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26 Jan: A tale of two nations

The oft-quoted ‘shared values’ notwithstanding, the contrast between India and Australia cannot be starker on 26 Jan.

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On 26 Jan each year, India celebrates its complete transition to a republic, marking the removal of the last vestiges of British colonisation.

On the same day every year, Australia becomes a deeply divided nation, the division growing deeper each time.

While India legalised the rights of its citizens on 26 Jan, in an acclaimed document drafted by Indigenous leader Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, many Indigenous people in Australia believe that this was the day when their rights were extinguished 237 years ago.

If a nation is described as the collective identity of a people emerging from a combination of shared features across a given population such as language, history, ethnicity or culture, then one country reinforced it on this day, the other lost it.

On 26 Jan 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip sailed the First Fleet into Sydney Cove and found safe harbour. Unlike New Zealand’s Māori, who resisted British colonisation, the Indigenous people of Australia were initially caught off guard by the new arrivals, only to return to their traditional way of life, which was primarily based on hunting and gathering, with a spiritual connection to the land rather than concepts of land ownership. The First Fleet was here to find a new settlement, and over time, with violent repressions and massacres of the local community, took over the land. To this day, for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 26 Jan is seen as the start of the colonisation of their land  and as a day of mourning, referred to as ‘Invasion Day’ or ‘Survival Day’.

The oft-quoted ‘shared values’ notwithstanding, the contrast between India and Australia cannot be starker on 26 Jan.

After having gained Independence from the British on 15 August 1947, the new nation continued to be governed by the Government of India Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1935. India was to remain a constitutional monarchy until it finalised its own governing laws. The first Law Minister of independent India, Dr Ambedkar was mandated with the responsibility of making the government of India, of its people and for its people. The Indian Constitution he produced is said to be the most detailed constitution in the world, lauded for its content and spirit. Where the American Constitution has only seven articles and the Australian Constitution 128 articles, the Indian Constitution consists of 448 articles (increased from its original 395).

For millions of Indians, the new Constitution adopted on 26 Jan 1950 instilled a sense of true nationhood.

Many Indigenous Australians are still seeking recognition in their Constitution.

While most Australians will take to the beach on 26 Jan and enjoy the traditional barbie, many others will choose not to celebrate. For Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, the day marks the beginning of the destruction of their culture and way of life. Australia’s national identity will continue to be challenged till it resolves its differences of this day.

For Indian-Australians, it will be a day of enjoying the advancements of their country of birth India, but deep down, many of them will be conflicted by the local issues in their new home. The scars left by 250 years of subjugation by a foreign power in their own land are not forgotten.

READ ALSO: Indigenous Australians living without conciliation

 

Pawan Luthra
Pawan Luthra
Pawan is the publisher of Indian Link and is one of Indian Link's founders. He writes the Editorial section.

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