
स्वयमेव मृगेंद्रता — We Achieve By Our Own Efforts
As if the whole of India desperately waits for Narendra Modi to say something … An ocean of memes follows immediately, most of which is in good humor. NaMo too has a knack of throwing keywords at people for he revels in what ensues — not a far fetched guess, I suppose. “Aatmanirbhar” … ironically enough, the word is spreading faster than the pandemic! Twenty four hours have passed since and at least a million memes, a billion jokes and trillion laughter have unfolded. India is a country of very smart people. However, one will encounter many people who have … how do I put it nicely? … aah! — a different intellectual persuasion. Their comprehension of the word “Aatmanirbhar” vividly points to the failure of all of India’s education systems. But, well, India is a land of a billion interpretations, so I will humbly contribute mine.
What does “Aatmanirbhar” really mean? To say it means or subtly hints that “you are on your own” is just self-insulting one’s intellect. Also, it does not merely mean its literal translation, i.e.“self-reliance”.
Indians must stand and deliver for each other — as simple and clear as that. “Aatmanirbhar” is diametrically opposed to being selfish. It is a fundamental departure from the idea of “Profit Before People”. Also, it does not mean to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to anything foreign. Then what is it?
Below are the three pillars of “Aatmanirbhar” philosophy:
- Prioritization of resource gathering: The cascade of reliance on resources should be ‘Individual -> Family -> Friends -> Community -> Town -> State -> Country -> International.’ That is, I rely on myself more than family, on family more than friends, on friends more than community … you get the drift … without having to take it literally. Summarily, it is an arousing call to become more aware of the neighboring environment while weighing in the long term cost-effectiveness on parameters beyond immediate profit.
- Financial support network: To reboot the economy, the government will have to provide a financial booster dosage. However, the capital to run businesses in the country must come largely from its people and not just banks. To this end, “Aatmanirbharta” entails building a financial support network in which investment from citizens draws returns. A stock market solely supports huge corporations without taking any cognizance of or resonating with the MSME sector. It is to be seen how the government facilitates building such a support system.
- A common national dream: Last but not the least, abstract but most vital — a dream harbored by the nation to raise India to a state of invincible glory — that is to reconstitute a nation whose purpose is to serve humanity from the position of immeasurable strength. To this end, Indians have to consciously align their selfish goals with the national interest.
A Samskrita subhashita (words of wisdom) suffices to summarize “Aatmanirbhar” succinctly:
नाभिषेको न संस्कारः सिंहस्य क्रियते वने … विक्रमार्जितसत्त्वस्य स्वयमेव मृगेंद्रता
No official coronation ceremony is needed to declare lion the king of the jungle. By sheer might of his own, a lion achieves that status.
We Achieve By Our Own Efforts. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
