A LESSON FROM THE PAST

Every great civilization has a history. A history which is very often marred with battles, conquests, achievements, and a continuous process of change and development. Ours is one such great civilization. We have a culture filled with engrossing myths, tales of valor, ideas of great thinkers and a thread of unity that has until now been able to tie us together into an ornament adorning the planet. We are a free country now, {or much better, were subjected to foreign rule for a few years in between}, a country marching proudly {seemingly} under the influence of the new found exuberance of technological bubbles.

I write today about something that is very closely related to our history and has somehow managed to travel through time and has now become a symbol of our existence and freedom. Something that epitomizes not only dynamism and change but also stands for unity and equality of humans. The object of discussion is an integral part of our national flag and very often gets ignored because of its size and diminutive appearance. It is merely ironic that the ‘Ashoka Chakra’ which once represented a great ruler and his flourishing empire now marks the presence of a free Indian society. The greatness of the ideas that this chakra represents has almost been forgotten today. Not only does the ‘Ashoka Chakra’ stand for a wheel of change and a continuum of evolution, it also symbolizes the views of a great king, the very reason for which the emblem was used.

In a country bleeding due to wounds of widespread parochialism, the emblem stands for equality and peace. In a country ruled by short sighted, self centered and selfish leaders, the emblem preaches the ideas of morality and righteousness in action. While we are governed by a bunch of [#$%^] who put their conscience up for sale for a few votes, the emblem marks the empire of a great emperor who realized the importance of good governance and citizenship in a civilization. In a country where people fight in the name of religion the emblem preaches non-violence and mutual respect. The emblem stands for ethics, freedom, change, and most importantly the forgotten human values of love and compassion. It is funny how a person realized these ideals more than 1000 years ago, whereas now while we call ourselves a modern society, our closet reeks of intolerance, corruption, suppression, and hypocrisy.

Our history is replete with such inspirational stories of great men and women. The significance of ‘Ashok Chakra’ is just one of many great ideas that survived the test of time. Next time you have a look at our flag, just remember what Ashoka realized after Kalinga,…. and passed down to us… to follow…