In this episode of The Editorial, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the frequent small changes happening in our country. He highlights the new ‘Lady Justice’ statue, the new Supreme Court flag, the emblem of India, PM Modi's gift of a Ram Temple replica to French President Macron, and the placement of the Sengol in Parliament. Through these examples, Mr. Nair shares his perspective on how they could challenge the idea of secularism.
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[00:00:01] Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial. You know, change is a very funny phenomenon. It's a very interesting phenomenon. Because change can be assured. You can assure a community, you can assure a country towards change. You can push a country towards change.
[00:00:28] You can ensure that you guide a country towards change. You can ensure that you confuse a country and bring about change. Change is a very funny phenomenon. Anyway, I'm going to talk about change, but I'm going to talk about change in the statue of Lady of Justice. Lady of Justice, quote, a statue. The change in that Lady of Justice.
[00:00:55] In fact, let's get right into the show and talk about it. So, Lady of Justice is, used to be, if you remember, very colonial. She used to wear a gown. Which then, the picture is right there on your screen. She used to wear a gown. She used to be blindfolded.
[00:01:12] She used to be blindfolded because the idea was, I do not see. It doesn't matter who is in front of me. I will deliver justice. That was the concept of blindfolded. She was blindfolded. She would hold that weighing scale. She would hold a weighing scale and she would have a sword.
[00:01:28] So, primarily, that was the symbol of Lady of Justice. That symbol has changed. The government says, listen, you know what, why should we be colonial? Why should we be colonial in our look?
[00:01:37] It is a very colonial look. She is wearing a gown and she is clearly a western lady. It was changed. The blindfold was removed. To my understanding, what that says, to my understanding,
[00:01:53] is that now, justice is not blind anymore. They will see who is being judged and who is the person who is standing in front of the justice system is what I believe.
[00:02:08] That is the first observation of mine. The second observation of mine is a sword has been removed and there is a book, there is a constitution that she is holding.
[00:02:18] There is constitution, the book of constitution that she is holding. That's a good thing. That's a good thing.
[00:02:23] And no longer is she a western lady, but she looks like a Devi. She looks like an Indian deity. She looks like a goddess. She is wearing a crown. She is wearing a saree.
[00:02:38] So, it's the goddess of justice from a lady of justice. That's the way I have seen it. And this goddess of justice first knows who she is judging.
[00:02:54] So, it's not blind. It's not justice without seeing the person. It is justice after well knowing who the person is.
[00:03:02] So, that also is what I understand about this particular symbol.
[00:03:09] Now, I was speaking to you about change and I tell you why I was speaking to you about change.
[00:03:14] Because these changes are happening very frequently. Chota chota changes.
[00:03:20] But I believe all these changes are leading to something.
[00:03:25] All these changes are leading to something.
[00:03:27] You see, there has been a change in Supreme Court.
[00:03:30] New flag. There is a new flag for Supreme Court that was launched in September 2024.
[00:03:36] The Supreme Court flag which was unveiled by the President of India has the Ashoka Chakra.
[00:03:40] The Supreme Court flag has, you can see it on your screen, has the Supreme Court building, the Constitution book.
[00:03:47] And also, a phrase from the Mahabharata where it says,
[00:03:53] Yato, Dharmasto, Jaya.
[00:03:55] Which means that where there is Dharma, there is victory.
[00:04:01] So, a phrase from the Mahabharata, the Constitution,
[00:04:06] the Supreme Court building, blue in color.
[00:04:09] And that's how the new, and of course, the Ashoka Chakra.
[00:04:14] That's how our new symbol of Supreme Court, the flag of Supreme Court looks.
[00:04:22] Now, if you remember, July 2022,
[00:04:26] our Prime Minister had changed even the Ashoka Stump.
[00:04:30] There are no those four lions, four lions, but there are actually three lions are normally visible.
[00:04:37] The fourth is always hidden.
[00:04:39] It's three lions, but actually it's four, four lions.
