What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: “Nehru’s Municipal Vision: Strengthening Democracy through Grassroots Urban Governance”

Context:

Jawaharlal Nehru’s early tenure as Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board in 1919 exemplifies how grassroots governance can shape democratic values and strengthen India’s political foundation.

Introduction:

Municipal governance is the foundation of democratic administration and civic participation. It is at the municipal level that governance becomes tangible—through roads, sanitation, housing, education, and local employment.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s early political engagement as Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board in 1919 provided him with his first experience in public office. This brief yet significant episode played a crucial role in shaping his political philosophy and his later approach to democracy, planning, and inclusion. Nehru’s local governance experience remains a timeless lesson for deepening democracy in India’s urban spaces.

Nehru’s Municipal Experience: A Practical School of Democracy

• At 34 years of age, Nehru entered civic administration as the elected chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board.
• Unlike his later roles, this was a position without grandeur or national visibility, but it demanded direct interaction with citizens, exposure to everyday urban hardships, and pragmatic decision-making.
• He encountered problems such as poor sanitation, unplanned housing, transport shortages, and unemployment among urban workers.
• Initially frustrated by bureaucratic inertia and lack of municipal autonomy, Nehru soon realised that real power in democracy lies in local problem-solving, not merely in political rhetoric.
• His experience in Allahabad transformed his outlook from abstract nationalism to practical civic idealism.

Policy Priorities and Humanistic Approach:

• Focus on Marginalised Groups
  • Nehru’s municipal initiatives prioritised the urban poor, domestic workers, and underprivileged sections such as prostitutes and ekka walas(cart drivers).
  • He believed social reform must begin with compassion, not punishment.
• Urban Planning and Infrastructure
  • Advocated for affordable housing and better urban transport to make city life more equitable.
  • Opposed regressive taxation and emphasised redistributive policies that could uplift the working class.
• Education and Employment as Reform Tools
  • He stressed that poverty and social disorder could be tackled more effectively through education, civic engagement, and employment, rather than coercive laws.
• Cosmopolitan Civic Vision
  • Nehru viewed cities as “polyglot zones,” vibrant with linguistic and cultural diversity.
  • He believed this pluralism was essential to India’s democratic fabric, warning against excessive linguistic or sectarian nationalism.

How Municipal Experience Shaped His National Vision:

• The municipal phase deepened Nehru’s conviction that democracy must rise from the bottom up.
• It instilled in him respect for civil liberties, participatory planning, and decentralised governance — later reflected in his national policies and his support for Panchayati Raj concepts.
• His emphasis on scientific temper and planningalso drew inspiration from the discipline of local administration, where results depended on evidence and accountability.
• He carried this learning into his vision for post-independence India — a modern, inclusive, and socially responsible state.

Relevance in Strengthening Indian Democracy Today:

• Decentralisation and Participation
  • The 74th Constitutional Amendment (1992) institutionalised urban local bodies as self-governing institutions — a legacy aligned with Nehru’s early insights.
  • Active citizen participation in ward committees and local planning ensures accountability.
• Urban Challenges of the 21st Century
  • Rapid urbanisation, informal settlements, and climate-related vulnerabilities demand responsive and empowered municipal governance.
  • Nehru’s civic philosophy emphasises planning with human dignity and inclusion.
• Ethical Dimension of Leadership
  • Nehru’s experience reflects ethical governance — combining empathy, service orientation, and civic responsibility.
  • It reinforces the idea that effective leadership is rooted in humility and practical engagement with people’s lives.

Conclusion:

Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure in the Allahabad Municipal Board may appear minor compared to his later national role, but it was foundational to his democratic ethos. It taught him that democracy is sustained not by symbols of power but by responsive, transparent, and inclusive local governance. In modern India, where cities are engines of both growth and inequality, the revival of Nehru’s municipal vision — one that links civic efficiency with social justice and pluralism — is essential for strengthening democratic institutions from the ground up.

