Allow me to call myself a Jat Please!

 

Concepts carry certain mental weight. If not more, at least they help us in proving that--just by being aware of their existence and pay them lip service; without doing anything practically to substantiate them--we are modern, educated, secular, non-casteist, etc., etc. These are after all suitable titles to qualify anyone as modern and sophisticated. One such concept is the concept of caste. Let anybody tell, and of all let it be a Jat mentioning his status, thousands will grab the opportunity to condemn and claim their status as modern and educated individuals. The word ‘Jat’ unfortunately portrays me not as a particular casteman but as somebody who is ‘uncouth’, ‘bad-behaved’, ‘rough tongued’, ‘savage’ because these are the synonyms that the non-Jats have heaped upon the simple, less-calculating Jat heads.

 

We have hierarchy of identities linked to us--our definitions. As per our concept-based clarification, I should say I am a ‘human’ instead of Sandeep Dahiya. But I do not, because doing so will just leave me unidentifiable in the final melting sea of humanity. I am human, but yaa I am also Sandeep Dahiya. Our identities starting from the self evolve upwards. Starting from my family, I am a Jat, then I am defined as a Hindu, then as the resident of a particular village, then a state, then country, then continent, then earth (if there are aliens). Now you tell where is my strongest self of belonging? Simple, it is with the ‘self’. So basically I identify myself with my name, my surname, my family name, my caste name. I call myself ‘Sandeep Dahiya’ and that gives me an identity among the sea of humanity. Will I prefer being called ‘Sandeep Dutt’? Or will ‘Pushp Dutt’ like to be called ‘Pushp Dahiya’? Absolutely no! So if we are so possessive about our caste-born names, why do we start croaking like mad frogs the moment somebody declares the identity?! All those who absolutely do not believe in casteism, should call themselves ‘insaan’ as their surnames, e.g., Push Insaan. We are digitally advanced enough to have unique identifying numbers among all the enmassed humanity of ‘insaans’.

 

When we talk of basic identity, it is at the cost of exclusivity. When I say I am ‘Sandeep Dahiya’ I exclude other names. When I say, I am an Indian, I exclude other countries. When I say, I am from Haryana, I exclude other states. When I say, I am a Hindu, I exclude other religions. So when I say, I am a Jat, am I committing a crime? When I express my opinions regarding the political ambitions for the dominance for my community, am I committing a crime? Do not we fight to keep our identities alive starting from the basic identity with the self? Do not we read for ourselves and settle in career so that family name becomes more popular? Or do we just do it for the neighbour to help them in their economic struggle? Do not we feel happy when the village earns a name in some regard? Do not we feel happy for the state when we read about its progress? Do not we feel happy for an Indian winning at the world level? So why shouldn’t I feel happy and proud of my status as a Jat casteman?! Why shouldn’t I aspire for better prospects for my community at the political and social level, like I do for myself, with my basic identity? When I am struggling to make my life better, am I always lost in the beautiful world of better life for my neighbour?! It is just our basic instinct man! It simply is basic instinct to hope to, aspire for and work for the betterment of things related to our basic identities starting from our families onward?  

 

Do not we prefer one thing over the other in even the most mundane aspects of life, such as food, footwear and clothes? Or we just abandon our priorities and preferences just to wear kurta dhoti, because half of India is clad in that? Or we just force ourselves to eat plain rice and daal because Indian masses survive on it? We do not! We have distinct preferences! This preference is basically derived by excluding something from the other. And when I exclude something to retain something else for myself, I do it as per my convenience, for my own sake! Do not all of us do the same? Is not caste a major factor in India? Does not our constitution show positive discrimination in jobs reservation and political representation? Is not our whole fabric dependent on caste? All those concept-blinded people, who start shrieking at casteism, should prove their genuineness by putting surname ‘insaan’ after their main name, because ‘insaan’ is our basic identity. If they cannot do it, then I shout ‘bloody hypocrites’ in their faces!

 

If RSS treats itself as a parivaar, does not it come on the basis of excluding other political streams? Do not they have a very strong identity which helps them survive as a robust and effective unit, whose effects we have just seen in assembly and parliament elections? Should they shed their uniqueness and merge into the sea of political neutrality?

 

If they cannot, then why the hell I should shed my casteist identity and stop thinking about the welfare of my community?!

 

Self-driven as per my family name, if I do good for myself and my family, do not I do something good for the country as well? As a member of a strong Jat community, that bravely contributes to armed forces and farm production, do not I add to the total Indian strength if I fight for better political prospects for my community? Or just paying theoretical lip service, like our so called educated class does usually, in the form of justifying concepts in innocuous debates is going to make this country stronger?