CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 75: AND THE CURTAIN RISES - I

Global Capitals – Early January 1949

The news spread around the world like shock waves through still water in the first week of January. Mother Teresa, the Albanian nun who had become famous for her work with the poor in India’s slums, was dead.

She and four of her closest aides had died in a car crash on Calcutta’s rain slicked streets in the final days of 1948.

George Marshall read the cables in his Washington office and felt uneasiness growing in his stomach. The timing was too perfect. It coincided with the new law that Mehra recently passed regarding foreign aid and missions.

When he brought his concerns to President Truman, the response was exactly what he had expected it would be.

"George, we can’t go around accusing potential friendly governments of killing nuns just because the timing seems suspicious," Truman said. He did not look up from his morning briefing papers.

"Besides, we need those business deals with India. We can’t antagonize Mehra over some unproven rumors. Besides, road accidents happen all the time, especially in a country that’s still developing its infrastructure."

Similar conversations were taking place in London and Paris. Diplomatic cables described the response from Delhi as showing "unfortunate timing" and "remarkably coordinated messaging."

Major newspapers published heartfelt condolences alongside subtle editorial commentary that once again brought light to the recent topic of debate regarding India’s evolving definition of democracy and civil society.

But no government issued any official condemnation. The stakes were too high and the strategic relationships were too important to risk over suspicions that could not be proven. But of course, future will hold conspiracy theories, but that’s a story of another time.

Only the Vatican, which viewed this as a coordinated attack on its charitable mission, spoke out with strong criticism. Most secular governments chose to ignore the Vatican’s protests.

At the United Nations, India’s Permanent Representative V.K. Krishna Menon calmly deflected all pointed questions.

He expressed India’s deep sadness over the tragic loss while firmly defending the NGO restrictions as a completely separate policy matter focused on national sovereignty and development efficiency. All this, while ensuring that these 2 events are completely unrelated.

Delhi – Constituent Assembly Hall – January 5th, 1949

While the rest of the world buzzed with speculation and diplomatic maneuvering, India was alive with a different kind of energy. Delegates gathered on a clear, cold winter morning for what everyone understood would be a pivotal moment in India’s democratic experiment.

The newly renovated Constituent Assembly Hall was filled with nervous energy and careful anticipation.

Rhea Sharma adjusted her press credentials and walked through the bustling lobby. She took in every detail with her trained journalist’s eye. She had covered political events before, but this felt different somehow.

The atmosphere was charged with genuine excitement. This was the energy of a young democracy preparing to formally define itself for the world to see.

Through the grand arched windows, she watched Arjun’s official car pull up to the main entrance. Her breath caught slightly as he stepped out. He moved with that calm confidence that had made him such an effective leader during the recent crises.

His stride was measured and deliberate. His bearing radiated the dignity that was appropriate for such a historic moment. This was not the Arjun she had once known in their university days.

"He really has changed," Rhea thought with a bitter smile touching her lips.

Arjun paused at the entrance and let his gaze sweep across the Assembly Hall’s imposing facade. He seemed to be showing quiet reverence for the democratic process that was about to unfold within those walls.

For just a moment, Rhea felt an echo of their old connection stirring inside her chest. But she quickly suppressed the feeling with her professional instincts.

"Look at him," she thought to herself. Her pen was already hovering over her notepad. "He carries himself like someone who truly believes in what’s happening here. His passion for Indian politics was always real.

I have to admit he’s shown remarkable leadership during these recent months."

Inside the great hall, delegates from across the newly expanded India sat in disciplined rows. There were representatives from East Bengal to Luvpur, from Kashmir to Madras. All of them were now part of Arjun’s unified vision for the subcontinent.

The Prime Minister took his designated place beside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Patel’s formidable presence served as a silent guarantee that order would be maintained during the proceedings.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad had been given the responsibility to preside over the assembly. He spoke in his clear, authoritative voice. "Since all the Ministers have arrived and taken their places, I now ask Law Minister Munshi to present the draft Constitution to this assembly."

K.M. Munshi rose from his seat with obvious dignity. His voice carried the weight of history as he began to outline the document’s key provisions. He spoke about the strong Union Government that would hold the nation together.

He explained the judicial powers that would protect citizens’ rights. He described the parliamentary system that would ensure democratic representation. He emphasized the commitment to fundamental rights that would give the Constitution international appeal.

When Munshi reached Article XII, which contained the Anti Segregation Law, his voice swelled with genuine passion. "This revolutionary provision abolishes all forms of caste discrimination once and for all.

It ensures complete equality for all citizens regardless of the circumstances of their birth. No longer will the accident of birth determine any person’s destiny in Bharat!"

