The Indian look at US, or is it the other way around?!!

I came across these paragraphs from US army in Kolkata during 1945, as some kind of instruction to American soldiers…interesting (source: “The Calcutta Key” Services of Supply Base Section Two Division, Information and education Branch, United States Army Forces in India - Burma, 1945:  at: http://cbi-theater-12.home.comcast.net/~cbi-theater-12/calcuttakey/calcutta_key.html)

The Indian Looks At You 

For a long time India looked across the seas toward that shining example, America. And now, right here in their own country, Indians are looking at Americans, they are looking at you. And what do they see? Fine strong men wearing clothes of a general excellence, possessing am abundance of material things, equipped with countless mechanical devices - men who have everything and yet are without the normal affections of the non-Indian dealing with the Indian. Your naturalness is noticed and admired. You offer a cigarette to a rickshaw wallah, and the Indian is astonished. You bewilder him in many ways. But out of the first mist of bewilderment there comes to the Hindu the realization that the American is endowed with feelings that are very much human. You are a possible friend to him - a hope for the future. You startle him from his torpor of pessimism. You provide him with a contrast. Your kind, frank, honest behavior open up for the Hindu a new vista of optimism; and on the whole he is more than prepared to accept you as a shining example, as a true friend. That poses a problem for YOU. Are you going to tear yourself and your country down in the Indian's eyes, or are you going to conduct yourself so that the Indian can keep his shining example, his hope for the future?

GETTING ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE

If you are good-natured and patient in your dealings with Indians you won't have any trouble with them even if you find some of their ways hard to understand and even annoying at times. For instance, they feel it is only polite to tell you what you want to hear. Very often that politeness of theirs will get you much misinformation. If you ask: "Is this the right road to ----?", the Indian probably will say "Yes", even if it isn't. To be on the safe side ask: "Which road goes to our camp, etc?"

Almost anywhere you go in India, you will find people who speak at least some English. Although many languages are spoken, the most widespread is Hindustani. It will pay you to learn some common words and phrases of Hindustani, which you will find at the end of this book. 
Time and punctuality 
Most Indians have a different idea about time and punctuality from ours. If a man says he will come at 5 o'clock he doesn't necessarily mean 5 o'clock sharp but within and hour or two of five. If you instruct a workman to finish a job by Tuesday, he may take it to mean merely sometime soon. If you want work done on time, you must keep a close check on the progress of it. All work stops on holidays, which sometimes last for several days. 
“You not sweep today – you not work tomorrow.” 

In the mills the Indian traditions were likewise facing a shake-up. The sergeant in charge of the workshop, seeing the workers departing at the end of the day, stopped them to inquire “What about sweping the floor?” “Sahib,” came the answer, “we not sweepers –we no sweep.” The reaction was simple. “You not sweep today – you not work tomorrow.” They swept.

Americans and the real India

On my way to Arakan in February 1943 I stopped briefly in Calcutta, through which I was to pass many times in the next two years. Calcutta, like Delhi, was crowded with American GIs and officers, and this was my first exposure to Americans en masse. Although far more informal and friendly than the British, they were more difficult to adjust to and it took time to accustom oneself to their speech and their manner of life. Later, staying in American military centres and camps, often sharing tents and bashas and roughing it together in the war areas, we came to know one another better : I count many Americans among my friends today. At the me, a good many of them struck me as more lonely and homesick than their British counterparts; more lost and bewildered. The British being the rulers were in a way at home in India. But the Americans, accustomed to see India through Hollywood's cameras as a fabulous land peopled by maharajas and elephants, were appalled and sickened by the stink and poverty of the place.

Their disillusion was heightened by the backlash of the terrible Bengal famine, then raging in the rural and outlying districts around Calcutta, and reaching its peak in the last quarter of 1943, to claim a total of nearly three and a half million lives. Outside the luxury hotels, the bars and crowded restaurants strung along Chowinghee, Calcutta's main thoroughfare, one often saw human skeletons in filthy rags gazing hungrily with avid eyes at the eatables, cakes and cookies piled behind the glass windows. They were refugees from the affected areas. 'If I were they,' an American GI growled, 'I'd smash those glass windows and help myself to all that's there.' I thought of what I had once heard Sarojini Naidu exclaim: 'Oh, the patience of India! How I hate her patience!'

Stupendous

Philae –the probe, from the Rosetta spacecraft has landed on comet (after some initial hiccups it has finally anchored on the comet, this was confirmed few minutes back). It is an amazing achievement, considering the odds: a comet hurling at tremendous velocity, and then to negotiate it as also land on what is essentially a gravityless body. It took ten years of journey to reach this comet. It is mindboggling effort. Brilliant. I am reminded of an ancient Chinese saying “May you live in interesting times”.

