Though India has a modern
political structure –that aspires for individual liberty and freedom, and gives
the impression of a functioning democracy the truth is far from it. Indian
society, except for some very rare instances, is a coalescence of amazingly
primitive people. The social system is blatantly hierarchical, choices
patrimonial, values genealogy driven. Individuals are brought up with aim of
upholding family tradition, which in turn gets credence from caste/clan
construction enmeshed in patriarchal norms and extremely cruel ideas about
others. Centuries of inbreeding, which is where moral lessons are exchanged,
has produced an amazing set of insular individuals. Lack of empathy within the
family, to the fellow humans and surroundings has become a general nature of
the society. This is how culture is understood, a culture that has family at
its centre –a system that is deviant in its foundation, and sprouts mindset of
self-preservation through caste clans. This extremely sectarian identity is
where religio-moral basis of character of individual gets defined, the reason
for deeply inegalitarian mindset. This primal decider thrives despite modern
surrounding and egalitarian framework that democracy provides. In extreme forms
it gets classified as feudality, in western framed pointers of modernity it
gets easily enmeshed as choices and outlooks, the outcome with rare exception
is appalling. The reason why Indian society rarely valued competence nor had
any framework that encouraged individual innovations.
Self was positioned as subservient
to clan, the respect accorded herein is how humility is defined which essentially
was used to acquire benefits from the traditional wealth pot. Individuals seem
to be bred for acquisition and further family/clan name and grandeur, also
suggested, for eons to come. The false modesty under the tutelage of patriarchy
therefore becomes an important ingredient of character. Thus we have a sedate,
fate driven, consumerist society that keeps putrefying as it grows. It is not
ironical that individuals couldn’t really blossom despite family support and
egalitarian framework that modernity presents. Indians have remained an
amazingly mediocre set of people who are ready for subservient role, and
compensate it by wallowing in their praise for self created pristine ancient
culture. Eulogizing one’s culture as greatest in the world hides the sickening
grandeur that stands on foul foundation.
I don’t have disease of optimism
nor pessimism but yes I have very less expectation from the new generation. Of
course remarkable exceptions are always there but these freaks will have to
fight it out, if the freakiness falls into market defined gradient then maybe
they have a chance. The market has reasons to celebrate on the burgeoning young
population but unfortunately these are nothing but lineages wrapped in modern
pointers, it is unfortunate but young come with genealogical muck which can
only be undermined, put in perspective, by years of knowing, reading,
understanding and travelling. It is much complex, and takes years to remove
this burden that has seeped into subconscious elements of society, the
underlining factors emerge much slowly, to shed the hereditary nonsense and get
refreshing perspectives will take time. It is an arduous task to get out of this
centuries old insidious subtlety and sophistication, that has become our
tradition and culture. Even a great man like Gandhiji found it difficult to
come out. What is masqueraded is not what it is, the culture enwrapped in
traditional muck comes in layers and layers, sometimes it takes a lifetime to
unravel. The market quick-fix through youth power is superficial and in many cases
accentuates the inequality, without any of the protagonists even realizing. At
this point it is as shallow and potentially dangerous venture not as sinister
as US Tea Party but definitely has the potential to be. The reason why
redemption has to come from deep involvement in education, critical thinking, encouraging
enquiry (it is not only about science but particularly on what is classified as
culture and tradition, indeed heretical isn’t subaltern it is very much
mainstream) and rejecting any privileges (or under privileges) due to birth.
The prerogative associated with birth cuts at the root of ethics, it undermines
all cherished values that has basis on equality, and is patently undemocratic.
Family and tradition therefore tend to encourage undemocratic norms (it is
instructive to note the anachronisms of royalty, another feudal pointer that
has absolutely no space in civilized society. In poorer societies these are
cruel jokes).
There are some egalitarian
traditions that have been subjugated in the mainstream feudal norms and needs
credence. I was reading Mother Earth –The
Unfinished Story of CK Janu (CK Janu belongs to oppressed tribes that have
been wronged at every turn by the so called civilized world). It is instructive
to note that she refers the outsiders (that is mainstream Indians, in this case
Kerala –another bunch of amazingly primitive cultured people) as ‘civil
society’. Read these compelling lines “…we
created a system of life for ourselves through centuries of direct observation
of the earth and Nature. We never had a problem creating a place for
cultivation for ourselves, the implements, the vessels, a hut to live in and
such. Though it did not conform to the needs of civil society, it was a system
of life that was complete in itself. We could predict when winds would blow,
when it would rain and when it would grow cold. We had the tradition of
preserving food and drink for long time consumption, by watching when the leaves
began to fall and when there were changes happening to Nature. All these were
closely related to the forest, the earth and Nature. But civil society and
parties looking for power had to cook up projects apparently for our people,
but actually to fulfill the needs of civil society, siphoning off all the money
and transforming our people into good-for-nothings. So they transplant us to
where there is no space even to stand up straight. Without drinking water or a
place to relieve themselves, the image of a group of unclean people was slowly
created...” It is interesting that she prefers to refer her tribe as non
civil society and there is no irony in her tone.
Since market doesn’t put any
premium on knowledge or rational the reason why in this so called ancient
civilization society the young can be but market zombies with seemingly good
intention (eventually at the moment of reckoning easily manipulated), that is
farthest they can stretch. Since they are programmed to be recipient and
carrier of great Indian culture, they are effectively reduced to mediocre who
wait for hereditary legacy of property and business to transfer (this blogger
has argued many times that hereditary transfers should be heavily taxed).
Many a times when I see some
smart children, which most children are, I cannot but pray that their parents
die early. That is the redemption from the bequeathed muck that awaits them.
Loosing parents may sound cruel for a child, but animals have sense to free
after nurturing. Indeed in Indian context a child has a much improved chance of
being better human being if they don’t have any cultural influence and learn to
make their own discoveries and learning. That is why animals have evolutionary
possibilities, Indians (as also zombie producing organized religions) are at a
civilizational dead end. I was reading that Gandhi wouldn’t have been the great
man that he was if his father was alive. Thankfully for us the old man died
just in time otherwise he would have prevented Gandhi from travelling abroad,
and Gandhi like a fine Indian cultured family man would have accepted what his
dumb father had to offer in legacy and ended up as another bania carrying the
burden of Indian culture, rather than the greatest soul of the century. That is
the power of Indian family culture, making bania out of great people!
Post script: there are of course some really good aspects of
culture and truly nice people, but that is rare to find. One may argue that
Indians could do introspection, learn and apply their rationality, be
empathetic, generally be nice people….they have the entire egalitarian
framework at their disposal, but still they haven’t, they will not. That in short is generalization of
contemporary India that I am accused of!!
