Nation First. But why?

Imagine people leaving their countries and running elsewhere in dire conditions to other countries for ‘Refuge’.
Today the entire world is in flames of some sort of the other. More people than ever before — over 100 million — have been forced to flee their homes. They fled their countries because of conflict, violence, persecution, or because of economic hardship, weather shocks, or deadly clashes, including the wars within.

Violence and conflict within countries and political instability including Afghanistan, Burkina, Syria, Congo, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nigeria have fueled the increase of people forcibly displaced.

Even entire Europe is in turmoil.

The war in Ukraine has also displaced around ten million within the country. Nearly 6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe.

They have become ‘nation-less’. Left helpless to fend for themselves. Even if they want to return to their country they face a daunting situation, including a lack of infrastructure, loss of their belongings, no shelter which they can call as their own. ‘Nothing belongs to them as they belong to nothing and nobody’. About seven million are displaced within Syria, and nearly 14.6 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.

Do you know what it feels like when you are nation less?

During Partition of India into two nations- Hindustan and Pakistan millions of refugees were born on both sides of the fence- invisible fence called a ‘partition’.

As one would recall the elders saying ‘Ghar se beghar ho gaye’ roughly translating into – from home to homeless situation. Though both countries allowed people to be accepted, yet it is difficult to imagine a family of 20 people leaving behind everything, property, cash, business, jobs, clothes, jewelry and worst- your own identity, your own land- ‘mittee’- now you were a refugee within your own people. Yes, you are only a refugee- at some one’s mercy. It took them almost entire one generation to find their feet and build a new life altogether. They were brave people. They initially lived in tents, makeshift shelters with very little to eat or drink. They were direction less, and no one to guide them to their final destination within their chosen country. Some settled in Punjab, some in Delhi and many went down South and western parts of India like Mumbai and Pune. Yesterday you were a millionaire and today you have been reduced to a pauper, you had to leave your Nation behind.

Since the political support and administrative help was available to some extent, they managed to merge into their newly found nation called Bharat or Hindustan. They got an identity of a nation- an Indian.

What if half of them were thrown into the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal? Asked to make rafts and make shift boats and head for say Thailand and Oman only to be fired upon by local police refusing an entry?

Those who fled Syria or any such Nation which could not hold itself together had to cross over borders by stealth, by land or by sea- many perished on the way- lucky ones reached hungry, without decent clothes- begging for refuge. Why on earth would a nation allow other nationals to set foot on its sovereign state? And then ask for a permanent asylum, then job, then security then citizenship? Except for humanitarian reason, there is nothing else you can present in your case. You are an outsider and not welcome- end of the story.

Inside Refugee camps in a world at war

There are refugee camps in close to 140 countries today! There are 195 countries in the word. Which means close to 70% nations face the challenge of giving shelter to outsiders. All of these camps are not run according to best practices and one cannot expect that for various reasons- economic, political, racial or even demographic differences.

The bottom line

How can a refugee be at peace with himself ever?

Uncertainty is the biggest fear of a man. It is the most lethal silent killer!

The lowest needs of a human being, are physiological needs like food and water, sufficient rest, clothing and shelter, overall health, and reproduction. Thereafter, a human being also needs security and safety. In a refugee camp you are living on the edge for all these rudimentarily basic human needs.

These are the ‘stone age’ needs are to be provided by who run the refugee camps. They are usually cramped for space and some are scanty hastily built shelters, tents or some basic brick and mortar stuff.

‘These are dense spaces of concrete and asphalt, urban materializations of an ongoing state of emergency’. These are overcrowded, unplanned, permanent ‘city-camp’ housing 23,000 registered refugees in 135,000 square meters! These are like Ghettos.

I feel free, safe and secure within the borders of my country, I can travel anywhere I feel like, get a job, buy property and settle down anywhere I feel like.

When Germans started World War 2, they annexed France in the first year of the war and for the next several years it was called and remained ‘occupied France’. Life of every French citizen changed, they were prisoners in their own land. That is the meaning of freedom and my nation first.


Leaving your land

Whenever you travel abroad you need an entry visa to the host country, that country will give you permission only if you belong to some country. You may be a billionaire but first you need to be say, a Japanese with a Japanese passport.

You bank on your nation through your embassy for help if ever required. In recent months in Ukraine- Russia conflict large number of Indian students got caught in the war torn zone? Where did they go to seek help? The India High commission. They made arrangements for them to come back home. Students didn’t want to go to America or England, they wanted to come back to their own nation which is where they belong.

And you want to demean and destroy the same entity?

You may be left, right or center of the political spectrum, I don’t care- you are first a fellow countryman. You are an Indian first.

Some idiots- yes ignoramus idiots- get pleasure out of demeaning and even attempting to destroy their own nation! I can’t understand what do they want? You can criticize the administration which you yourself chose but you have no reason to tear apart the fabric of your nation which gives you shelter, means to earn, safety, identity, security and freedom to do what you like when you like. It protects you from external and internal evil. “Jiss Thalee main khatey ho usmay chcheid maat karo”

In India we do have some aliens.

You need to be out of your mind and insane to say ‘we want azaadi’. We want freedom from our nation, we will break our own mother land into pieces ‘Bharat Tere tukde hongey ….’. You pray to god that the tree that gives you shelter and fruit should get destroyed? Who eats his own hand? Termites do.


OK your wish is granted

I will not even ask you how. You got some Alladin ka chirag and your wish is granted. Your country has been destroyed and is in pieces now, as you worked hard to destroy it, prayed harder and god grants that wish. There is no law and order, no food, no electricity, no safety, no hospital no schools, colleges- What next? What do you plan to do? Can you stay in such a situation with family and friends- a situation you created? No. Now you want to seek refuge somewhere- but where? Pakistan? Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, these are the obvious choices. You say ‘Afghanistan’ and that wish is also granted. As William Penn says ‘Passion is the mob of the man that commits a riot upon his reason.’

Do you want to go there? Oh, you are welcome- then go. Google it out and check how miserable the refugees in these camps are. They are no body, no one, they are living in hell. Want to join them?

I am sure all these – ‘Azadi liberal fellows’ - want to be liberated- but for what?

You want to destroy your own home which has given you everything and go and live in a makeshift tent, to be yelled at and even kicked at times by the security forces of ‘that nation’ as you are a parasite for them. No one wants you. You beg for food and water and people do you a favor by giving you these Stone Age comforts.

Largely these so called ‘freedom from freedom- fighters’ are students in colleges and universities. They are full grown hunks, adults, counted as literates, some call themselves ‘Intellectuals’, ha. They are self-proclaimed leaders and think to be the conscience of people, living on scholarships, at least highly subsidized education!

These are not ‘poor gumrah (led astray) students’ who are being egged by some ‘outside or external forces’. They are fully aware of what they are doing.

They are in safe haven, they know it, they will not be arrested, they know it, they will get food and a place to stay and sleep, they know it, they can breathe fresh air, and they know it- that is why they are making so much noise, that too without reason. They probably have nothing better to do.

They also know that they are wrong, but God knows why they have no sense of self conviction to not to indulge in these anti national crusades- yes they feel these are crusades for them which is counted in millennial parlance ‘cool’.
None of them will join the armed forces to save the nation- that requires sacrifice and courage. They know none of these.