[00:04:42] And, of course, these four lions,
[00:04:46] the change was that
[00:04:48] these four lions were not
[00:04:50] the calm, beautiful,
[00:04:52] peace-loving lions that it used to be before,
[00:04:54] but are very aggressive lions that
[00:04:57] was constituted outside the Parliament building
[00:05:00] by the Prime Minister, 2022.
[00:05:03] A lot of people criticize saying that,
[00:05:05] why so aggressive?
[00:05:07] Q?
[00:05:08] Has India turned
[00:05:10] from non-violence to
[00:05:13] aggression?
[00:05:13] Have we turned?
[00:05:14] Are we different now?
[00:05:17] The Prime Minister said,
[00:05:18] no, we have done our research and
[00:05:20] that's how it is.
[00:05:21] Change.
[00:05:22] I told you, change.
[00:05:23] Change.
[00:05:24] At times, it's assured.
[00:05:25] At times, we are pushed.
[00:05:26] At times, we are confused
[00:05:28] as to,
[00:05:29] have we changed?
[00:05:32] This is part of it.
[00:05:34] Now,
[00:05:37] lot of other things
[00:05:38] that has happened.
[00:05:39] You know,
[00:05:40] Singhal
[00:05:41] in the Parliament.
[00:05:42] The inauguration of Parliament
[00:05:43] was more than Constitution,
[00:05:45] more than,
[00:05:45] more than democracy,
[00:05:47] more than
[00:05:48] everything else.
[00:05:49] I think the Singhal
[00:05:50] took the center stage.
[00:05:52] The Singhal,
[00:05:53] which was a concept of power,
[00:05:55] a concept of power,
[00:05:57] which was brought in by
[00:05:58] sages from south of India,
[00:06:00] from Tamilla,
[00:06:01] to be precise.
[00:06:02] Singhal took the center stage.
[00:06:06] Change,
[00:06:06] again,
[00:06:07] which
[00:06:09] one really didn't know,
[00:06:10] why it was happening,
[00:06:12] but all the same.
[00:06:13] You see,
[00:06:14] another point
[00:06:15] I wanted to talk to you about
[00:06:16] is,
[00:06:17] PM
[00:06:17] gifts
[00:06:18] replica,
[00:06:19] you know,
[00:06:20] to foreign dignitaries.
[00:06:21] He has gifted a replica
[00:06:23] of Ram Temple
[00:06:24] to Macron
[00:06:25] in
[00:06:26] Jan 2024.
[00:06:27] He gifted
[00:06:28] a replica
[00:06:30] of Ram Temple.
[00:06:31] And,
[00:06:31] you know,
[00:06:33] foreign leaders
[00:06:34] visiting Gujarat
[00:06:34] used to be presented with
[00:06:36] Siddhi,
[00:06:37] Sayyeddin,
[00:06:38] Nijali
[00:06:39] and the Taj Mahal
[00:06:40] earlier on.
[00:06:41] But now,
[00:06:41] the Prime Minister
[00:06:42] presents copies of Bhagavad Gita
[00:06:43] to such guests.
[00:06:44] This is what the Union
[00:06:46] Home Minister,
[00:06:47] Mr. Ramish Shah,
[00:06:48] said,
[00:06:48] asserting that
[00:06:49] whenever BJP was formed,
[00:06:50] a government,
[00:06:51] it has worked to promote
[00:06:52] the Indian culture
[00:06:53] to the world.
[00:06:55] Now,
[00:06:55] he said that
[00:06:56] in earlier times,
[00:06:57] if visiting foreign leaders
[00:06:58] came to Gujarat,
[00:07:00] they would be presented
[00:07:00] with replicas of
[00:07:01] Siddhi,
[00:07:02] Sayyed,
[00:07:03] Nijali
[00:07:03] and Taj Mahal.
[00:07:05] Nothing wrong with that,
[00:07:06] but one gets lots
[00:07:08] of satisfaction
[00:07:09] these days
[00:07:09] when Narendra Bai
[00:07:10] gives copies of Bhagavad Gita
[00:07:11] to such guests.
