Indyeah has resurfaced with another long (no surprises there!), well-meaning post that asks why we seem to be Punjabis, Jats, Malayalis, Yadavs, Dalits and Kannadigas, but not Indians. A post written, I suspect, more in hope, idealism and perhaps frustration than anything else.
So, who is an Indian? Ask me. I really don’t belong anywhere – including the place where my ancestors lived. At any place in India, wherever I go, my identity and acceptance –and therefore my ability to function as a normal human – seem to hinge on my speaking a particular language, or my belonging to a certain caste, a certain religion, a certain ethnicity. The boundaries of identity that we have been drawing around ourselves seem to be getting tighter and tighter, as we discover reason after reason for some new fissure, a fresh fracture. Ironically, the only place within India where I will be labelled and identified (and therefore hated) as Indian is Kashmir.
I don’t see this changing. If anything, I see these fissures getting wider and deeper. Why, you ask? Well, for one, constitutionally-guaranteed-right-to-work-anywhere-in-India or not, migration will always happen. Both from within the country and outside. We might grow from 6 cities that are economic magnets, for instance, to 12 cities that attract the bulk of the migrants. But the flow of migrants is not going to stop – at most, it might ease somewhat. Then there’s this wonderful concept of identity, honed to a fine art in this country called India. The politics of identity feeds on the concept of the ‘other’. My thesis is that migration will not stop. Ergo, the conclusion is that neither will the politics of identity. Not here, not anywhere. But here’s what’s worse – even if I am wrong, and migration does stop, the politics of identity will never go away. If there’s no ‘other’ from ‘outside’, well, a new ‘other’ will be created, from the existing, deceptively homogeneous mass. There will always be new players who will want power and a piece of the pie – and they will slice and dice identities until, quite literally, there might come a day when the politics of identity will reach ridiculous levels. You know, when we have political parties like the Mylapore Dravida Nadar Catholic Kazhagam, or the Nizamuddin East Punjabi Hindu Khatri Janata Vikas Manch.
And don’t think I’m trying to be funny here. (Well, maybe a little…). But isn’t it true that we have moved into an era of even greater fragmentation, where everyone seems to be getting violently agitated about the same things – caste, language, religion, region – but in a more granular way? Witness the rise of the sub-categories: sub-castes, dialects, sects, sub-sects and sub-ethnicities.
Of course, we will have the usual apologists who dole out the same tired clichés about how great India is notwithstanding all this…their arguments (and that’s being charitable) seem to be in the form of ‘only 60 years, so much progress, growing economy, survived global recession, hum honge kaamyab, superpower’ without looking at either our trajectory or the direction in which we are heading.
A bunch of businessmen getting richer and entering the global list of billionaires is great. The emergence of a middle class more prosperous than the previous generation is wonderful. A million or so bloggers having collective orgasms about India’s place in the world is fantastic. But we seem to forget that timelines have been seriously crunched in this age we live in. Each generation demands faster and quicker change. All this optimism – we shall overcome, we are the best and other such infantile fantasies – does not seem to have much basis in reality, unless of course the reality is that these optimists live in a mythical India far, far way from the dust, grime and poverty of the real one. The real India in which – depending on which definition you use – around a third of the population lives in poverty. The real India in which a great part of the country is wracked by a deeply-entrenched and violent Maoist insurgency. The real India where half the children are underweight. The real India where the forgotten millions live, struggling to make ends meet, without access to water or basic health care. Did I mention primary education? This cheery list could go on.
But Indyeah’s article was more an attempt to find solutions. Well, to be proud of being Indians, we first need to be proud of India. And we can be proud of a better India. So there we go. That’s the ultimate question, as far as we are concerned. Do you want Better India? Yes. Can we expect anything good from Our Great Rulers? No. So now it’s down to us.
I believe small things can make a difference. While Indians don’t give back to society and are not philanthropists in any sense of the word, we could – and should – guide the next generation in that direction. We can just start by behaving like good citizens. Let’s be courteous to our fellow citizens – in small ways, in the way that we dispose off our trash, in the way we drive, in the way we stand in queues and generally in the way we behave, especially in public areas. Let’s teach our children these small things. Perhaps they’ll be better people than us. Better People.
