Open Forum
New
Delhi, 15 March 2018
Political Symbolism
POST-POLL STATUE
VANDALISM
By Dr.S.Saraswathi
(Former Director,
ICSSR, New Delhi)
After
the decisive defeat of the CPM in recent Assembly election in Tripura, statues
of Lenin became the target of attack as a strong expression of victory over
Marxist philosophy after 25 years of Communist rule in the State. Violence spread to neighbouring
State of West Bengal, where in retaliation, a statue of Shyama Prasad Mukherji, founder of the Jana Sangh from which
the BJP was born, was defaced in Jadavpur. In UP, Ambedkar’s statue was disfigured in two
villages in Meerut district.
The
mania spread in no time and in Tamil
Nadu, the statues of Periyar EVR, the
founder of the Dravida
Kazhagam (the parent organisation of the DMK and the AIADMK), and Ambedkar were vandalized. This was replied with bombs thrown
on the BJP office in Coimbatore.
The
Prime Minister strongly condemned the incidents of vandalism of statues and
promptly took up the matter with the Home Ministry, which issued advisories to
State Governments to prevent such incidents and warned that stern action would
be taken against those found guilty. The State Governments have been asked to
maintain law and order and investigate
the matter.
The
Ministry’s advisory has asked the State Governments to make district
magistrates and superintendent of police personally responsible for preventing vandalism
and maintaining peace. District
officials are advised to keep a strict vigil on anti-social elements, social
media, and rumour mongers and take action against anyone indulging in inciting
violence.
True.
The incidents themselves are not so violent as to create law and order
problems, but totally unacceptable in a democracy where governments are formed
by popular vote. Beyond the question of orderly governance, the incidents pose
a serious threat to freedom to hold, cherish, and propagate social, economic,
and political ideals that do not adversely affect national security and
integration. They are signs of
intolerance of alternative beliefs. There are enough groups in the country to
take advantage of the situation to play divisive politics.
Statues
are sensitive objects raising emotions even if they are not maintained properly
and serve only as resting places for birds. Any damage to them provokes instant
retaliation and counter attacks as if they are living beings.
Erection
of statues is a symbolic gesture and so is the deliberate damage done to them. Statues represent a group or community and its
shared beliefs and ideals. They convey respect for a person and for what he/she
did. Deliberately damaging them is a symbolic act and has the
effect of attacking the philosophy, the ideals and beliefs of the person
represented.
Political
symbolism denotes symbols that are used to represent a political
standpoint. It can occur in various
modes like banners, acronyms, pictures, flags, mottos, photos, colours, statues,
etc. Symbol laden pictures make more lasting impression on onlookers than words
and last longer.
In
the 1960s, Lasswell and Arnold recognised the phenomenon of political symbolism
and Edelman showed the pervasive and profound importance of symbols in
politics. Symbolism is indeed vital to political
process and is critically significant.
Significance
of symbols was well recognised during the national movement in India. Bharat
Mata was pictured as the nation; Charka
found a place in the flag; Salt Satyagraha was conducted as symbolic of
India’s freedom.
Destroying
the flag of rival parties and pulling down
their banners, burning effigies of Opposition leaders or defacing
pictures and statues of rivals have the effect of making a direct attack on the concerned persons and
what they stand for. It is symbolic politics. Though recognised late as a form
of politics, it had been in existence ever since the beginning of history.
Sculpture
became the vehicle of politics and the visual symbol of an empire from Greek
and Roman era. Roman Triumphal Column in ancient Rome, known as Trajan’s Column
was erected to commemorate Roman Emperor Trajan’s victory in the Dacian
War. The Column of Marcus Aurelius in
Piazza Colona, Rome, was built in honour of this Roman Emperor. The statue of Julius Caesar was idealised to
serve as a religious symbol and to elevate him above humans.
Societies
have always been obsessed with erecting memorials and busts and hold on to them
with religious fervor. In all countries
in all continents, statues made of stone, bronze, clay, or plaster of Paris can
be found. So also, history is full of iconoclasm, i.e. a social belief in the
importance of destruction of icons and other images or monuments for religious
or political reasons. Iconoclasm has
also spread all over the world as a form of opposition.
Protestant
reformers like Calvin encouraged removal of religious images. During the American Revolution, the Sons of
Liberty pulled down the gilded lead statue of King George III of UK in New
York. During the radical phase of the
French revolution, several historical monuments and places and religious works
were destroyed to obliterate the memory of the old regime. The Cultural Revolution in China (1966-76)
went to the extent of destroying not only several Tibetan monasteries, but also
their religious artifacts.
In
our own time, Taliban destroyed world’s tallest Buddha statue in Bhamian in
2001. Paintings from the University of
Cape Town were burnt by student protesters to show the end of colonialism.
Pillars of Asoka, on which the Buddhist doctrines were inscribed, are symbolic relics of Buddhism. Instances
are numerous and Indian history is also full of incidents of destruction of
temples and other monuments by invaders.
But these are different from what is happening
in Tripura or Tamil Nadu. Here, there are
no conquests, and no revolutionary social or political changes. The destructive mania is a result of
political animosities recurring after every election. The players are not
enemies, but only subscribers to different political ideologies all of which
have right to exist in a democracy.
Like
desecration of statues, a mad rush for renaming streets and colonies goes on in
many States. Committees are set up in some places to proceed with the job
systematically. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued some guidelines regarding
street name changes in 1975. They do not permit change for existing
roads/streets unless they are stretches without specific names. Names of eminent personalities – local,
national, or international – may be given for honouring them.
Unfortunately,
name changing has become a big industry in all the States akin to erection of
statues. Streets and roads, institutions, schemes and programmes are being
renamed. Sometimes, the new names chosen
for institutions like hospitals betray sheer politics to emphasize political
power and not to remind people of the association between the institution and
the leader. Such names are bound to
have a short life, given the importance of symbolism in politics, and will
change according to political wind.
History
cannot be rewritten or erased by removing and changing symbols. On the contrary, the wrath shown against Lenin
and Periyar has given rise to brushing up of our memory regarding their
contributions. Lenin is remembered
afresh. Periyar is recalled with emotional attachment by all those who parted company
with him for some reason and founded separate parties. They now unite to defend Periyar.---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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