The predominant aesthetic of a large Indian school still resembles a peculiar fusion between the regimentation of a military garrison and the ritualisation of an authoritarian cult. Letās begin with a simple deconstruction of the spectacle of the daily morning assembly: geometric rows of students neatly arrayed to military commands of āAttentionā and āStand at easeā; the fervent chanting of patriotic and religious songs; the āpin-dropā attention focused on the echoing voice of the Authority figure handing down moral and administrative instructions; and the swift action meted out against any deviation in appearance or behaviour. The ritual of the assembly reminds the student every morning that the individual student is an insignificant blob, whose only redemptive value lies as part of a collective body, while the Authority is all-knowing and all-powerful and, therefore, deserves to be obeyed. The daily meeting of the RSSās shakha reproduces a similar message, except that it provides some allowance for democratic deliberation in the form of group discussions.
Asim Ali, āImprisoned mindsā, Telegraph India















