The usual ‘Yes, Sir’ at the government schools in India was changed to ‘Jai Hind’
GUJRANWALA: A few days ago, the reply to answering roll calls with the usual ‘Yes, Sir’ at the government schools in India was changed to ‘Jai Hind’. The decision aims to instill a renewed sense of patriotism among students.
The decision, however, will have much deeper connotations on shaping the ideological mindset of the students. It is likely to create a political divide on the grounds of nationalism, while incorporating linguistic expression as an important factor in determining the loyalty one holds for their country.
In the world’s largest democracy, holding the expression of national allegiance as pertinent to revival of culture is actually equivalent to curtailment of diversity, which stands essential to democratic values. The said move seems to be an instillation of nationalism in its extremist sense.
Uttara Rathi
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2017.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