[00:07:13] This is what Mr. Shah
[00:07:14] actually said.
[00:07:16] Let us try and understand.
[00:07:18] He's all done.
[00:07:19] He's sorry,
[00:07:20] I've told you.
[00:07:20] Now,
[00:07:21] let's try and understand.
[00:07:23] Where and how
[00:07:25] is this problem?
[00:07:26] Let's start
[00:07:27] from the
[00:07:28] last story.
[00:07:29] You see,
[00:07:30] the Prime Minister
[00:07:31] gives Bhagavad Gita.
[00:07:32] Very good.
[00:07:34] Now,
[00:07:35] what happens
[00:07:37] is,
[00:07:38] you see,
[00:07:38] in a democracy,
[00:07:39] especially in a democracy
[00:07:40] like us,
[00:07:41] where
[00:07:42] we
[00:07:42] still are
[00:07:44] a secular country,
[00:07:45] what happens is,
[00:07:46] each of us
[00:07:47] have
[00:07:47] our role.
[00:07:50] As a journalist,
[00:07:51] if
[00:07:53] I were to
[00:07:54] gift a book
[00:07:54] or I were to
[00:07:55] talk about
[00:07:57] subject,
[00:07:58] I would gift
[00:07:58] a book about
[00:07:59] current affairs.
[00:08:01] I would gift
[00:08:02] a book about
[00:08:02] infrastructure of India.
[00:08:03] That is what I would
[00:08:04] give because
[00:08:04] that's what I'm
[00:08:05] dealing with.
[00:08:07] The Prime Minister
[00:08:08] of India
[00:08:09] is the head
[00:08:10] of administration.
[00:08:11] He is head
[00:08:12] of India.
[00:08:13] He is head
[00:08:14] of every Indian.
[00:08:16] He is supposed
[00:08:17] to be representing
[00:08:18] every Indian.
[00:08:19] He is supposed
[00:08:19] to be representing
[00:08:20] a Sikh
[00:08:20] as much as
[00:08:21] he is supposed
[00:08:22] to be representing
[00:08:22] a Hindu,
[00:08:23] as much as
[00:08:24] he is supposed
[00:08:24] to be representing
[00:08:25] a Muslim,
[00:08:25] as much as
[00:08:26] he is supposed
[00:08:26] to be representing
[00:08:27] a Christian.
[00:08:28] So I would
[00:08:28] believe that
[00:08:29] the Prime Minister
[00:08:29] of India
[00:08:30] would rather
[00:08:30] gift a book
[00:08:31] like Discovery
[00:08:32] of India
[00:08:33] to a visiting
[00:08:34] dignitary.
[00:08:36] And there are
[00:08:37] people like
[00:08:38] Sadguru Jaggi
[00:08:39] Vasudev.
[00:08:40] Let him
[00:08:41] distribute
[00:08:41] Mahabharat.
[00:08:42] Of course,
[00:08:43] he has all
[00:08:43] the right
[00:08:44] to distribute
[00:08:44] Mahabharat.
[00:08:46] Bhagavad Gita.
[00:08:47] Very good.
[00:08:48] He should be
[00:08:49] promoting religion.
[00:08:50] That's his job.
[00:08:52] The concept
[00:08:53] of a secular
[00:08:54] democracy
[00:08:55] is that
[00:08:55] each of us
[00:08:56] has our job.
[00:08:59] The state
[00:09:00] is different
[00:09:00] to religion.
[00:09:01] Religion is
[00:09:02] different to
[00:09:02] state.
[00:09:05] Promotion of
[00:09:05] any religion
[00:09:06] is not wrong.
[00:09:07] Very good.
[00:09:07] Promote.
[00:09:08] Good.
[00:09:10] Promote your
[00:09:11] religion.
[00:09:12] But let the
[00:09:13] right people
[00:09:13] do that.
[00:09:15] When the
[00:09:16] Shankaracharya
[00:09:16] says that
[00:09:17] listen,
[00:09:17] if politician
[00:09:18] enters religion,
[00:09:20] then religious
[00:09:20] people will
[00:09:21] enter politics.
