Sri Aurobindo
Bande Mataram
Early Political Writings. 1890 — May 1908
Bande Mataram. April 25, 1907
Anglo-Indian Blunderers
The Englishman has its own standing suggestion for the treatment of incidents like the Jamalpur disturbance1.
The theory is, the riots are the result of Mahomedan indignation at the Swadeshi Boycott; therefore, Swadeshi is the cause of the whole trouble; therefore, put down Swadeshi with the strong hand.
No one knows better than the Englishman that the disturbances have been caused by the sinister alliance of Anglo-India with the Nawab of Dacca and his following contracted to put down Swadeshi by fair means or foul.
For our part we should welcome open oppression by the bureaucracy; it would be more honourable at least than local connivance at violence and brutal lawlessness, and it would be a pleasure to meet an open and straightforward opponent.
But open or secret, direct or indirect, no measures whatsoever2 will succeed in crushing the insurgent national spirit.
We wonder whether these complacent bureaucrats and exploiters have any idea of the growing mass of silent exasperation to which the present policy is rapidly giving shape and substance.
Possibly, the idea is to force the exasperation to a head and crush it when it breaks into overt action, the old policy of the English in Ireland.
But we would remind these blundering Anglo-Saxon Machiavellis that India is not Ireland; it is easier to unchain the tempest than to decree to it what course it shall take and what it shall spare or what destroy.