Thanks to the East India Company.

I was watching "Path to 9/11", a wonderful documentary. The documentary portrayed life in Afghanistan. The Afghans and their cheiftains have no unity and are at constant loggerheads with each other. They have no modern governments. They have no unity, whether it was in fighting the Russians or the Taliban or the Americans.

And thats when my thoughts were drawn to my own homeland. I wondered how life would have been had it not been for the "East India Company". The company that came to trade in India and started a factory in Gujarat, defeated the Nawab of Bengal (thanks to Siraj-ud-daula) and slowly gained power over the whole country. Never in history has it happened that so few have ruled over so many for such a long time(I believe it was a ratio of 1 Britisher for every 4000 Indians.). The East India Company ruled over a country of millions for more than 100 years till its dissolution in 1858.

The East India Company and later the British Monarchy, systematically exploited our country and rendered us utterly helpless and inequipped. But then I think we must also thank them. Thanks to the East India Company and the British rule, the people of numerous different states(kingdoms), religions and ethnicities, united to once again seek control of our motherland. What followed was a long struggle, a never-seen before "satyagraha" a non-violent fight for freedom, division of our land, loss of millions of people (to the struggle and to the division). We paid a hefty price for staying divided.

But here we are just 50 odd years later, forgetting our tumultous past, having a state wide bundh fighting over state borders. Yes, kannada is important and protecting our land is important to us. There is no doubt about that. But what I question is, the means. A state wide bundh hurts nobody else other than the intrests of our own state. For heaven's sake dont turn our beloved state into another Kerala where strikes is the norm of the day and industries fear to tread. The youth of Kerala are forced to seek opportunites in far-off Gulf or other cities of India. We, the people of karnataka dont need to turn our state into a Kerala. We need to seek better ways. We are after all people from the same state as the illustrious Sir M Vishveshwaraiah. We can seek better methods than the age old strikes to demonstrate our feelings.

Strikes in the days of the british meant hurting the coffers of the British Empire. But does hurting the coffers of the Karnatataka State help us ?I may not know the intricacies of the problem, but I realise that this "strike" is only hurting my state and its denizens. Yes, we may have an issue at hand, that a part of our state is being questioned, but in order to save that part, dont seek a solution that though has sought so many sacrifices will not provide a solution. Yes, we are united against the problem. Let us seek a solution that gets rid of the problem. Not one which will only incite sentiments, raise a rheoteric, and not get rid of our problem.

What hurt me most this day, was a local leader proclaiming on TV that if the intrests of kannada are not looked after, that we would seek a new country called "Karnataka". Have we forgotten our history ? Is this all leading to another opportunity for yet another company .... may be a Pepsi or Coke... to one day rule our country ? Can we risk it ? I wonder what would have been, had the East India Company not come to India. Another Afghanistan ?

PS: I may be getting paranoid but I fear the path we take.