I also happen to see Interstellar , the Hollywood movie the other day. The last movie I saw in a theatre was Gravity, so comparison is inevitable.  I remain a big fan of Gravity, it had a tremendous impact on me. The scale of Interstellar is impressive. Some of the visuals and conceptions are riveting (frozen clouds were exciting so was passing through wormhole as also black hole). I keep an eye on Christopher Nolan’s efforts after his Inception –another of path breaking movies. Interstellar has some amazing ideas, but I am bit concerned about the intent. It seems we have moved from adaption and mitigation to abandonment, climate change is being referred to ‘dust that land on corn problem’ (?!! btw I am intrigued by American obsessions with cornfield), as also wild west acknowledgement ‘we are pioneers not caretakers’. I am not at all impressed, and I would absolutely agree with George Manbiot of the The Guardian here.   

In the meanwhile IPCC has come out with devastating report on Climate change, they haven’t minced any words. They have stood up to their responsibilities. We are quite grateful to them. The other day US-China too have taken some encouraging steps. Let us see how things are going to concretize later next year at Paris. I had become quite a cynic in recent times (look at the stupid people in Australia, with an equally harebrained leader to match…I am not even able to recall his name…never mind he doesn’t matter, these are minor nuisance in blink of time), there seems to be some rays of hope.     

Engaging with the Indian media (specifically Times of India)

…that surely is the worst thing to do: engaging with people who desperately want your attention! Cunning and conniving Indian media have ‘news’ (if ever in the mesh of views) as an afterthought. It’s the moneybags, with ad agency and PR group, doing the round to trap people for profit, as also gain influence and clout. Of course they do some good, they have to, otherwise the spin is too obvious. This then is where liberal values are negotiated and passed with brief appreciation. Before, of course, we go into a break.  That in short is what Indian media is reduced to (regrets to likes of Amartya Sens of the world, who somehow, from their elevated perch, saw some glitter. I must add that the little lady at little mag with supersize ambition with matching ego has taken her rant one notch up. All for the sake of bharath mata). There are of course exceptions but these are rare and occasional. They can carry on with their sacred act of money making but the degradation they cause will be scrutinized. I do flip through different newspapers (mostly English but sometimes Hindi and Malayalam too) and news channels, but must admit the scene is shoddy, they are reduced to peddler of products. The system the market has created is amazingly juvenile, and that this is the basis on which humanity’s development is hinged, or atleast negotiated through, is a shocking realization. It’s a vicious cycle of consumption driven anarchy and degradation. It’s based on common people’s vulnerabilities, they ransack every possible emotions to sell. At one level it is dehumanisation of emotions, decontextualisation of feeling. This then further degrades into crony capitalism, as the family and friends make merry of the opportunities.

PM Modi calls for ‘Made in India’, good intentioned but will it have any impact. This blogger is not sure. Since, a society where physical work is considered degrading cannot bring in culture of manufacturing, it is too deep rooted malaise. Corporate maybe quite upbeat about India’s youth, the ‘demographic dividend’, but they are one of the most sedate and sterile set of youngsters you can come across. It maybe a gross generalization but I am fairly on-money here. They come from deviant/squatter’s framework, the culture and tradition herewith produces unique individuals who crave for white collar jobs, very keen on hierarchy that will turn into vicious form of feudalism at short notice. Indeed their whole intent is to sniff money and clout, everything else, including education, is a minor conduit for this gargantuan appetite. This deviant understanding of success is what market remarkably fuels at every occasion. The reason they could find so much commonality between Indian scripture (Bhagvad gita is the latest fad, which ironically is much subtler) and management thoughts (which in short boils down to how to maximize the suck). There was once a fellow who used to mail me ‘Chanakya as management guru’ nonsense so often that I had to spam him. Later he came out with a book, that I am told ‘has done quite well’, so we have a writer now!!   

