By Karan Thapar

I’m afraid Dr. Johnson was only half right. No doubt politics is the last refuge of the scoundrel but it’s much more than that. It’s also the first resort of the unscrupulous. And, yes, I use the term advisedly. Those who wish to manipulate our emotions, who wind us up and play with our sentiments, pick upon patriotism as their siren song. Such people are unscrupulous – at least in the literal sense – for they have no scruples.

Well, such people seem to be everywhere and the sad thing is most of us fall victim to them. Or at least we don’t stand up to them. But today, on behalf of the silent majority – that’s each and every one of you – I want to strike back. I’m going to say what should have been said long ago. And I know you’ll agree with me.

I’m as patriotic as any of you and all of you are as patriotic as me but none of us – not one single person – needs to be reminded of this. And we certainly don’t need it dinned into us 24 hours a day. So, will television channel heads please stop playing the national anthem each time they can’t fill a commercial break with an advertisement. They do that sort of thing in banana republics where the nation is under threat. Or amidst civil wars where the country itself is disintegrating. Or where strife and bitterness are the only emotions people share.

The paradox is that this happens most often on private news channels. Perhaps their owners feel that the constant stream of criticism they put out needs balancing lest the impression it leaves behind is akin to treason. But in that case do they lack the courage of their journalistic convictions? Or are they simply scared of the government? You won’t find the BBC repeatedly playing God Save The Queen or even Fox News banging on with the Star Spangled Banner. Why? Because they know they don’t need to prove their credentials. Nor do Aaj Tak and NDTV. So I say to them : stop feeling insecure and stop inflicting it on us.

I can remember a time when Rajiv Gandhi’s Mera Bharat Mahan used to irritate. Not because the message wasn’t true but because it was unnecessary. I’m afraid the constant repetitive playing of the anthem falls into the same category.

Our news channels are competing to prove their patriotism, to wrap themselves in the flag and hammer out Jana Gana Mana. For them the 4th Kargil Diwas, the 56th Independence Day and every single cricket match is an opportunity – or an excuse – to beat the drum. Not because this is an iron test each Indian must pass. But because they can’t find other means of grabbing our attention and retaining our eyeballs. They’re using our respect for the anthem and the flag to push their ratings. They’re playing with our sentiments. And, yes, they’re exploiting our patriotism.

Sadly, I don’t think they’re going to stop. In fact I can see them egging each other on and things will probably get a lot worse before they get better. So, for a solution, we have to turn to ourselves. Let’s start by recalling what real patriotism is and why this ersatz version is demeaning.

Patriotism is a feeling that suffuses your senses, a consciousness, an awareness. But it doesn’t have to be trumpeted, you don’t have to shout it from the rooftops and you certainly don’t have to prove it. You can love your country in a million ways. One of those is criticising it. And let me add – as a soldier’s son – that those who conscientiously object to war, who want the defence budget reduced, who hold that armies should be scrapped are also patriotic. I or you may disagree but that doesn’t prove a thing.

The baniya who adds ten rupees to your bill, or the linesman who ensures your phone fails so he can claim a tip, or the taxman who harasses you are also patriotic. They’re crooks, they’re immoral, they may even be despicable but that doesn’t detract from their patriotism.

Why? Because patriotism is not a moral position. It’s an instinct. That’s why even the poorest, the most disadvantaged, who have little or nothing to be grateful for and a lot to resent, still love Bharat Mata and are ready to die for her.

This is why real soldiers don’t bother to prove their patriotism. Uday Singh, my father’s orderly, would smile indulgently each time I, as a child, would proclaim my love of India. “Pata hei ” he would say. “Ab chup kar ke so jao.”

At the time this perplexed me. Today I understand him better. Patriotism is a sentiment best left unexpressed. Otherwise it could become cheap and commercial.

I’m afraid Dr. Johnson was only half right. No doubt politics is the last refuge of the scoundrel but it’s much more than that. It’s also the first resort of the unscrupulous. And, yes, I use the term advisedly. Those who wish to manipulate our emotions, who wind us up and play with our sentiments, pick upon patriotism as their siren song. Such people are unscrupulous – at least in the literal sense – for they have no scruples.

Well, such people seem to be everywhere and the sad thing is most of us fall victim to them. Or at least we don’t stand up to them. But today, on behalf of the silent majority – that’s each and every one of you – I want to strike back. I’m going to say what should have been said long ago. And I know you’ll agree with me.

I’m as patriotic as any of you and all of you are as patriotic as me but none of us – not one single person – needs to be reminded of this. And we certainly don’t need it dinned into us 24 hours a day. So, will television channel heads please stop playing the national anthem each time they can’t fill a commercial break with an advertisement. They do that sort of thing in banana republics where the nation is under threat. Or amidst civil wars where the country itself is disintegrating. Or where strife and bitterness are the only emotions people share.

The paradox is that this happens most often on private news channels. Perhaps their owners feel that the constant stream of criticism they put out needs balancing lest the impression it leaves behind is akin to treason. But in that case do they lack the courage of their journalistic convictions? Or are they simply scared of the government? You won’t find the BBC repeatedly playing God Save The Queen or even Fox News banging on with the Star Spangled Banner. Why? Because they know they don’t need to prove their credentials. Nor do Aaj Tak and NDTV. So I say to them : stop feeling insecure and stop inflicting it on us.