Pay for an underprivileged child’s education – fees, books, the works. Any child in your immediate vicinity. Ideally, as far as resources and time permit, do more than that – take an interest in her education. Monitor her progress. Interact with her. Hopefully, that child will learn something other than what is in books, and perhaps the India of 2030 might be a slightly better place than the one of today – and that’s not really a big ask!
I truly believe this is something small enough to easily do, but big enough to matter.
(The Original Cynical QI Will Be Back In The Next Post)
May 14, 2010 at 7:25 pm
//I truly believe this is something small enough to do, but big enough to matter.//
A lot of people are doing just that!. But they are the unsung heroes, and better to be so. Otherwise, some “sena’ or other will be at their throats.
May 14, 2010 at 8:43 pm
QI, That was such a relevant post! The little things that you have outlined will actually go a long way..
Guiding the next generation the right way, is the most important one of all.
May 14, 2010 at 9:48 pm
That line about one’s identity as an Indian in Kashmir? AS you say, what an irony QI!What an irony!Cant emphasize this enough.
If there’s no ‘other’ from ‘outside’, well, a new ‘other’ will be created, from the existing, deceptively homogeneous mass.
This .This is what depresses me. Its like we are only too happy walking on this path to self destruction. We are oblivious to all else.
History? Learning from mistakes? What is that? We can’t even learn from what’s happening right now in front of our eyes. Or maybe we don’t want to.
The optimism seems to have vanished. There is a lot that gives me hope . But there is yet more that takes it away.
Its a struggle for most of us these days I suppose.
These are turbulent times.Its not visible on the surface but there are changes happening. And not of the good kind. ( khap talk by the new generation has made me depressed)
You made an observation long back. That we can not stop our self destructive march, we can only hope to slow it down a little.
I hope so. In such gloomy times, I will take even the ‘slowing down’.Beggars cant be choosers.
PS:-Yes, it was originally written when I was furious with an individual for making deliberately provocative and irresponsible comments on a popular blog.And it was finally published with a sense of frustration.
PPS;- Its good to see a glimpse of this QI once in a while:)
Yes. Small things can make a difference. Sometimes they are the only things that make one hope in times of sheer despair.
May 14, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Bettter People
I wish QI. I wish they are better, far, far better than what we are.
May 16, 2010 at 6:55 am
I couldn’t agree with you more…Our so-called leaders to need to be better people and have a vision for the country…
May 14, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Nice post Quirky Indian…cured my insomniac.
May 14, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Loved this post.
‘Mylapore Dravida Nadar Catholic Kazhagam, or the Nizamuddin East Punjabi Hindu Khatri Janata Vikas Manch’ – are really possible 😐
I agree the problem with this country is that we not very good humans – for all our talk of morals, we have no real moral values, we are so quick to cheat in everyday life – mostly without thinking about it – like when we pay a little to get a work done before another person’s, even though it’s that person’s turn, not ours.
‘Doing our bit’ can be a lot in such a huge population – if each did their bit, we will see changes.
May 15, 2010 at 7:56 am
Well thought out…I agree with everything you have said…We can only be better citizens if we start respecting our surroundings…I think Indians generally are individualist and so have no qualms about keeping their houses clean by throwing their trash on the street…
May 15, 2010 at 4:06 pm
This is a practical post. I agree with you on that – we need to train our future generations to give back to the country and society – that in itself will be our contribution. It is a step in the right direction
May 15, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Quirky Indian,
This is the first post by you, where I felt you were incoherent. And I guess, it was because either you were disturbed while writing, or felt that there’s just so much wrong with the world (India) that you didn’t know where to start or to stop. 😦 This is in line with the cynicism you’d expressed before (& which I too share), that the current & the next generation, for all practical purposes, are a gone case.
I think, had our society been allowed to take a natural course, on the whole it was becoming less sectarian. But as more & more population becomes urbanized, & more people enter schools & colleges, caste and religion are going to become divisive factors in a big way. Had India been more prosperous country, all this would matter less. Economically, we’re not realizing but I feel India’s just becoming hollow by the day. In such circumstances of extreme struggle, each case of injustice against a more deserving person is only going to drive a deeper wedge between communities. Losing a degree seat to someone scoring less is one of the worst possible experiences – it takes away confidence from hardwork & talent, what will such demoralized people do? It imminently leads to hatred towards the entire entitled community, & not just one person.
