In the previous
article, the theme was of inclusiveness and openness in the internal and
external context, and how India has always been a land where everyone has found
a home. In that article, I emphasized a differential approach, recommending a
differentiation between us and the rest of the World; wherein I advocated being
closed in the external cultural sphere, while being completely open in the
internal cultural milieu.
I am saying be
open; I am also saying be closed. One can be both at the same time. How do you
define being open? Open to all - to what extent? There has to be a line. I draw
that line - Black, Thick and Hard: The Line Of Citizenship. Externally, on
politics and economics, I am defensive; true - but that is because the
situation dictates defensiveness, - but more of that later in the series. Externally, on culture : I am
completely open, and for the reasons listed out in at least 17 full articles,
maybe several more. {http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/search?q=culture}
I state this because of our
increasing penchant of idolizing and highlighting the achievements of Sanaatan
Dharm followers the world over, as well as People Of Indian Origin; innumerable
news articles and oodles of Media space and time is devoted to these aliens.
For that is what these people are : Aliens. Had these people loved India, or
looked upon India as a home, they would not have left permanently. The act of
surrendering citizenship is indicative of their attitudes, their opinions and
their priorities.
I don’t grudge them their choices;
why should I? Just the same as they don’t have the right to intervene in my
nation, or indeed my individual choices, I don’t have the right to intervene in
what is essentially their individual choice. They may have been Indians at some
point in time, now they aren’t – period. Now they are as alien to me as a
Britisher, a Portuguese, A South African, or an Australian. The choice to cut
the umbilical chord has created a divide that cannot be bridged…
Internally, I am stating complete openness, inclusiveness and confidence;. I am also emphasising unity, just the same as anyone else; I am only demarcating a line dictated by the world we live in. By drawing this line, I am clearly stating, that first we need to sort out our own problems before we set out to include the world... otherwise where is the difference between us and the West? They pontificate to everyone forgetting their own internal fissures. Remember the recent past in the USA?
By drawing this line, I am actually supporting universality and openness, since I am in effect saying that I can accept you as you are; we can live together. I will not dictate how to live to you; let us have a symbiotic relationship for mutual economic benefit given your past links to India. That, I think, exhudes confidence, practicality, and a rock-hard constitution. And an eminently workable, although exceptionally tough a path to walk. It also sets a red line : the relationship is mutual economic benefit – meaning you don’t have the right to intervene in our affairs- you are not repeat not an Indian Citizen anymore,
I find this
amazing penchant of ours to highlight any headway in Sanaatani and NRI developments
abroad to be both intrusive as well as strange; equally, this irritating
penchant to not highlight achievements of Indians in India. Why should that be
so? Why cant we highlight the achievements and success stories of the countless
Indians who make it in India, who study and choose to stay in India? Why should
I care if someone – even an NRI – achieves something abroad? The value that
person is adding is to an alien society! Cant we think of Indian achievements –
and there are hundred to go around?
It is this
defensive behavior that manifests itself time and again : indicating that we
have not gotten over our inferiority complexes regarding Western Culture, and
its supposed superiority, which is a highly debatable and in some ways
incorrect assumption, basis hard documented facts of the ugly side of their
culture, just the same as every culture has bad points, including ours! Why should
we, as a nation, care that some former Indian, who left India, made it big
elsewhere? We should actually be devoting that time and space to Indians. If at
all non-Indians, then focus on outsiders who came to India!
We have been here
for 9000 years. We have seen the rise of empires; we have seen them fall and
get razed to the dust. We have seen people lose their identities, their culture
and get subsumed - of which there are even Modern Examples aplenty; we have
seen cultures crumble; we have seen cultures and nations get destroyed by
invaders -we have seen it all. And throughout this, we have remained unchanged.
We have seen the rise of might, and we have seen its crashing fall to the nadir of non-relevance. We have seen, felt and suffered the arrogance and the exuberance of might, and we are now seeing its whimper as it crumbles to dust, in the time-tested nature of this lovely existence. And through it all, we have been resolute, withstanding the strong gale-winds of forced change rip through our land and our people...
And yet, despite
the force of the change, despite the insidious internal interactions wrecked
upon our culture by the internal interaction with alien cultures, our culture
has withstood it and stands tall and hard, as hard as it ever was. Indeed,
instead of uprooting the old, what we are seeing is a repetition of the past,
as this Holy Land choreographs its magic once again, assimilating the good from
the other culture, eradicating the ills in the home culture, and further
strengthening the bonds of the mother culture.
We have done it
several times in the past; most recently in our interaction with the Arab
World, where we assimilated the new culture effortlessly into our own until the
sceptre of Western Interference tore apart the foundation of the adjustment
before it could get cemented into stone. The manifest failure of Western Style Universalism
and Culture to respect, accept, honour and integrate itself with Indian Culture
is a clear failure of the Western Concepts, as on our side we have, yet again,
managed to integrate the alien culture into our own culture.
In
doing so, churn has happened, tearing apart adjustments, understandings,
bringing past deeds to the fore, destroying equilibrium, enhancing both perceived
and real ills from a portion of the past and suppressing real ills of the
immediate past, curdling perspective, and stoking sectarianism. Never has our
culture faced such a brutal assault as it faced during 1757-1947, and yet it
stood tall and resolute. As I observed in my previous articles, it drove a schism
into our society and alienated a part of our heart from us.
And
yet, despite the strongest and most vicious attack on our being, our soul and
body, our Holy Land ensured that we withstood it. Sure, this has created
several current and felt problems, but we are sorting them out in our own
time-honoured traditions. Sure, it has created, or further enhanced, or
exacerbate some social evils: but at the same time it has absorbed the good
points from the attacking culture, effortlessly and seamlessly integrated them
into our own cultural fabric for our own benefit.
Such is our Holy Land. And that is something special : very special indeed.
I would
respectfully submit to all Indian readers here : please trust your mother a
little bit more; as a people, she hasnt failed us yet. Maa to phir Maa hi
reheti hai. Please have more pride and confidence in your Mom : and the blood
that flows through our veins. {And if you do have the trust, forgive these
words, please!} Khoon Apnaa Rang Dikhaa
Kar Rahegaa; Mehendi Toh Mehendi Hai Rang Laayegi! We have always been open,
welcoming, non-judgemental, and progressive. A slide from that led to disaster,
as history bears mute testimony. Let us not forget the lessons of history. But,
at the same time, as I said, Khoon Apnaa Rang Dikhaa Kar Rahegaa; Mehendi Toh
Mehendi Hai Rang Laayegi!
Let us look around and try and see myriad examples of positive impetus to Indian Values that can be seen everywhere we turn around and look; the rising small wave of a backlash is now evident in my reading, across the land in every aspect from tolerance to culture. In its worst form, it takes the shape of the extreme reactions like the furore over of Valentine's Day. These reactions, though extreme, are completely in line with the expected reactions that are bound to happen as cultures collide. How anyone expects anything else is beyond me.
Rather than cry foul over these reactions, we should welcome them; they are a sign that all is not lost; they are a sign that the Indian is beginning to re-assert. The need of the hour is not condemnation of such reactionary forces- this will only feed the fire; the need of the hour is toning down their reactions, being mature, and working around them. This is the theme of the third article; our contemporary problems arising out of our past, and our current response