As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the new Parliament House, he knows at what crossroads this vandalized, violated civilization stands. He knows that India, if it is not to be doomed forever, has to reclaim and recover what it has lost in the last more than a thousand years.
The inauguration of the New Parliament House on 28 May is a watershed moment for Indian people’s long history of defending their own civilization. When the New Parliament is inaugurated, Sengol, the Sceptre of Righteousness, the Dharma Danda—similar to the one that was transferred from one King to the next in the Chola Dynasty (848-1279 CE) to ensure “just and fair” rule—shall be installed next to the chair of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, establishing thereby the continuity of the Indian civilization.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the new Parliament House, which is in the shape of a triangular Sri Cakra, it is evident that going by his devotional peregrinations, he knows at what crossroads this vandalized, violated civilization stands. He knows that India, if it is not to be doomed forever, has to reclaim and recover what it has lost in the last more than a thousand years. The signs of the times are difficult to read and one often fails to recognize the moment or the man of destiny. The ocean of Hindu civilization having shrunk to a small pool, something had to give, or someone had to come to redeem it. On 28 May, when the Prime Minister unveils the new House of the People, he is taking off layers of history and restoring to the majority of the people their natural inheritance, their right to rule themselves in their own way. The Hindu polity is as old, if not older than Babylonia, and has always been ruled by the one-word Constitution—Dharma. But incessant invasions broke up this polity and sent a great civilization into hibernation.
Since the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192, the rightful majority lost their political power in this country and have not regained it yet, but are bound to regain it. Till 1947, one alien dynasty after another came to power through bloodshed, until the British came. The British were seen as redeemers by a people subdued by centuries of oppression, violence and forced proselytizing, with their heroes demeaned or beheaded, their symbols denigrated, their faith abused and their values rejected as that of the naïve and the weak. The British brought a new mode of governance, reformed society to some extent, but twisted its culture through their own education, built big like their predecessors, mostly in a culturally alien architecture, a combination of Indo-Saracenic and Georgian, and moved into those “palaces” a new “royalty”—the “lat sahib”.
The exit of the British in 1947 was received with enthusiasm even though there was the vivisection of a people and a land that the majority of Indians considered to be as sacred as the mother. They thought that it was the end of the chasm between the “ruled” and the “rulers”, of the “exploiters” and the “exploited”. What happened instead was, the new “tenants”, a new “royalty” came into existence, a royalty that was more hostile to the millennia-old civilizational character and culture of the people. It was bent on retaining power by re-structuring society and culture through an unchanged British education and some motivated legislation. Blinkers were put on to encourage demographic subversion to change the basic character of the civilization by progressively “de-Hinduising” the Hindu lands. A new dynasty had followed the Viceroys who had followed the Mughals who had followed the Sultans. The Hindu “Winter of Discontentment” seemed to have no end.
But then in the history of every civilization, there are twists and turns, some that are decisive in reclaiming something that got lost in the whirlwinds of time. In India’s case there is an ancient promise that when righteousness declines, some power greater than the human takes birth to destroy evil and protect Dharma.
And this happened. The masses voted to power a renunciant, who had himself suffered a good deal at the hands of the rulers, he who deeply felt the pain of his motherland and her people and took it upon himself to restore Dharma—righteousness. On 26 May 2014, Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India. With humility personified, he wasted no time in doing everything he could for the poor and the deprived through various laws for the peasants, the farmers and workers, regardless of varna, jati, panth (religion). He declared his credentials beyond dispute by performing Ganga arti and by his words and deeds established himself not as a raja but as the sevak of the people, bending low to touch the feet of the elderly, the saints and the women.
With universal acceptance as a man of the masses, devotedly obeyed by the Indian people, he clearly defined India by putting Subhas Chandra Bose under the canopy where King George once stood; built the Statue of Unity as a declaration of integral India; rebuilt the corridors to the hoary sacred places of worship as an assertion of India’s identity; strengthened the Armed Forces to put fear in the enemy; promoted Atmanirbhar Bharat, made India a leader in space and transformed India’s image into one of an internationally highly regarded nation.
Then it was time to build an Indian loka-mandir, not a “palace” but a House of the People which should stand for India as the mother of democracy and display India’s art, culture, knowledge and richness of its folk life. This the new Parliament House does in its design and in its numerous galleries overlaid with beautiful narratives. But that is not enough for Narendra Modi. The new Parliament House is not just a house of democracy; it must also symbolize India’s traditional dharmic governance, righteous governance. The search for a symbol led to Sengol, the beautifully crafted, precious “Sceptre of Righteousness”, which was in the Allahabad Museum.
Lord Mountbatten was inspired by the Sovereign’s Orb of the Queen of England, created for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 and given to the new King/Queen at the time of coronation even today to remind them that their power is derived from God. Accordingly, Mountbatten asked Nehru for the Indian symbol of transfer of power. Nehru consulted C. Rajagopalachari, who got the Sengol prepared according to the design given by the ancient Adheenam (Shaivite non-Brahmin Math) at Thiruvavaduthurai. It was handcrafted at a Chennai workshop by skilled artisans. The Sengol was handed over to Nehru in the presence of Dr Rajendra Prasad with full ceremony by one of the two representatives of the 15th century Adheenam, the seer Sri Kumaraswamy Thambiran, while the reciter of hymns recited 11 verses from Kolaru Pathigam, one of the oldest compositions in Tamil in praise of Lord Shiva. It was composed by the poet-saint Thirugnanasambandar, who is believed to have lived for only 16 years in the 7th century in Tamil Nadu, and was among the most prominent of the 63 Nayanmars.
There are photographs of Nehru, though naturally uncomfortable, ritually receiving the Sengol. This event was widely reported in the leading dailies and publications of the time. A very descriptive report was carried by Time magazine issue dated 25 August 1947. Over time, several prominent books have mentioned this event including Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins; Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan by Yasmin Khan, and Betrayal of India by D.F. Karaka. But sadly, the then Prime Minister failed to understand the spiritual, historical and cultural significance of the event and unceremoniously consigned the sanctified Sengol to the Allahabad Museum where it lay forgotten. Though in 1978, stories appeared in Tamil press about the whole episode and have been appearing off and on.
When the present Prime Minister was informed of this, he realised that the Sengol was a sacred symbol of the right way to rule. It had been sanctified by high priests. It came with the blessings of centuries and signified the righteousness and the might of the Indian civilization as typified by the mighty Cholas.
So the Prime Minister decided that as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the happening of 14 August 1947 would be relived on 28 May 2023 in the new Parliament premises. The leaders of numerous Adheenams from Tamil Nādu will be present for the occasion to participate in the program and sing the same Kolaru Pathigam. The Sengol will be purified with Ganga Jal (water from Ganga) and then it will be handed over to the Prime Minister as a sacred symbol of dharmic authority. The recipient of the Sengol has the obligation to rule justly and fairly.
When placed where the Speaker sits, the Sengol will perpetually sanctify the Nav Sabha Sadan. This is how the cycle of loss and recovery comes full circle.
Prof Kapil Kapoor is former Pro Vice Chancellor, JNU; eminent scholar and writer of Encyclopedia of Hinduism and Indian Intellectual Traditions; Trustee, IGNCA.