In the hospital where I’d done internship, due to weird reservation-based guidelines for promotion, in some units despite possessing same qualifications, junior nurses were made bosses of more experienced ones. There, Christian missionaries have been active & significant fraction of backward caste nurses were converts also.
I’d just completed my internship, when those guidelines were implemented, and already undercurrents of hatred were visible. I won’t be surprised if some day riot-like situation occurs there. On an uncritical examination, everyone would dismiss it as blind religious hatred, but facts would be different.
I always wanted your ideas on this post. Please see, if you find time: http://ketanpanchal.blogspot.com/2009/03/communalism.html
Regarding other larger part of your post – overall lack of ethics, concern, empathy & compassion – I really don’t know what the solution is. Problem is only worsening with time.
Do read this anecdote – it was truly painful for me, and you’ll understand, why: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/7e17f20781a3845d4eb0adbb874e289d
May 16, 2010 at 1:01 am
Absolutely with you on this. The fragmentation just gets more minute. The sad part is, those who think they are INDIANS first and Madrasis/Dilli-ites/Mumbai-ites/Bangaloreans/or Hindus/Muslims/blah blah… i.e. those who are exoteric (Er, I doubt if that’s the right word here).. are very often OSTRACISED by their local community. They are accused of not being able to integrate with the immediately local community. People don’t realise that its fine to think of India as a WHOLE rather than a particular clan/group/state first!
I liked your suggestion of sponsoring a child.. am going to do it soon enough 🙂
May 16, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Pal its something like that here as well.
Those from the state my parents come from accuse me of not knowing anything about the customs, traditions etc.
May 16, 2010 at 2:11 am
First, I miss the cynic in you 😦 This sounds like any of us, with a great deal of intelligent insight into the politics of identity.
On another note, very valid points. As a woman, I also think gender is a very important part of identity creation and politics.
May 16, 2010 at 6:26 pm
The cynical QI is being missed by many.:)
May 16, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Quirky:
For a change, I disagree with you on the desperate hand-wringing.
In India, everyone is an Indian. They do not have to say it because it is visible. It is like the only people in Britain who say they are British are those who otherwise on visual inspection look like they are not. A vast majority otherwise self-identifies as Scottish, Irish, English, Cornish, Welsh, Geordie, Liverpudlian, Londoner, Cockney, working class etc. You know why? Because we are individuals and do not want to be part of a homogeneous mass. Everywhere in life our success depends on how we stand out, while also fitting in in the broadest sense of the word.
Surely the best thing about being A caste, speaking B/C/D/E languages, X colour, from Y religion, from Z state is that one can invoke A, B, C, D, E, X, Y, Z in different situations. In other words, a multilayered identity enables one to fit in a range of circumstances and succeed in a whole bunch of situations. Not just in India but around the world.
And as for the differences; If you are aware of them, do not dwell on them. If each of your commenter, instead of being upset, made small, everyday decisions that undermined caste/ language/ gender/ region/ religion based differences, official categories will matter but only on paper. Like everywhere else it is individual commitment to societal change that will lead to a critical mass that ensures change happens and sustains.
Otherwise, celebrate your own multi-layered identity. Therein lies the possibility of maximising one’s happiness from all that this world has to offer.
May 18, 2010 at 8:42 pm
I ditto Shefaly’s comment.
“Because we are individuals and do not want to be part of a homogeneous mass. Everywhere in life our success depends on how we stand out, while also fitting in in the broadest sense of the word.”
May 17, 2010 at 1:14 am
Quirky, I can understand ur sentiments and fully agree with u on absence of inclusive growth in India. But I feel overal caste divide in the society is decreasing.More and more ppl are marrying out of caste and soon there will be a sizably large community who can be called caste less.
May 17, 2010 at 1:08 pm
QI, As usual I agree with the idea. We are shameful people, most likely an Indian in US and UK will start giving excuses on his existence or will crack a nervous self depreciating comment on India( I have seen this).
