Of Chaos and Power

Swapnanil Mukherjee

The Indian economy is experiencing a downward trend in every aspect of the development index. It stands 134 out of 193 countries in the Human Development Index 2024, 105 out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2024, 116 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index 2024, 42 out of 55 economies in the International Intellectual Property Index 2024, and 108 out of 193 countries in the Gender Inequality Index 2022. There are many more indices where India is performing too poorly to sustain. However, India’s mainstream media focuses elsewhere; the discussion often diverts the masses from these alarming issues.

In India, power operates extraordinarily. It constantly dances in a spiral motion, making everything blurry and uncertain, and creating a sense of suspicion. If one tries to analyse it closely, it does not look like mere incompetence but a well-choreographed action.

It is claimed that demonetisation can wash out the problem of black money, terrorism and other unlawful activities. Still, the Reserve Bank of India shows that 99.3% of money is returned to the banking system. Therefore, the claim of eradicating black money is rendered null and void. However, it negatively affects the economy; at least 82 people have died while standing in a long line, people were being screwed, and small businesses are affected so adversely that they cannot even recover. Regarding the GST, it also breaks every promise it makes. Instead of ease of doing business, it creates enormous pressure on the MSME and informal sectors. It has been changed 697 times since its introduction. The bottom 50% of the population bears 64% of the GST revenue share, while the top 10% share only 3.9%. This list can go on for a long time, but its regressive effects on society do not end. These are the economic Chaos that is being run in society. There are other types of Chaos, such as religious Chaos, Chaos in the division of language, and Chaos in the name of culture.

Recently, a new type of Chaos has emerged on the streets of India, centred on language. Once, the diverse languages of India were a source of pride; now, they have become a point of hatred. This shift is not organic; it is being imposed through the media and other pillars of the state. It is unprecedented for a constitutional body to polarise people against a language, yet this is happening now. For instance, the Delhi police allegedly referred to Bengali, one of the official languages of India, as a “Bangladeshi language.”

 Historically, language has been a medium of conflict in India; however, this current approach–where a constitutional authority publicly speaks out against a language–marks a new and alarming trend. It is becoming increasingly clear that the state is deliberately trying to maintain its political grip on society by instigating divisions. When language fails to create sufficient division, religion takes centre stage. The Ram Mandir movement was not simply about faith; it was a strategic distraction. It shifted public focus from unemployment and inflation to a temple, showing people that reclaiming a mythic past was more urgent than securing a stable future. In this belief, the state found its cover.

When religion and language both fail to make proper Chaos, hyper nationalism comes in. Before the Pulwama attack, there were 11 separate intelligence inputs between January 2 and February 13, 2019 that warned of a possible attack on the convoy. However, it still happened, and it took place one week before the election. Rulers kept their power in the name of soldiers at that time. They have not taken any responsibility but have made some attacks on Pakistan. The Mainstream media showed it as a great victory.

Chaos makes things very uncertain, and people cannot have any expectations in this Chaos. Rights become a myth here; meanwhile, starvation, joblessness, rising inequality and other miseries of people are buried under the flags and slogans. This Chaos indicates that the state prefers a climate of uncertainty and fear, which spreads mistrust among the population. In an environment of uncertainty, people are less likely to think critically and more inclined to focus solely on survival; this is precisely what those in power want.

 The present state power does not just want to rule; it tries to make its rule eternal. To do this, they have to have the validation of intellectuals and decent people. They know that they would not find it in a straight way, so they make this environment. The state understands that people’s beliefs are more precious than their lives–people will go to great lengths to uphold them. The state knows that belief often outweighs logic. Therefore, it crafts false narratives, prioritising temples over food, language over livelihood, and nationalism over justice. These tales become so deeply ingrained that questioning them feels like an act of betrayal. People who really want some positive change are considered anti-national, Rapists, smugglers, fake ’Babas’ become heroes in this chaotic system. But some people are still there to fight against this chaos, who always try to remind people that ‘unite we stand, divide we fall’, who gave their lives to spread the light of hope, a hope to live for.

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Frontier
Vol 58, No. 19, Nov 2 - 8, 2025