 

Editorial 2: 150 years on “Vande Mataram”

“Vande Mataram” (meaning “Mother, I Bow to Thee”) is a poem composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s and later included in his 1882 novel, Anandamath. It became a powerful, emotional slogan and an unofficial anthem for the anti-British freedom struggle, especially during the Swadeshi movement following the 1905 partition of Bengal.

Origins and Significance

• Author and Publication:Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote the song in a mix of Sanskrit and Bengali. It was published in his novel Anandamath, which depicted a revolt by Hindu ascetics (Sannyasis) against the Muslim rulers and the British.
• Symbol of Resistance:The song and its slogan became a rallying cry for revolutionaries, inspiring countless people to sacrifice their lives for the nation.
• First Public Performance:Rabindranath Tagore first sang the song in a musical tune at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta.

Core Objections from the Muslim League

The primary objections raised by the Muslim League and other Muslim nationalists stemmed from the song’s religious and historical context:

• Idolatry and Monotheism:The later stanzas of the song explicitly personify the motherland (Bharat Mata) as Hindu goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi and describe her as having “hands that strike” and “swords of sheen.” In monotheistic Islam, worshipping or bowing down to any entity other than God (Allah) is considered shirk (idolatry), a grave sin.
• Context of Anandamath:The novel Anandamath itself was seen as having anti-Muslim overtones, as its antagonists included Muslim rulers and the plot was set against a backdrop where the Sannyasi rebels fought both the British and the Muslim rulers.
• Promotion of a ‘Hindu Nationhood’:Critics argued that the song promoted a sectarian view of nationalism by conflating the idea of the motherland with a Hindu deity, which was incompatible with the concept of an inclusive, secular nation.

The Congress Resolution and Compromise (1937)

Facing a clear dilemma—recognizing the song’s immense role in the freedom struggle while addressing the concerns of Muslim nationalists—the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution in Calcutta on October 26, 1937:

• Partial Adoption:The CWC decided to adopt only the first two stanzas of “Vande Mataram” as the party’s national song.
• Rationale:They reasoned that the first two stanzas purely describe the beauty of the motherland and contain no objectionable communal or religious content. The remaining stanzas, which contained the overt references to Hindu deities, were dropped.
• Key Figures:Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru supported this middle path to maintain communal harmony. Nehru, who read an English translation of Anandamath, noted to Tagore that the novel’s background was “bound to irritate Muslims.”

Status: “Anthem” vs. “Song” (1950)

Despite the compromise, the controversy persisted, and when it came to choosing the national symbols for independent India, the decision tilted toward a more secular and universally accepted composition.

Feature	National Anthem: Jana Gana Mana	National Song: Vande Mataram
Composer	Rabindranath Tagore	Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Adoption Date	January 24, 1950 (National Anthem)	January 24, 1950 (National Song)
Original Language	Highly Sanskritized Bengali	Mixed Sanskrit and Bengali
Theme	Unity in diversity; invoking the destiny-maker of India	A tribute to the Motherland, personified as a goddess (in full version)
Status	Has official constitutional recognition; rules of decorum and fixed duration (52 seconds) must be followed.	Does not have formal constitutional recognition; accorded equal status and reverence as the National Anthem by the Constituent Assembly.
Key Reason for Selection	Its secular and inclusive nature, and emphasis on the unity and diversity of India, making it acceptable to all communities.	Its historic role as a powerful rallying cry in the independence movement, despite its religious undertones.

Conclusion:

The selection of “Jana Gana Mana” as the National Anthem and “Vande Mataram” as the National Song represents a foundational compromise in Indian nationalism.

This dual designation was essential to balance historical reverence for the powerful, revolutionary fervor of “Vande Mataram” with the constitutional requirement for secular, all-inclusive national symbols. While “Vande Mataram” remains the emotional song of the freedom struggle, “Jana Gana Mana” serves as the officially accepted expression of the Indian State’s commitment to unity and diversity across all communities. Both compositions are accorded equal status and respect, collectively symbolizing India’s rich history and its commitment to a pluralistic future.