It is matter of horror that
Indians are being subjected to these kinds of atrocities. For centuries it was
Sanskrit language that determined everything and anything indeed the existence of
not only this life but hereafter. And as is the tradition, the temple
squatter’s club rules saw to it that most people are denied even this, and
therefore usurped the warped understanding of competence. The mediocre society
has moved with the framework intact (with Gandhian charm, I must add) and has
now firmly hinged on English. This language is now end and all. Knowing this
language is therefore defining moment of competence, nuances herein is how
brilliance gets defined. Colonial
Britain cultivated the elite from the natives in their mold (sometimes referred
to as Macaulay’s bastards), this was done quite judiciously throughout its
colonies, they therefore became torchbearer of commonwealth. They emulated
rulers and helped them well, one of the conditions while the power was being
transferred (sold locally as independence/freedom) was that these structures
and interest will be safeguarded. The idea of freedom was therefore quite
limited to begin with. Congress leaders, mostly traditional elites, with Gandhian
convenience set out to develop the
society as they quite stridently adhered to squatter’s framework and
maintaining status quo on colonial laws. Macaulay with necessary Marxian angst
was how Nehruvian worldview took its root. We still have these anachronisms
flirting around us displaying their pedigree with such relish that words like
feudal, even racism, falls short. Congress leaders blanketed their ethical
vacuum by exalting Gandhi and usurping his supposedly charming attributes while
they carried out from what was left by britishers. Even a cursory glance will
point out to serious lacunas in the policy framework (that includes
law&order, judiciary so on) that sometimes needed only minimal changes. It
isn’t surprising that after so many decades of so-called independence things
are as if in some time warp, meanwhile painful half hearted incremental input
depending on manipulation and exigencies of electoral politics. It is as if they don’t think people exist and
if ever for their convenience or an arrogant self justifying action. Haughtiness
of Natwars to Kurshids to Iyers to Digvijays (as also their counterparts in
media/judiciary/bureaucrats/liberals/intellectuals) makes words like secularism
an abuse, democracy a con act and sensibility a lost cause. These elites with
their characteristic flourish systematically degraded the society and
remarkably suited it to egalitarian values. So now we have the poignant sight
of estranged squatters sizing each as the hindutva forces want to rewrite the
texts. People like Batra have ideas of world that are ridiculous to say the
least (though i would agree on not extinguishing light during birthday celebration, it makes sense) but pitting these Mahagyans against Marxian and Macaulay doesn’t diminish
anything at all. It is the law of nature that ridiculous doesn’t remove
ridiculous, indeed it gets consolidated. For last many decades they have
carried lots of absolute nonsense as study material as also ideas of
competence, despite studies and commissions on the contrary, the education
sector has been misused and neglected. The congress culture of chaltha hai status quo, till it boils
over, then manipulate some incremental changes. Never face reality always
manipulate for short term gains.
For last many decades one of the
most mediocre conceptions has been exalted as ‘steel frame of society’ for this
we have to be thankful to colonial power is the revered refrain (ironically
they couldn’t even translate ‘steel plant’ into hindi, if you think that is the
irony then it not. The irony is that the Chairperson of UPSC still gets to keep
his job, despite these shoddy mischievous works) is the bureaucracy. That they
have failed quite miserably (with few exceptions) is clear from the big gap in
the intent, reality and application of policies, and India’s tragic social
indices. Clearly the bureaucrats turned out to be the extension of feudal norms
that gained and consolidated from colonial power. Therefore they carried on the
Macaulay’s understanding of competence which stood for emasculation and exploitation.
In the earlier few decades they were hand in glove with the political boss (who
weren’t much different from the colonial boss) as they got along quite well with
colonial club rules and impeccable mannerism, in the meanwhile dropping some
crumbs here and there as part of social justice.
It is in this context that
English gained status as brilliance in action, it filled in the halo in absence
of colonial masters (as they left after transfer of power). The interlocutors therefore
attributed this to nothing but genius of the language and the spectacular
worlds it created, invoking English in itself was an act of excellence. The
bureaucrats naturally assumed themselves to be excellent having cleared these
excellent criteria. The problem being these excellent people were not quite
able to connect to common people and their problems, indeed they never wanted
to. In Gandhian conception of things this was seen as problem of the people
–they needed to be more understanding in the meanwhile suitably self
flagellating sadist, while the exploitative elitizens meddle with the club
rules and create hilarious situation for their own conception. Gandhi quite
effectively filled up the moral vacuum, so the excellent people apart from
English skills also carried sufficient sympathy as trustees. These elitizens
coming from squatter’s framework didn’t have much problem dealing with this new
deity, few centuries back they were lavishing in the pristine nature of
Sanskrit and delving in puerile ‘philosophies’ limited only by their own
limitations, shift to English was natural. Not much has changed for common
people they moved from one burden to another, as their skills and talents never
quite matched up. The society slips into abyss of mediocrity and people
suffered wherein the elitizens created new club rules suiting their fancy and
hard selling it as competence.