[00:09:22] He said
[00:09:22] that.
[00:09:23] Was he
[00:09:23] wrong?
[00:09:25] Was he
[00:09:26] wrong?
[00:09:26] Let us
[00:09:26] go and
[00:09:28] distribute
[00:09:29] Bhagavad Gita
[00:09:30] not only
[00:09:31] in India.
[00:09:31] Let them
[00:09:32] go and
[00:09:32] distribute
[00:09:32] across the
[00:09:33] globe.
[00:09:35] As Hindus,
[00:09:36] let us
[00:09:36] promote it.
[00:09:37] Good.
[00:09:37] Very nice.
[00:09:38] Let him
[00:09:38] do it.
[00:09:39] Because that's
[00:09:39] what his
[00:09:40] job is.
[00:09:43] Isn't
[00:09:43] that?
[00:09:45] How
[00:09:45] change is
[00:09:46] assured?
[00:09:47] If you
[00:09:47] want to
[00:09:48] promote
[00:09:48] Hinduism,
[00:09:49] let people
[00:09:50] who are
[00:09:50] assigned,
[00:09:51] trained,
[00:09:52] understand
[00:09:52] Hinduism
[00:09:53] better than
[00:09:53] most of
[00:09:53] us,
[00:09:54] whose job
[00:09:55] is to
[00:09:56] promote
[00:09:56] Hinduism,
[00:09:56] go and
[00:09:57] promote
[00:09:57] Hinduism.
[00:09:57] Isn't that
[00:09:58] how one
[00:09:59] would like
[00:09:59] to see it?
[00:10:00] Number one.
[00:10:01] Number two,
[00:10:02] when a
[00:10:02] Prime Minister
[00:10:02] of India
[00:10:03] gives
[00:10:03] something to
[00:10:04] another
[00:10:04] Prime Minister,
[00:10:07] that symbolism
[00:10:08] of gift,
[00:10:09] shouldn't
[00:10:10] that be
[00:10:10] representing
[00:10:11] the entire
[00:10:11] India?
[00:10:13] While a
[00:10:14] Hindu,
[00:10:14] as a
[00:10:14] Hindu,
[00:10:14] I am
[00:10:15] very proud
[00:10:15] of Ram
[00:10:15] temple,
[00:10:16] but is
[00:10:16] that
[00:10:18] representing
[00:10:18] every
[00:10:19] Indian?
[00:10:20] Is the
[00:10:20] temple
[00:10:20] representing
[00:10:21] every
[00:10:21] Indian?
[00:10:24] And
[00:10:25] therefore,
[00:10:26] are we
[00:10:26] taking
[00:10:26] privilege
[00:10:27] in saying
[00:10:28] that,
[00:10:28] listen,
[00:10:29] take this,
[00:10:32] this is our
[00:10:32] symbol.
[00:10:33] So,
[00:10:33] is our
[00:10:34] symbol
[00:10:34] of India
[00:10:35] the symbol
[00:10:36] of the
[00:10:37] majority
[00:10:37] of India?
[00:10:38] Is it,
[00:10:39] are we
[00:10:40] a majoritarian
[00:10:41] country,
[00:10:41] therefore?
[00:10:42] Have we
[00:10:42] decided that?
[00:10:43] Has the
[00:10:43] change
[00:10:44] already
[00:10:44] happened?
[00:10:44] That's
[00:10:45] the question
[00:10:46] I want
[00:10:46] to ask
[00:10:46] tonight.
[00:10:49] That's
[00:10:49] the question
[00:10:49] I want
[00:10:50] to ask
[00:10:50] tonight.
[00:10:51] You see,
[00:10:54] when I
[00:10:54] go to
[00:10:55] a court,
[00:10:57] and now
[00:10:58] we have
[00:10:58] seen that
[00:10:59] often,
[00:10:59] yesterday my
[00:11:00] story was
[00:11:00] a judge
[00:11:01] said that,
[00:11:02] okay,
[00:11:02] so what?