May 17, 2010 at 5:22 pm
[…] I wish we would all make some tiny contribution to encouraging literacy One brilliant suggestion is mentioned here at Quirky’s brilliant post. […]
May 19, 2010 at 12:36 pm
QI, I frankly feel that your question (a lament if you will, coz mine certainly was) of why there are no Indians in India has been wrongly interpreted as a clarion call for all Indians to unite in some primitive dance of oneness.
Being a global citizen, celebrating our differences, one world-one dream. Ideal world ?
What is the reality in India?
Reservations ensures that caste is simply not a word on paper but one that affects my daily life too. It affects me if I am a beneficiary. It affects me if I am not.
(I am guessing that the new census that asks for one’s caste wont simply be a word on paper either. )
As Ketan says,
In such circumstances of extreme struggle, each case of injustice against a more deserving person is only going to drive a deeper wedge between communities.
Or when I see khaps being defended by Hindus citing the most absurd reasons possible do you think I am celebrating my religion?
When people defend individuals blindly, based on which place or religion or caste that individual ‘belongs’ to or which language he/she speaks, do you think that helps in bringing us together as Indians?
Just one example. When Indian students are attacked in Australia and cries of racism go up(something that I dont agree with btw-the racism angle I mean)
As I was saying , so when these cries go up, why do you think they find such instant support back home? Support with cries of Mera bharat mahaan? We are discriminated against? We are the poor victims?
Does it not stem from our typical attitude of ‘us’ and ‘them’?
An attitude that we have grown up with?
Some might say its a natural attitude among human beings , of wanting to find groups with certain common factors, but we in India take this attitude to another level don’t we?
Moments of despair when things look dire, when all seems lost…at such moments one simply asks questions. Questions that one has no answers to.
Am I an Indian? Are you? Is anyone else? Do we need to show it? Does one need to prove it?
And what is the definition of an Indian btw?
Some questions that are asked.
But it never was about who is an Indian was it?
It was not about interpreting this question literally.
It was and is about WHY the divides are getting deeper? Why?
And in this divisive age, the first thing I want to do is disassociate myself from any of these groups.
The first thing when someone meets me is ask, are you from A , B or C caste/religion/region. If not asked(if people are too polite to do it) then an attempt is made to guess. Why? How does it help??
No I am not A,B or C! I want to shout to them.
Because I think everyone is turning loony. And I am scared I will too.
If there’s no ‘other’ from ‘outside’, well, a new ‘other’ will be created, from the existing, deceptively homogeneous mass.
This hits the nail on the head.
As Ketan points put and as Sols did in her comment on mine, poverty is the basic cause.
To this I would add that its a vicious circle and the plethora of identities that are cropping up everyday are not helping.
There never will be an end to poverty because here its all about getting a share of the pie and depending on what your identity is, you get a bigger or lesser share.
The resentment starts from there.
May 19, 2010 at 2:42 pm
@vetrimagal: Welcome and thanks for the comment. Good to know that a lot of people are doing the right things.
@Smitha: Thanks. Individuals can make a difference in small ways.
@Indyeah: A slowing down is the best we can hope for. Aren’t we an optimistic lot? But we have reason to be optimistic. “Better People” is not that difficult a goal when you start at rock-bottom. 🙂
(The real QI is back!)
@Jonah: Are you calling my post sleep-inducing? 🙂
@IHM: Thank you. I hope we all do our bit in little ways. And you’re right, we are not very good humans at all. We just like to believe we are.
@Bones: Thanks. As I never tire of saying, small things can make a difference, and we need to start getting out of “I-me-myself” mode. Tall order, that.
@Ritu: Thanks. Yes, it was meant to be practical. We can talk about reform, and legal changes and institutional changes – but as we have seen, that’s mostly still talk. A lot of talk. On the other hand, what I have suggested are things that one can easily do. Perhaps we’ll have better luck this way.
@Ketan: You’re right, I have been very pissed off for a while now. 🙂 And I can see why you would think this post was incoherent. That’s because I have stated a certain problem, and then moved on to a solution that has at best a tangential connection to the problem originally stated. But that is only because I am pragmatic enough to know that there is no solution to the identity issues plaguing us today. It’s working too well for too many people. A lot of this will come back to haunt us in the years to come, but hey, who cares about anything other than the immediate short-term? As a great man once said, in the long run, we are all dead.