A student must be evaluated in
the language he or she is comfortable in as also sensitive to the cultural
context and the needs of the society that is the basic requirement for testing
any competence. English doesn’t fulfill any of these, on the contrary it
creates barriers as also undermines the basic intelligence of the candidate. It
seeks to create an alternative elitist world as aspirational therefore by some
absurd logic competence. Exams should be conducted in as many languages as possible,
a way has to be found to tap in the competence of people otherwise these kind
of travesty in the name of selection should be stopped. Indeed do we really need this
self perpetuating ‘steel frame’ that is becoming a burden. Also selection
process should be conducted by competent people. Incompetence and tardy effort
will have to be severely dealt (Recently a Staff Selection Commission exam had
a question on height of hindi movie actress?!! The person who created such
question should be arrested for dereliction of duty and the system that
sustains these should be dismantled). If English is ever used it should be
value neutral and the linguistic skill in this language should not be criteria
at all. The government should evict itself from English promotion and focus on impacting
common people and effectiveness towards society at large. English promotes
superficialities and negates innate talent of people and creative needs of
society, it imprison their aspirations and cloisters their lives. Government
that seeks welfare of the people has no business in promoting or evaluating
English skills. It is a travesty. Market may need people who have to fulfill
these needs of English driven mediocre world, and they may be please carry on.
The government has the duty to create a system that seeks to disincentive
English. The common people should have the confidence to deal with the world in
their own terms and talent that is how societies develop. The parents as well
as teachers shouldn’t feel the need for English. It will save lots of efforts
in the wrong direction and focus on the needs of individuals and society. This
is where talent happens and innovation becomes norms, and therefore society
develops.
Society has suffered because of
these English driven self preserving nonsensical notions and has slipped
further into incompetence and mediocrity. Congress to a large extent was immune
to these disparities and miseries that it created, as they themselves were part
of this exploitative system and negotiating competing sycophancy. English and
charming world it created (that also includes cricket) was the reason in itself
for their excellence, they surely don’t have to do anything further. And yes
they didn’t do anything much. The lopsided development and immense misery created
is testament to it. Indeed rightist
elements will see Sanskrit as savior language, as much as liberal elements see English
as end all. As mentioned it is fratricidal war of squatters. Their attitude and
nuances are same. Modi as PM is morally duty
bound to find a solution that syncs with his life and experiences, of a person
who comes from humble background. He shouldn’t be allowed to be co-opted by these
clever manipulators who have entrenched themselves in the system and are
gnawing from inside. He is elected to
dismantle these interest groups.
The argument that Chinese and
Koreans are learning English is not at all surprisingly, another of the
absurdity that emanates from fertile minds of inbred English fed elites. Chinese
and Koreans have very strong foundation of their language in the society, their
elites come from this framework, therefore are respected as intellectuals.
These societies have strong intellectual base and egalitarian foundation –the
reason significance given to primary education and health, as also pride in their
language and humanistic culture. In such societies English will always remain a subsidiary
language that too for the requirement of jobs especially service industry or
dealing with English speaking countries. They will use English and not admire
and make it a beacon of competence. It can never gain primacy. India on the
contrary has an inegalitarian foundation that works on manipulation and
entitlement, for the same reason it doesn’t really have the culture of nurturing
talent nor tradition of strong intellectual foundation that emanates from and is
valued by society. Indeed the word culture is sinister in Indian context. English therefore gains primacy, mediocrity and manipulation
becomes norms as people become subsidiary to language. The society becomes
market, marketers becomes social reformers. All the while people are readied as
consumers, the moneyed will create framework of aspiration achieving this will
be excellence. English was meant for Indians to be second fiddle to colonial
power now it is to American market, and the pointer it creates becomes
aspiration, very judiciously converted into consumers of whatever Americans
produce and lifestyle demands. I am not sure whether that is the achievement of
paid cronies of the manipulative Indian elite or is it brute power of US, as
moron Kurshid says in impeccable English (that has won this mediocre fellow
secularism brownie points) ‘some intelligence outside public domain will have
to be shared’. Is this dumb fellow for real?
