As part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign to mark Independence Day, the Directorate of Education in Goa has issued a diktat that schools hold a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ or students’ rally with the flag in the vicinity of the institutions from August 9th to 13th to invoke a feeling of patriotism; add to that a ‘tiranga pledge’, ‘tiranga anthem’, and ‘tiranga selfie’ to be compulsorily posted on social media platforms, and you can make out the government has other motives. Tiranga yatra/rallies/concerts will perforce have to be organised as large-scale public events by educational bodies. The average Indian is reasonably patriotic and takes pride in his/her country; why then this need for forced, chest-beating patriotism? Infructuous expenditure amounting to crores will be incurred in this exercise of jingoistic national fervour, which could be better spent on the improvement of the physical conditions of the school buildings, sports infrastructure, recruitment of quality faculty, toilets, playgrounds, general maintenance, procurement of computers and other technical equipment, upgradation of facilities, vocational training, etc.; the list is endless. No one has any objection to our Independence Day being celebrated, but overkill is something that should be avoided. This is yet another move by BJP to indoctrinate young minds into ‘nationalistic’ jingoism.