A wave of genuine applause swept through the hall. Even many of the opposition delegates seemed moved by the promise of true social equality.

Most of them were opposed to the rigid caste system and untouchability that had plagued Indian society for centuries, even if they were conservative on other issues.

Then came the carefully orchestrated opposition response that everyone had been expecting.

V.D. Savarkar stood up with considerable dignity. He was the leader of the Bharatiya Jana Dal opposition party. His voice carried poetic resonance as he began with what appeared to be carefully calculated praise.

"Mr. President, we acknowledge the Prime Minister’s decisive leadership during these transformative months. The vision of a strong, unified Bharat resonates deeply with every patriotic heart in this hall."

He paused dramatically before continuing. "However, honorable members, we must ask ourselves a fundamental question that goes to the heart of what we are doing here. What exactly are we unifying? What is this Bharat whose strength we seek to build?"

His eyes swept across the entire assembly as he spoke. "For more than a thousand years, foreign rule systematically dismantled our ancient civilization piece by piece. The British did not merely loot our material wealth. They attacked our very soul.

They targeted our dharmic traditions and our cultural moorings. They tried to destroy everything that made us who we are."

Savarkar paused again to allow his words to resonate throughout the hall. "Today, in our admirable pursuit of political unity and administrative strength, we risk completing what those foreign invaders began. We risk achieving the final erasure of Hindu civilization itself."

"This draft Constitution, while impressive in its administrative vision and bureaucratic efficiency, treats our sacred land as if it were a blank slate. It ignores the profound cultural heritage that makes Bharat what it truly is."

A murmur ran through the hall as delegates began to process his argument. Several members nodded their heads, recognizing the emotional truth in his words.

"Yes, we desperately need a strong central government," Savarkar continued. "But a center rooted in what exactly? If we create a bureaucratic structure that ignores our temples, our festivals, our ancient wisdom traditions, and our language heritage, then what precisely are we preserving?"

"We will have achieved political unity by sacrificing cultural continuity. We will have gained administrative efficiency by losing our civilizational soul."

His voice grew more passionate as he warmed to his theme. "Our diverse regions are not merely administrative units to be managed from Delhi. They are living repositories of Hindu culture that has survived for thousands of years.

Tamil Nadu carries forward the devotional tradition of the Alvars and the Nayanars. Bengal nurtures the philosophical legacy of Sri Chaitanya and Ramakrishna. Maharashtra preserves the martial spirit of Shivaji Maharaj and his brave followers.

Rajasthan embodies the kshatriya ideals of honor and sacrifice that our ancestors died defending."

He gestured broadly toward all sections of the assembly. "Each region has spent centuries developing unique expressions of our eternal dharma. This draft Constitution, in its pursuit of administrative uniformity, risks reducing this magnificent cultural tapestry to nothing more than bureaucratic efficiency."

"Are we to become an administrative giant that simply happens to be located on sacred soil? Or are we to remain Bharat, the blessed land where dharma took root and flourished for millennia?"

A delegate from East Bengal immediately stood up. He had been carefully selected by Patel’s efforts for exactly this moment. His response came with what sounded like rehearsed passion.

"The unity we have achieved comes directly from having a strong central government! My region, which was once torn apart by communal chaos, now knows peace and order because of Delhi’s firm guidance.

This draft Constitution ensures we will remain one unified nation instead of squabbling provinces that can be divided and conquered again!"

Narayan Bhaskar from the opposition quickly stood up to offer the counter argument that everyone was expecting.

"My respected colleague speaks eloquently of order, and we are all grateful for the stability that has been achieved. But let us not confuse administrative order with civilizational vitality. Let us not mistake bureaucratic control for cultural preservation."

"The chaos my colleague describes was largely a product of foreign imposed divisions. It came from the ’divide and rule’ policies that deliberately turned Hindu against Hindu and region against region."

His voice gained strength and conviction as he continued speaking. "What we truly need is not just unity imposed from above by government decree. We need organic unity that emerges naturally from our shared cultural roots and common heritage."

"When a child in Kashmir learns the same Vedic mantras as a child in Kanyakumari, when our festivals unite us across all linguistic boundaries, when our ancient pilgrimage routes connect every corner of Bharat in spiritual communion, then we will have achieved true unity."

He looked directly at the government benches where Arjun and his ministers were sitting. "The strong central government we are building must be a center that actively celebrates and preserves Hindu civilization. It cannot be one that treats our heritage as irrelevant to the business of governance."

