Eyes Speak Lies ...

Being Indian

Ever since I have gained consciousness, the one thing that I have constantly come across is the allegation that the Indian society is being influenced by the western culture to the extent of losing its own identity. People claim that the rich Indian culture and heritage, that has been a symbol of progress, of ethnicity, of superior intellect, of spiritualism, of simply being Indian, is being usurped by the vain and superficial western culture, or the American culture to be more precise. The youth of today are seen as the biggest culprits in this regard, spoiling the decorum of the society, indulging in things that are inherently not Indian, disregarding their own roots in their search of transient pleasures. They blame the media for spreading all sorts of wrong notions and promoting vulgarity, siding with the foreigners. They accuse the westerners of propagandizing their social culture so as to be able to demean our existence and to exert their superiority.

These so-called protectors of society have formed their own groups and parties and carry out abominable activities in the name of safeguarding the Indian culture. They beat and drive out youngsters from cafes and restaurants on St. Valentines Day as this is supposed to be injurious to our culture. They carry out strikes to close down discotheques and pubs as this is seen as a gross anomaly in the oh! so pure Indian culture. They rally in the name of religion and fulfill their political motives by climbing up this convoluted culture tree. If I were to ask them to come up with a precise definition of the Indian culture, would they step forward and have the courage to do so. Would they be able to say anything else except the fact that it is very diverse and has always embraced whatever has come its way. If they say so, do we not have the right to slap them as hard as possible for their blatant hypocrisy. If they don’t, then why have they not come up with their version of the Indian culture. Why is the Indian culture not Indian but anti-western?

If we were to go by their assertions that the Indian culture is much superior as compared to the other cultures around the world, then why are they feeling insecure? Why should the best culture in the world be able to sustain itself? Why does it need a handful of activists with vested interests or misguided aims to stand on its feet? If still, after all their stands, the western culture is taking over and spreading its roots, then maybe we should acknowledge the fact that there is some inherent weakness, some flaw in our culture that has allowed it to wither away with time. Moreover, if the Indian culture does not allow you to go out on the St. Valentine’s Day and confess your love, then does it give you the right to beat up innocent people, of going on strikes, of disrupting normal life, of unleashing violence when none is required. Also, how do you plan to safeguard the culture by stopping the youth on a single day, when hundreds and thousands of youngsters go out every single day to innumerable outlets with their friends? Does the Indian culture teach you that if you see a boy and a girl together, they must be courting each other and even if they are, that it is because they are influenced by western culture? Isn’t love supposed to be the highest and noblest of all emotions in the Indian culture? Isn’t the Indian culture supposed to be tolerant? Doesn’t it give you the freedom to choose? It does not bind you in shackles and force upon you the will of its own. It lets you course your own destiny.

If I were to question the basis of their arguments, where would they stand then? Their issue is not that we must follow our culture and not theirs because of a sense of ownership, of belongingness, of being ourselves, but because it is superior to other cultures. Now, how do you decide which culture is superior? What criterion do you follow to judge that? For us, our culture is the best. For the Americans, their culture is indomitable. They do not find any fault with it, and why should they. Their culture evolved as a result of their actions, their surroundings, their requirements and it suits them fine. Who are we to criticize them for what they do? The farthest we can go is acknowledge its presence and move on, rather than haggling on irrelevant issues. Every person’s mother is the best mother in the world for that one person. Similarly, every country’s culture is the best for that country. Their cannot be any comparison as to which culture is better.

If it is a case of our own culture being followed in our country and an indifferent attitude to the practices being followed in the world, then why are we the first to jump and swell with pride when anything Indian is adopted and considered good. Why do we then smirk and behave as if we always knew it to be true? Why not leave them with their culture and live with our own? Aren’t we possessed by the same zeal to spread our culture throughout the world, to impose our own thoughts to unassuming masses who believe anything we tell them? Aren’t we in the same league as those whom we criticize? Aren’t we one of them? Then how could our cultures be different when all of us are driven by the same sense of purpose and work towards the same goal? How could we indict and accuse them, when we stand beside then, committing the same crime? What right do we have to call ourselves superior? What justice are we doing to our culture? Do we even know what it is like to be an Indian, to be a part of the soul of India, to flow with its rivers, to rise with its mountains, to grow with its plants, to run with its wildlife, to kiss the wind, to kick the sea, to nurture love, to persevere with life, to live, silently, peacefully, happily. To feel it within you, to ensconce it in your consciousness, to let go and see it fly as it soars high above the clouds, reaching for the elusive. The elusive that one gains, being an Indian.

posted by Swetank Gupta @ 4:26 pm