Forget Ghaziabad's fake embassy, you can even build a country of your own

India Today

4 days ago

A fake embassy in a rented Ghaziabad bungalow shocked many. But what's even wilder? People out there have actually built their own countries, and Nithyananda's so-called Kailasa is just one example.The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force recently busted Harsh Vardhan Jain for operating "embassies" of made-up nations like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Ladonia, all from a two-storey house. For years, the 47-year-old operated with impunity, drove around in luxury cars bearing diplomatic plates, and introduced himself as 'Baron of Westarctica'.advertisementHe made 162 trips abroad over a decade and may have links to a Rs 300-crore financial scam, an ongoing probe by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has revealed.
The two-storey Ghaziabad bungalow Jain operated from flew flags of foreign countries.But this isn't the first time people have tried playing with the maps.In fact, some have taken the idea much further, creating flags, passports, constitutions, and entire national identities, even if no one takes them seriously.HOW DO YOU MAKE A COUNTRY, ANYWAY?Declaring yourself independent is the easy part. Actually becoming a country? That's a much trickier game.Step one: claim some land. That could mean seceding from an existing country, buying a patch of unclaimed territory, or building your own artificial island.Next comes the paperwork, drafting a constitution, forming a government, picking a flag and anthem, and declaring sovereignty.But international recognition is the real gatekeeper.Under the Montevideo Convention, a state needs four things: defined territory, a permanent population, a functioning government, and the ability to engage in diplomacy.Even then, unless real countries recognise you, especially via the UN, you're basically just roleplaying with a national anthem.EXAMPLES OF DIY NATIONS: NITHYANDA'S KAILASATake the case of Nithyananda, the fugitive rape-accused Godman who fled the country in 2019 after facing multiple criminal charges. Soon after, he resurfaced, claiming he'd founded a new nation: United State of Kailasa.He called it the world's only Hindu nation and a haven for persecuted Hindus. His followers claimed the land was purchased near Ecuador, though no one's quite sure where it actually is.Ecuador quickly issued a denial, clarifying that no such country exists on or near its soil.That didn't stop Nithyananda. Kailasa today has websites, social media handles, "diplomatic missions," and claims to issue its own passports and currency (called the "Kailashian dollar"). It even boasts a central bank and ministries.In February 2023, Kailasa grabbed attention when an aide of Nithyananda, Vijayapriya Nithyananda attended a meeting in the Geneva office of the United Nations.Other than Vijayapriya, five other women from the "virtual country Kailasa" participated in this UN programme in Switzerland.advertisementVijayapriya claims that Kailasa has opened its embassies and NGOs in several countries of the world.Symbolic? Yes. Recognised? Not at all.OTHER DIY NATIONS WHICH TRIEDNithyananda isn't alone. Around the world, self-declared micronations keep popping up, some bizarre, others oddly inspiring.Take Sealand, a WWII-era British military platform in the North Sea that was occupied in 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates. He declared it a country, gave it a flag, a constitution, and even issued passports. But to this day, no one recognises Sealand as a sovereign nation.Or consider Liberland, launched in 2015 by Czech politician Vt Jedlika on a disputed strip of land between Croatia and Serbia.He called it a libertarian dreamland, claiming it was terra nullius, land belonging to no one. It got media hype and thousands of would-be "citizens" online. But legally? It's still nowhere.There's also the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis, born in 2008 when a Belgian man claimed parts of Antarctica, not to conquer, but to protect. With its motto "No humans, only nature," it issues symbolic passports and has hundreds of citizens, all united by climate activism.Or Hutt River, a wheat farm in Australia that declared independence in 1970 after a quota dispute. Its ruler styled himself "Prince Leonard", ran it like a monarchy, and even declared war on Australia once.It lasted 50 years before shutting down in 2020.ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S BROTHER AND NEW ATLANTISAnd then came New Atlantis, a bamboo raft anchored off Jamaica in the 1960s by Leicester Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's brother.Leicester floated his bamboo-raft republic off the coast of Jamaica on July 4, 1964. He raised a flag, an upside-down yellow triangle on a blue background."To alleviate diplomatic tensions, he insisted that his 6-by-12-foot floating nation would be 'a peaceful power and would pose no threat to Jamaica'," according to The Smithsonian Magazine.He declared it a country to promote marine research. A storm wiped out New Atlantis in 1966, but not before it made headlines.advertisementTo add to the problems of micronations, if there is any land conflict, other nations can even declare wars. Nation-making is no easy affair.Bottom Line?Having a fake embassy, without swindling others, is an easy task. Starting a country might sound like a wild fantasy but it can be a reality on paper or online. You can claim land, write a constitution, and raise your flag. But unless the world agrees, it is not exactly reality.- EndsTrending Reel