The title of George Orwell’s celebrated novel could have been 2024 and its setting India.
Winston Smith is a low-ranking member
of the ruling party. Like anyone else in the country, he is also under the
constant surveillance of Big Brother, the omniscient ruler of the country. Big
Brother’s Party controls everything including the people’s history and language
and even their thoughts. Certain words are banned from Newspeak, the
official language. Even nurturing rebellious thoughts is criminal and ‘thought-crime’ is
the worst. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth which is rewriting the history of the country. Even love
is a crime and so Winston has to keep his love for Julia secret. Winston is
trapped eventually by the spying police and is subjected to severe
brainwashing. Finally he begins to love Big Brother and to have no feelings
whatever for Julia whom he has betrayed.
My summary doesn’t do justice to
Orwell’s great work. Frankly, I had never considered 1984 a great work
until recently when my country began to resemble the country in the novel. I
had never thought that there would ever be a country like the one Orwell had
imagined in the novel. But alas!
“Don’t you see that the whole aim of
Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make
thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to
express it.” That is from the novel. Any right-wing authority in my country
today could have said it as well with slight modifications.
“’Who controls the past,’ ran the
Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the
past.’” I hope you are aware of what our present government is doing to the
history textbooks in schools and colleges.
The rewriting and manipulations and
brainwashing are so effective in Orwell’s country that within 20 years people
forget what was promised to them and what they had hoped for. Was life better
before the Revolution? They can’t even remember the time before the Revolution!
Comrade Ogilvy is a hero in Big
Brother’s country. He had died in battle, in heroic circumstances. Only, there
never was any Comrade Ogilvy. “A few lines of print and a couple of faked
photographs brought him into existence.”
The Mahatma will go as a villain and his killer will come as the hero. And a lot of new heroes will enter the textbooks.
PS. This post is part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023
Previous Post: Mona Lisa
Coming up on Monday: Octlantis
Absolutely on the dot Tom. Agree with every word. Goebbels used to say if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth. That is what is happening right now. History textbooks are being changed to brainwash young minds is meant for erasing historical figures of relevance.
ReplyDeleteWe are moving too rapidly to dictatorship, Jai.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteOh yes, there is much to compare from that prescient work... YAM xx
(ta for asking - am fine, just some big decisions in process which will be revealed along the way.)
Our fondest wishes to you, Yam.
DeleteI often wonder if the present government will end up banning 1984 because it revels their MO and serves as caution to the citizens but then i shake my head because they've been able to take over so blatantly. Clearly they have no fear of cautionary tales. Maybe because they know low literacy in India can be used as a weapon...
ReplyDeleteLow literacy is the real secret. Low thinking. No thinking, rather.
DeleteChangu textbooks won't change history. The next generation needs to know the truth.
ReplyDeletewww.docdivatraveller.com
I'm not sure I got this.
DeleteWhat we think our history is may be another rewrite. Who knows?
ReplyDeletePalimpsest. My post on letter P is on the way - about rewriting.
Delete1984 had made a good read. But i will not comment on the political situation as i realise your and my views are different
ReplyDeleteWe can differ and yet be friends. I'm not a fanatic.
DeleteOf course neither am i
DeleteA great narration and I feel equally sad too
ReplyDeleteIt's going to get worse!
DeleteI have read only the summary of 1984 and not the complete text of the book. All the same, your comparison of the same with the present situation and happenings in India is spot on. I have read Animal Farm penned by George Orwell only and after reading it completely the thought that came to my mind was that its plot also could be compared to certain developments in India post-independence.
ReplyDeleteYes, Animal Farm can remind us of India. 1984 is more like India of the present time.
Delete