English cannot be judging
criteria at all, and all that deals with it will have to be dismantled. It is shocking that engineering and medical
texts are not translated and taught in the language that students are
comfortable in. I have written this earlier too, and recall Kapil Sibal
(one must be careful of the man who writes atrocious poems, old jungle saying!)
even promised. Ramdev in the meanwhile is living an exaggerated life trying
quite hard moving from baba to swamiji, his exalted being demands this. He has
start to think that he is part of miracle, and landed into entitled role that
was waiting for him for the reason of other worldly justice and miraculous
providence that only he could achieve, therefore he has ensconced himself in
temple squatter’s framework and now delves in intricacies of Sanskrit. Our man
is trying to create excellence through Sanskrit in the meanwhile producing
zombie like youngsters like the one they create in madrasas –crazily
pendulating over holy books and rendering their intellect useless and life
meaningless (the onus is now on us to find these zombies jobs, otherwise its
discrimination).
The protest against English is
eminently needed, and I sincerely hope it spreads to selection process for
other exams like IIT, Medical, NDA so on. It should open up a debate that leads
to proper understanding of competence and selection processes. Government
cannot be dictated by market. Modi government should realize that this section
(the vast mass of rural semi urban people, even the urban who are against
English elitism) has put faith on him (and not likes of clever manipulators,
the lutyen delhi creations without any mass base), they are not looking for any
charity but someone who empathize and put in place unbiased selection process
that values their talents and cherish their competence. There are some who are
speaking on the behalf of BJP making amazingly stupid and elitist statements
that makes mockery of student’s agitation. If BJP fails then it is Mr. Modi who
fails these spokespersons will vanish in thin air therefore they should be kept
in tight check.
There is a need for complete overhauling
of the system as also the attitude and ideas on competence. Take for instance
the amazingly mediocre fellow who passes out from IIT studying market cherished
subject of engineering and then ‘smart’ enough to study at IIM another of
market cherished subject which ironical has nothing to do with engineering
which he initially started with. Then in a carefully planned absurdity this
fellow ends up in some Finance related company making money advising others on
money matters, meaning how to save, meaning avoiding tax. Such a colossal waste
this moron but this fellow is celebrated as beacon of success by this mediocre society.
As you observe his choices were not guided by any desire to learn and explore
but acutely tuned to manipulate to earn more, and it isn’t a deal they are able
to but nothing much can be expected of them. They are waste, indeed IIT-IIM who
are seen as some kind of role models are arguably the dumbest lot I have come
across, though I must add they do have interesting anecdotes to share. Sickening.
Not surprisingly nor IITs neither IIMs figure anywhere in international scale. If
this is what Indian education system is creating then the education itself has
to be questioned. They churn money sniffers who constantly seek to make more
money, like pigs sniffing for muck, they are no centres of excellence and nothing
much is expected. They will not even bother for contexts, forget understanding
(therefore innovation) they float from one money pot to another with consummate
ease, and celebrated by market and its media. They will never be of any use except
amassing pointers of wealth and power. Real education is something else that needs
different caliber and outlook that this manipulative society will need much time
to understand and cherish. People will have to drop out from the stampede, and
they have. You come across these amazing people while travelling, if only Indian
education system could produce them, if only india’s selection process could nurture
them…then this society has a chance otherwise its back to prime time crap and
american sitcoms that glimpses into amazingly irresponsible lives as entertainment.
It had to be man Vs food, never thought supine Indian elites couldn't even match
this that we have to watch american travesty in place of indian!
I am quite saddened to hear about
Pranji’s demise. The character he created defined much of our childhood. Chacha
Chaudhary, Sabu, Pinki, Billoo so on became quite a rage and I recall reading
these keeping between the textbooks in schools or while doing homework…the nostalgia
of time gone by…Lotpot, Champak, Nandan, later Twinkle…the list is long. Unfortunately
for me one of the family friend convinced that these should be read in English
as it will improve English skills, and henceforth they shifted these to English.
I lost the interest, as it didn’t carry the fun that came from reading it in Hindi,
furthermore it didn’t have any exchange value (that is bartering for other
comics with kids around), as nobody wanted English comics. 