Apart from this there is an attitude of entitled domination, that I have observed comes quite entrenched in squatter’s way of life. Organizational hierarchy therefore quite easily morphs these, and within this manufacturing as dictated or to be emulated works. You will be surprised the vicious form of feudalism that seeps into nook and corner of corporate –that is being goaded as harbinger of modernity. I was once working in a managerial position, and as is my wont I told my colleagues not to refer me as ‘sir’, that probably was my undoing. I realize this society is so much dominated (by squatters/ invaders/britishers so on) that it has become a template for working in a group or human relations. If you don’t dominate they will dominate, it’s an aspirational pattern. It is the reason that the majority prefer a ‘benevolent dictator’, that everyone realize this as an oxymoron makes the matter worse. I was also advised by my ‘senior’ (who intended to groom me i.e use me for his narrow ambitions) that I should not roam around too much and do menial works, rather I should be at desk and dictate to others. That is what manager does. It so effortlessly sieve into squatter’s world. The reason some do so well, telling others what to do, in pedaling things, in PR works…manufacturing and innovations (which essentially is connecting to the reality of surrounding and empathy) herewith will have to wait. It needs altitudinal change that this society will take some time to ingrain. In the meanwhile the spin doctors are at the doorstep.  

The dealings and nuances too is much complicated, it is much layered. Once I asked this young lad, an engineer, in an MNC, as we headed for food “whether he is non-veg?” He said with much seriousness that “he is a vegetarian but takes non-veg”. Any other place this would be hilarious but this is his way of establishing his pecking order. With such screwed up minds nothing special can be expected. Yes they will very diligently do the back end jobs. It is too much to expect anything more, indeed it would distress our little fellow.     

In this context the recent attempt by HRD to segregate vegetarian and non vegetarian canteen in colleges is extremely regressive and should be protested. This is heinous, evidently inspired by squatters purity driven muck worldview. Being vegetarian is a culinary choice and not matter of entitled superiority. People should share table, and eat as according to their choice. This culture of disgust on what others eat is deeply ingrained nonsense passed on as tradition. Educational institutions and policy makers have a role to play to remove these. IIT/IIMs have a much broader role to play (anyway they aren’t producing much quality students despite the hype, they rank quite low in world standard, which isn’t unexpected at all).

I was reading yesterday’s Times of India (I am told the largest selling English newspaper in India), now before I get into this let me recall writing about typo in Indian Express, now that may not have been intentional, the attitudinal issue one can gather from this is carelessness, indeed apathy. But TOI has some serious attitudinal issue to work on (not that others are doing well, generally pretentious with high intentions). The editorial (don’t know whether to call one, it has left one dear fellow permanently ‘weebit unhinged’!) had this to say “Fadnavis…is the second Brahmin to hold the CM’s chair after Joshi of Shiv Sena. This suggests that in a changing political landscape merit takes precedence over caste”. Amazing is it not? That is from the largest selling English newspaper in India in its editorial! It’s kind of oxymoronish statement (that morons who wrote it didn’t have the sense to understand). You are mentioning the caste of the person then denying its existence. I gather being casteist goes well in squatter dominating Hindu right, they are our saviors, as they say vasudeva kutumbakam (neighbors not included!!). Being casteist is also heightened state of sickularism. And so despite fratricidal war for poor us they do meet at get together and hug each other longer than usual. It is also amazing that they are equating a person from a particular caste as example of merit. This is market meets merit in action.    

Secondly, the editor (if there is any, or is it the Jain bandhus ‘hand of god’) need to explain what do they mean by ‘brahmin’, I know squatters generally refer to themselves as such, and traditional hindu zombie society has allowed them to squat (occasional respite being the invaders) wherein they should have been evicted and prevented from further degrading Hindu religion. These crude forms of expressions and identities should have been shunned like nazi symbols, because of immense atrocities on common people. The fact that it is being pushed as diversity is where Indian mediocre elite has succeeded and, I believe, invaded the western countries, piggyback riding Gandhi, as nice harmless vegetarian harbingers of peaceful souls. The reality is shockingly opposite.    

Another of intrusion is ‘spiritual’ columns, the attempt-at-making-squatter’s-worldview-palatable-to-market-industry (there are again exceptions, and some smart people who make sense). TOI has this one on the same day as above, Krishna Kops who tries to weave in with Gandhi, Tagore, Foucault, Hegel…in the context of things I can only say: it’s quite a long and impressive list of name dropping to make one singular point: to create market friendly spiritual world. Poorly written and quite simplistically recycled hash this column has these lines that I thought were inching for profoundness! “I remember an interview with an activist and booker prize winner. As usual she was about to rant and rave about capitalistic system, when the journalist asked her, why she was using an iPhone, if this was the case”. He doesn’t mention the name, ah I am so much finding it difficult to guess. Such subtleties is common these days! It’s insightful to discover that products are created by capitalistic system and not collaborative outcome of smart scientists and technologists. So shall we say all that the USSR invented (including the technology for first man in space) were communist inventions? Market created a system of selling, the defect being the sellers pocketing decent cut in the process of weaving on buyers. By this they degrade human intelligence and denigrate people. They also help consolidate regressive norms (TOI in this case being an example). iPhone is a clever example of something of value, our spiritual columnist cunningly avoids the kind of nonsense market brings to suck on people.