[00:11:03] How is
[00:11:04] religious
[00:11:04] sentiment
[00:11:05] hurt if
[00:11:06] somebody goes
[00:11:06] and says
[00:11:07] Jai Shri
[00:11:07] Ram in
[00:11:08] a mosque?
[00:11:08] This is
[00:11:09] what a
[00:11:09] judge said
[00:11:10] yesterday.
[00:11:10] That was
[00:11:10] my story
[00:11:11] yesterday.
[00:11:11] And today
[00:11:12] I am
[00:11:12] coming and
[00:11:13] reporting to
[00:11:17] our flag,
[00:11:19] Supreme
[00:11:20] Court flag
[00:11:20] has changed
[00:11:21] and there
[00:11:22] are faces
[00:11:22] from the
[00:11:23] Mahabharata,
[00:11:24] our statue
[00:11:25] of justice
[00:11:26] has changed
[00:11:27] and she
[00:11:28] now looks
[00:11:29] more like
[00:11:30] a Hindu
[00:11:31] deity than
[00:11:31] what it
[00:11:33] was earlier
[00:11:33] on.
[00:11:34] Have we
[00:11:35] already
[00:11:35] changed to
[00:11:37] a Hindu
[00:11:37] Rashtra?
[00:11:38] That's
[00:11:39] what I am
[00:11:40] confused.
[00:11:40] Have you
[00:11:41] already
[00:11:41] changed?
[00:11:42] Are we
[00:11:43] now assuming
[00:11:43] that this
[00:11:44] is it?
[00:11:44] Baba,
[00:11:45] this is how
[00:11:45] it is.
[00:11:45] Have we
[00:11:47] changed?
[00:11:49] Or are
[00:11:50] we still
[00:11:50] a country
[00:11:51] that belongs
[00:11:53] to everybody,
[00:11:53] every Indian?
[00:11:57] Because
[00:11:59] if that's
[00:12:00] what it
[00:12:00] is,
[00:12:02] symbolically
[00:12:02] that's not
[00:12:03] how we are
[00:12:04] slowly but
[00:12:04] steadily changing,
[00:12:06] representing
[00:12:06] ourselves.
[00:12:07] Our
[00:12:08] Prime Minister
[00:12:09] is giving
[00:12:10] temple
[00:12:11] replicas.
[00:12:12] Our
[00:12:12] Prime Minister
[00:12:13] is giving
[00:12:14] Bhagavad
[00:12:15] Gita to
[00:12:16] foreign
[00:12:17] dignitaries.
[00:12:18] Our
[00:12:19] Supreme
[00:12:19] Court
[00:12:20] now looks
[00:12:21] different.
[00:12:22] The flag
[00:12:22] is having
[00:12:24] phrases from
[00:12:25] Hindu texts.
[00:12:27] Our
[00:12:28] to my
[00:12:29] mind,
[00:12:29] our
[00:12:30] lady of
[00:12:30] justice
[00:12:31] now looks
[00:12:32] like
[00:12:32] a Hindu
[00:12:33] deity.
[00:12:35] So is
[00:12:36] that what
[00:12:37] we are?
[00:12:37] Then we
[00:12:38] should be
[00:12:38] very clear.
[00:12:39] This is what
[00:12:39] we are.
[00:12:39] We have
[00:12:40] changed
[00:12:40] Baba.
[00:12:42] Like it
[00:12:43] or not,
[00:12:43] we have
[00:12:43] changed.
[00:12:44] We are
[00:12:44] Hindu
[00:12:44] Rashtra.
[00:12:45] Say it
[00:12:46] overtly.
[00:12:47] Say it.
[00:12:48] Let's
[00:12:48] be very
[00:12:49] clear about
[00:12:49] it.
