By Sandeep Heble
We live in a world where the idea of an ideal society—one built on truth, ethics, and justice—has always been preached. Yet, when we look all around us, history seems to reward the practical, the ruthless, and sometimes, even the notorious. Maybe in books, scriptures and films, the narrative is different, but in real life, the good guys seem to always finish last. At least most of the time.
Aurangzeb ruled for nearly 50 years with a vicious streak, crushing opposition, silencing dissent, and expanding his empire with ruthless efficiency. In contrast, leaders who followed dharma and ethics—were either imprisoned, tortured or eliminated. In many parts of the World, history seems to be following this same pattern consistently: Putin, North Korea’s Kim, and other iron-fisted rulers stay in power for decades, while those fighting for freedom and justice are locked behind bars.
Are we, as a society, more comfortable with power than with principles? Do we admire strength over righteousness? Because if history is a lesson, it seems that those who are practical, shrewd, and even brutal hold on to power, while those who stand for ideals are pushed to the edges.
There are so many paradoxes of our times, the fundamental contradictions in how we wish the world to be versus how we allow it to be.
* To promote Shivaji’s Swaraj, one must behave like Aurangzeb, suppressing freedom and crushing independent thought through threats and coercion in place of debates and discussions.
* We must chant “Jai Shri Ram”, but ignore the real-life Ramas and Shankars who fight uphill battles against corruption and injustice.
* We insist on a holiday for Gandhi Jayanti, celebrating a man who rarely took a day off.
* To establish Ram Rajya, we are fine with political rivals getting crushed—though Lord Ram himself willingly gave up his kingdom.
* The Church, temples, mosques, and religious institutions must amass vast wealth in the name of gods and saints who preached simplicity, and we are perfectly fine with this.
* We call Goa “Paradise on Earth”, but are ever too eager to convert its fields and forests into concrete jungles.
* We praise our history and culture but want to erase uncomfortable truths that don’t fit our preferred religious or ideological narrative.
* We are ok with our public servants or representatives to become our masters, while we the people can stay as obedient subjects.
These paradoxes expose the gap between what we claim to value and what we truly accept.
So, do we strive for an ideal India based on justice and truth, or accept that power belongs to the ruthless?
Should we preach Shivaji and practice Aurangzeb, or should we strive to attain Swarajya in the true sense?
The answer to this will define our future!
