Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Breaking a butterfly on a wheel

The press in India- especially the English press of independent news organisations- hardly poses the grave threat to the security and sovereignty of the country that such severe action requires

Many traditions propound it, but perhaps none as profoundly as bushido, the code of honour and morals developed by the Japanese samurai, which stressed that the art of war must be conducted according to the highest principles of nobility, honour and fairness. Influenced to a large extent by Zen Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto, it inspired warriors to eschew needless violence and killing and to recognise that strength and power bring with them their own code of ethics.

Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Breaking a butterfly on a wheel

In layman’s terms, these are: you don’t break a butterfly on a wheel; you don’t hit a man when he is down or shoot him in the back; you recognise your own strength and embrace ‘noblesse oblige’ when faced with opponents weaker and more vulnerable than yourself.

I couldn’t help reflecting on these principles when I heard that the Delhi police had arrested NewsClick’s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and had conducted raids at the residences of senior journalists and staff connected with the news portal on the morning of October 3, detaining many of them.

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One of the canons of bushido has been that to squander one’s strength on the weak and helpless is not worthy of a noble warrior and only diminishes his stature in the eyes of the world. Why use more force than necessary to attain one’s goals? What good will it do you to come across as a brutish bully, when ignoring your opponent and turning a blind eye to his transgressions could save you some trouble and perhaps even win you a few brownie points in the public domain? Why risk contributing to the glorification of a David when you’ve attained the status of a Goliath? After all, who in their right mind sings paeans to the Goliaths of this world?

The press in India- especially the English press of independent news organisations- hardly poses the grave threat to the security and sovereignty of the country that such severe action requires. With two terms as Prime Minister and a likely third one around the corner that give him democratic authority and with many genuine, hard won feathers in his cap, Narendra Modi wields the kind of power that has hardly ever had a precedent in this country. And yet, the ferocious authoritarian manner in which his critics have been brought to heel on more than one occasion, only point to one thing: that his spinmeisters and advisors don’t really know the extent of his might or understand the first thing about seizing the high moral ground. Perhaps, the powers that be in their ivory towers in Delhi, the people who authorise such actions are not cognizant of their own dominion?

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Because as it appears, the raids conducted against NewsClick and its staffers and the arrest of its editor, has created a bigger problem for the Modi regime than if they had been ignored.

Now, it has attracted the attention of the entire world and given ammunition to the very people who have tried for years to bring the India story down. Far from being the Vishwaguru that it sees itself as, India is being compared to fascist regimes like those in Russia, North Korea, Turkey and ironically China, at a time when its ascent to the world stage has just begun.

Would eschewing the action against NewsClick, in fact holding it up as an example of the Government’s liberal attitude to criticism, not have served India better on the world stage?

To have broken a butterfly on a wheel has certainly not garnered this regime much admiration.

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The irony is that India at this moment has so much to be admired for, so much going for it. Starting with its galloping GDP, its moon launch, its success on the sports fields and in international arenas, the fact that it managed to vaccinate I billion people during the pandemic, its nuclear power status, its recent hosting of the G20 and its taking of an independent stand on world issues, has given it a glow like never before.

Forget the projections of becoming a 3 trillion economy or the promise of being the manufacturer to the world, India has so much more going for it. So much to be proud of. So much to look forward to.

Soft power has always been India’s strongest suit: Gandhi, The Taj Mahal, Nadella, Pichai Banga, Silicon Valley, Bollywood, Naatu Naatu, International Yoga Day, the Hare Krishna Movement, Ravi Shankar, Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Arundhati Roy, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Zubin, Ved and Sonny Mehta; its pole position in international cricket, its textiles, cuisines and customs have always demonstrated to the world how India- unlike other nations -was supremely gifted and eligible to be a world leader and guru. After all, soft power creates respect and affinity. It builds bonds. It is a nation’s EQ.

And then comes along news that an obscure media outlet, has been dealt with in the harshest of terms and manner and all India’s soft power, its command and mastery of a universe of skills and subjects takes a beating, and it is compared to the fascist dictatorial regimes of Putin, Xi, Erdogan and Kim Jong Un.

What a crying shame…

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The art of war and of battles large and small is one that requires not just brute force but wisdom and sharpness of mind. Would ignoring the activities of NewsClick have not been more prudent in the long run for Modi and his cohorts?

Given the negative image it has afforded the country and the strident uniting of opposition voices against the government, it appears that the Samurai code of bushido would certainly have prescribed it…