[00:12:53] And
[00:12:53] then if
[00:12:54] that is
[00:12:54] the case,
[00:12:55] then I
[00:12:56] am sorry
[00:12:56] I did
[00:12:57] that
[00:12:57] earlier
[00:12:58] yesterday
[00:12:58] where a
[00:12:59] judge said
[00:12:59] that it's
[00:13:00] okay if
[00:13:01] you shout
[00:13:03] Jai Shriram
[00:13:04] in a
[00:13:04] mosque.
[00:13:06] It is
[00:13:07] okay if
[00:13:07] a judge
[00:13:08] from the
[00:13:09] same
[00:13:09] Karnataka
[00:13:10] High Court
[00:13:11] says that
[00:13:11] this is
[00:13:12] Pakistan
[00:13:13] because
[00:13:14] maybe it
[00:13:15] is a
[00:13:15] Muslim
[00:13:16] dominated
[00:13:16] area in
[00:13:17] Bangalore.
[00:13:19] it's
[00:13:20] okay.
[00:13:21] Because
[00:13:21] that is
[00:13:22] what we
[00:13:23] are.
[00:13:24] All I
[00:13:24] am saying
[00:13:25] is let
[00:13:25] me know.
[00:13:26] Let me
[00:13:27] know if
[00:13:27] this country
[00:13:28] has changed.
[00:13:29] Let me
[00:13:30] know if
[00:13:31] this country
[00:13:31] has changed
[00:13:32] so that I
[00:13:32] start
[00:13:33] understanding
[00:13:33] that I
[00:13:34] no longer
[00:13:34] live in
[00:13:35] a secular
[00:13:35] country.
[00:13:36] I think
[00:13:37] as a
[00:13:37] citizen of
[00:13:37] this
[00:13:38] country
[00:13:38] I deserve
[00:13:39] to know.
[00:13:40] And
[00:13:41] that's
[00:13:41] what I
[00:13:42] would ask
[00:13:43] from
[00:13:43] the
[00:13:44] authority
[00:13:46] who is
[00:13:46] changing
[00:13:48] symbolically
[00:13:48] one thing
[00:13:49] after another.
[00:13:51] Till I
[00:13:52] see you
[00:13:52] next time.
[00:13:53] That's
[00:13:53] tomorrow
[00:13:54] at 10
[00:13:55] o'clock.
[00:13:56] But before
[00:13:56] that thank
[00:13:57] you so much
[00:13:58] for your
[00:13:58] contribution.
[00:13:59] Thank you
[00:13:59] so much
[00:14:00] for your
[00:14:00] contribution
[00:14:01] for our
[00:14:03] Maharashtra
[00:14:03] effort,
[00:14:04] our Maharashtra
[00:14:04] elections.
[00:14:05] We are on
[00:14:06] the job.
[00:14:06] We are
[00:14:07] going to
[00:14:07] get you
[00:14:07] stories.
[00:14:08] We have
[00:14:08] already
[00:14:08] started it.
[00:14:09] We are
[00:14:09] going to
[00:14:09] get you
[00:14:10] more stories
[00:14:11] on Maharashtra.
[00:14:12] But we
[00:14:12] got every
[00:14:13] penny that
[00:14:13] we asked
[00:14:14] for.
[00:14:14] And thank
[00:14:15] you.
[00:14:15] Please don't
[00:14:15] send any
[00:14:16] more money.
[00:14:16] We have
[00:14:17] enough.
[00:14:18] You send
[00:14:18] us the
[00:14:18] money.
[00:14:19] And that's
[00:14:20] good enough
[00:14:20] for us
[00:14:20] to do
[00:14:21] our show.
[00:14:22] So thank
[00:14:22] you so
[00:14:23] much.
[00:14:23] Please do
[00:14:23] not send
[00:14:24] any
[00:14:24] more money.
[00:14:25] I am
[00:14:26] so grateful.
[00:14:27] And I am
[00:14:27] so grateful.
[00:14:28] Thank you
[00:14:28] so much.
[00:14:29] And till I
[00:14:30] see you
[00:14:42] download
[00:14:42] now for
[00:14:43] smarter
[00:14:43] faster
[00:14:44] news
[00:14:44] experience.