Despite the heading of this write up I am not trying to engage with any media. I buy newspapers on random (TOI is only one of them, not that others are much different), and make it a point to return the newspaper once read. If there are good columns I keep it to read again (it is rare these days). We live in a world where even bad publicity sells. Jain Bandhus can carry on with their debauched lives running profitable hereditary family business. Regards.         

Deeply anguishing

I go cycling around RK Narayan’s residence quite often, it’s about a Km or so from where I stay.  The house is in a pitiable condition, half demolished as it was stopped by concerned people (it may be noted that the family wasn’t much bothered and had sold it to some developer), and since then the government has taken over with the promise of converting the house into a museum.  That was few years back. The house seems to have got stuck in time and is an anguishing sight. RK Narayan deserves much better than this. He was an immensely popular writer. His house should be converted into museum at the earliest. This has so much of possibility to be a tourist attraction. Like his Malgudi town, this could be a Malgudi house where all his endearing character can come alive. Already there are enough stunning drawings by RK Laxman in existence that could make the exhibits compelling.

RK Narayan had an abiding influence on me, of course apart from his highly popular TV serial Malgudi days. I started reading seriously only after I had crossed twenty five (previously mostly into comics or encyclopedias), and RK was one of the earliest as he was easy to read. Also, the Sahitya Akademi library (delhi) had a huge collection of RK’s books. In a month or two I finished most of his books, and promptly decided I should be a writer!! Quite akin to some of his impetuous characters that he so charmingly created. In a way it’s a tribute to RK Narayan (or an insult, as you may look at it). Over the years I seem to have lost the innocence, and understand writing is a much difficult process, also in the meanwhile RK’s writings were also being criticized by people who should know better. These puzzled me a lot. As I start to get the grip of things I do understand some serious lacunae in the world of Malgudi. But then it isn’t a reality and is only a fictional microcosm of Indian life. Surely it is the writer’s prerogative to write on what he is comfortable in. Malgudi stands the test of time, and so does RK Narayan as a fiction writer. I need to stress ‘fiction writer’ since some his essays and views I find elitist and amazingly out of place. Well you cannot blame him when your friend circle includes MN Srinivas (who apart from other things even put forth, with much seriousness, that people from higher strata should be paid to stay with people of lower section, as a practical step towards social amalgamation!! If I recall this interview came in Frontline, long time back). 

Mysuru (thankfully Mysore is out, apologies to RK) is a great place to live, quieter and laid back, it goes with my temperament. I sincerely hope they don’t ruin it like they have done to Bangalore (which is now development junkyard, that surely is a huge effort from what was once a garden city), though signs are ominous with homo sapiens reproducing at alarming rate and market pushing from development. You can cycle around the Mysuru city without facing much pollution or traffic issues, overwhelming section is sensitive to surrounding. Three to four kms from where I stay is agriculture land, where things are as it is for centuries with Kaveri river in the back drop and web of canals and water bodies. It is a paradise of wildlife, very few cities can claim of bird sanctuary.  Located right on the tip of Western Ghats Mysuru is enchantingly close to wildlife, so much so that you get tales of leopards and wild elephants, sometimes right in the centre of the town. It is straight out of RK Narayan’s plot!!

Mysuru also has history of valuing excellence, few names of people who have spent substantial part of their life in Mysuru will help to get the context. Former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishan taught in University of Mysore (his birth anniversary is observed as Teacher’s Day), M Visvesvaraya an engineer whose contribution is such that he is even referred to as ‘father of mysuru’ (his birth anniversary is observed as Engineer’s Day). Other names includes, the list is long and I am including only few, Kuvempu, Raja Ramanna, HY Sharada Prasad, RK Laxman, Narayanamurthy so on. Mysuru over the years has become quite an attraction for yoga practitioners. Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar are the names that have connections to Mysuru. For a small town (it’s difficult to call Mysuru even a city) that is quite remarkable. 

There is a restaurant named Malgudi in Mysuru, with sketches from RK’s fictions on the wall, quite a charming effort but I find it too congested for my liking. So I skip it. I prefer breakfast in a laid back place with not many people around or much chattering, it can be quite distressing. They should give me my three idlis or oil less masala dosha with potatoes mashed into small chunks  and hot piping coffee, and forget me for next an hour or so, and I read an agreeable newspaper column that should make me think. Its how the day begins, nobody is rushing anywhere.