Boy From Motihari, Eric( G.Orwell), Who Scripted History In Literature, Is Remembered Today, Why?
By D N Singh
Today is the anniversary of George Orwell’s most debated and critically acclaimed novel, ‘1984’. A social science fiction book that spoke about many virtual horrors made home in many minds.
To retell them now can be a reminiscence of a present which is also passing through several such bitter things of the day.
It spoke about a state that was ruled by a totalitarian thought in the name of ‘Big Brother’ who peeped into everyone’s action and thought like a ‘Thought Police’, when any aberration in action or opinion was under a vigil.
It reminds us about Orwell’s world of Airstrip One where people were bound by an invisible realisation of patriotism which prohibited any critical opinion as against a nationalistic zeal, thus punishable. A kind of mental indoctrination in younger minds not to think or do not acceptable to the Big Brother, which watches you through the ‘Thought Police’.
When dissenting opinions were like seditions in essence and every sort of measure were mulled against the dissenter to keep quiet.
State owned mechanism was used to silence the differing ones and care was taken to mask any such action under the disguise of the law taking its own course.
The child from India’s Motihari, in Bihar, then Eric Arhur Blair, had hardly had in his imagination that, once his book ‘1984’ would blast the concept of democratic tolerance into bits and leave behind a time that is reminiscent to his contentions in the book so relatable to the present when use of means like anti-national or sedition can be used as a tool when one ceases to be ruled.
The diversity that the nation is gifted with cannot be allowed to be used for splits in the basic philosophy that is, mutual respect towards all religions or belief. Not through divisions through hatred or fear. Which is predominant in today’s political power structures.
Nothing much has today in politics, perhaps.