"Otherwise, what exactly are we centering ourselves around? British legal codes that were designed to control us? Western political theories that ignore our reality? Foreign economic models that have no connection to our values?"

"I ask the honorable Prime Minister directly," Bhaskar said, turning to face Arjun. "In your vision of Bharat, will our children learn about Chandragupta Maurya and Emperor Ashoka with the same reverence they are currently taught about foreign rulers?"

"Will our universities conduct research into ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy with the same rigor that is applied to Western sciences? Will our legal system incorporate dharmic principles of justice, or will we remain forever bound to colonial frameworks that were never meant to serve our interests?"

Arjun had been sitting in apparent silence with calm composure throughout the entire debate. But internally he was anything but calm. He was filled with pride and satisfaction, like an inventor watching his creation work even better than he had originally expected it to work.

When faced with Bhaskar’s direct challenge, Arjun slowly rose to his feet. The entire hall fell into complete silence.

"Shri Bhaskar-ji," Arjun began, his voice carrying clearly to every corner of the hall. "Your words carry the fire of our shared pain. The pain of a civilization that was denied its voice for far too long. The pain of a people who were taught to doubt their own reflection in the mirror of history."

"I do not deny the fundamental truth in your lament. In fact, I honor it and acknowledge its validity. But please allow me to complete the picture you have painted."

He continued speaking with an unwavering voice that commanded attention. "Yes, the colonial state deliberately turned region against region and dialect against dialect. Yes, they reduced a civilizational ocean into disconnected puddles of administrative convenience.

Yes, we inherited legal systems that do not understand Dharma, economic models that value growth but not balance, and textbooks that begin Indian history at the Indus Valley and then leap directly to the Battle of Plassey."

He paused and let his gaze scan across the entire assembly. "But what exactly do you think we are doing here in this hall today?"

"We are not simply replacing one Western model with another Western model. We are rooting governance in the fertile soil of Bharat herself.

Our education reforms will ensure that children across the entire subcontinent will not only recite Vedic mantras but will understand the profound rationale behind them. They will learn the logic, the astronomy, the moral philosophy, and the spiritual values that are embedded in our ancient traditions."

"We are not erasing our beautiful diversity. We are harmonizing it into an unmistakable cultural symphony that has been playing for thousands of years across this sacred land."

He gestured toward the cabinet benches where his ministers were sitting. "Our universities will very soon be researching the works of Nagarjuna and Bhaskaracharya with the same academic rigor as Newton and Pythagoras.

We are not doing this to disprove Western achievements, but to demonstrate that India was never a silent spectator in the progress of human knowledge. The one that others never acknowledged."

"Our civil code, which we continue to debate and refine, is not simply ’uniform’ for the sake of administrative convenience. It is firmly based on the eternal principles of justice that can be found in our Dharmaśāstra, in Buddhist Vinaya, and in Jain ethical teachings."

"You ask whether a child growing up in Kashmir will feel true kinship with a child in Kanyakumari. I say to you that they already do feel that kinship.

When they chant the same sacred shlokas, when they celebrate the same festivals under different regional names, when they recognize the same heroic stories told in different languages, that is the true Bharat that I am working to build and strengthen."

His voice rose now, not with volume, but with deep conviction that came from his core beliefs. "This is not Westernization disguised as nationalism. This is genuine Indianization. Not of skin color or political slogans, but of spirit and governmental structure.

The strong central authority we are building is not a Delhi imposed administrative machinery. It is a dharmic mandala, a binding spiritual energy that keeps all the chakras of our nation spinning in perfect harmony."

Then he spoke with a touch of genuine solemnity. "Let us never forget our glorious history. Emperor Ashoka’s rule was not uniform through fear and oppression, but through the spread of Dhamma and moral governance.

Chandragupta Maurya’s empire did not survive through brutal suppression, but through a shared sense of responsibility and duty across all the janapadas. That is our historical model. That is our rightful inheritance."

He turned slightly to face Bhaskar directly. "So I thank you, Bhaskar-ji, and all my fellow opposition ministers. I thank you not for opposing us, but for sharpening our resolve and forcing us to articulate our vision more clearly.

Let our debates remain as spirited and passionate as this one has been. Let our unity be forged not through enforced similarity, but through recognition of our shared sanctity."

"And let us always remember that Bharat has never been unified by geography alone, but by the eternal rhythm of her collective soul. And that ancient soul is finally awake once more."

The Congress ministers burst into enthusiastic applause at their Prime Minister’s eloquent response. Even Dr. Rajendra Prasad nodded his head in obvious appreciation of the speech. Several members of the opposition looked as though they wanted to join in the applause, but they remembered that their work for the day was not yet finished.