Indian history is not the unvarnished truth. It is colored and most of it is written by the British and after independence by a coterie of historians with leftist leanings. These were supported by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which brought in their brand of secularism which was selective. The fact is that the last non-muslim ruler who held sway all over India was only Samrat Ashok. He was a Buddhist and having embraced that religion, he brought in pacifism that spelled the end of his rule. In that respect, he was an extremely shortsighted man.
The disaster of pacifism had its repercussions and the
mighty Maurya empire crumbled, never to rise again. This led to a fragmented Indian state. This fragmented and divided land had invaders from Arabia and central Asia who looted, raped and pillaged the Indian sub-continent. Now we can see that Ashok was the last ruler of authority who was a non-Muslim. Things began to happen and by about the 9th century, the entire sub -continent came under Muslim rule. Despite all the white washing, the harsh fact is that the inhabitants were ruled in their own land, paid the Jizzia, pleasured the harems and overall could do little except pray. This is how the " Bhakti Kaal" came.This state of affairs continued for nearly a 1000 years which is almost like an eon in Indian history. This was the dark age and god knows what would have happened in case the East India Company had not come. This was a British entity and by a combination of intrigue and military prowess defeated the Muslim rulers. The last Mughal emperor was taken to Rangoon and exiled and he died there. The British rule was good as it gave the non-Muslims a chance to breathe and India which was moribund for 1000 years awoke. But no
leader was on the scene to lead the nation forward. Gandhi was there, but he was not a ruler and was a mere agitator. He could not formulate any policy and after his death his effect is debatable. In any case, he was a man who had no political power and as such was beholden to English rule to agitate.After a thousand years the Hindus were free when the British left India (Not because of Gandhi) and Nehru appeared on the scene. He had the chance to emulate Ashok but he was weighed down by his warped mind and concept of history. This resulted in a weak military and a brand of secularism was foisted that effectively color washed the Muslim rule. No Indian was told of the " Skull Pyramids" of the Taimur and Babar and in effect, it was preached that these rulers were "good".
After almost 1100 years Modi has emerged. He is a grass roots man with a vision of history and role of India. He stands the best chance to break the Gordian knot, which is not difficult. He has the chance to emulate Ashoka. Will he do it? he has just begun his rule and has a long way to go. Robert Frost wrote " I have miles to go before I sleep.." and this is for Modi. He has a lot to do to emulate Ashok( Not his pacifism) and take India forward. Let's see if he makes history.
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