I quite enjoyed reading your post on communalism (or tribalism, if you prefer), as well as the comments. I will leave a comment there soon.
@Pal: Thanks. Yes, the fragmentation just gets minuter. And the views on this phenomenon get completely polarised by the minute – if I criticise this aggressive fragmentation, I must belong to the other extreme – the group advocating total homogeneity. This “either/or” syndrome has become fairly ubiquitous today even amongst the educated (remember how saying SRK pulled off a publicity stunt with MNIK automatically made one a Sena-supporter?) and is itself a reflection of the larger mindset of “If-you-are-not-one-of- us-you-have-to-be-against-us”, which is precisely the sort of manifestation of pride in one’s identity that I have a problem with.
May 19, 2010 at 2:46 pm
@D: Hey, enjoying the ‘looh’ in Delhi? 🙂 The cynical QI is back, pliss to not worrying.
@Shefaly: Thank you for the comment and the subsequent post.
My post, contrary to what you seem to believe, is not about the census. Neither is it only about caste. It is about the politics of identity and why it is not just a fact of life, but why I think it will get worse. And analogous to knowing not being the same as doing, accepting something is not the same as being happy about it…even if that seems to be a sure path to some more neuroses.
Let me make this clarification: I do not think we are a homogeneous people. Far from it. Should we be? No, and I don’t recall saying otherwise in my post either. Yet somehow, that assumption has been made.
While it is perhaps good and fine being proud of one’s culture and heritage and all that these two terms encompass, there is a very fine line between some kind of healthy pride, and a parochialism which feeds on a sense of victimisation. And once you have crossed this line, identity quickly becomes a shroud in which we lay to rest accountability, responsibility and efficiency. That is what I have a problem with. That is what my post is about – and my problem with the “if-you-are-not-one-of-us-you-must-be-against-us” syndrome. I also know that there’s really nothing anyone can do about it. We are content to be played along these lines, one against the other, by both the people who rule us and those who aspire to.
I agree with you when you make the point that this question of identity is a human one. But I would like to point out that nowhere else, in current times, except perhaps in certain African countries, does this matter tend to degenerate into something quite as ugly as it does here. In this context, it is interesting you should bring in the example of ‘being Belgian’ vis-à-vis ‘being Walloon/Flemish’. If only two languages in an area 1/100th the size of India, with less than 1/100th the population of India (therefore with approximately the same density of population as India) can have such complex, fractious and unstable politics, it does not augur well for us. Because, while Belgium’s economy – much like India’s – also suffers from a pronounced regional imbalance, it has many other things going for it. At least Belgium – whether by fortuitous design or historical accident – already has its basics (education, infrastructure, health-care etc.) in place. It has a stable (and neutral) head of state, and at least, compared to India, political behaviour there is (largely?) civil, convention-driven and more faithful to the ideas of their constitution. Now instead of two languages and regions, think 20+. Add multiple castes. Add a half-dozen religions. Throw in the various armed insurgencies. Mix in the decline of the few institutions that were built. Throw out civility and niceties and bring in poverty. I don’t know about you, but suddenly the aggressive embracing of identities doesn’t much seem like a happy meal to me – regardless of the wonderful experiences you no doubt had, when you lived here very many years ago. And yes, regardless of how quickly urban youth in India can spell M-U-M-B-A-I.
On a slightly different note: you mention it is difficult to live to one’s values. Damn right. I try to do that, day in and day out, and I’m battle-weary. I seem to be living in a place which penalises, systematically and institutionally, those who try to live by the rules, and, perversely, rewards those who take short-cuts and circumvent the system. And before you say it, allow me to pre-empt you this time: I know that this, too, is a fact of life. And yet I keep doing what I do. As, I am sure, do many others.
Because, as you once said, the band must play on, right? 🙂
@Solilo: Please see my reply to Pal and Shefaly. Good to see you in the blogworld again, btw.
@Charakan: Thanks for the comment. I must point out that “more and more” is actually a very small number in comparison with the number of people who still stick to caste, region etc. Having said that, we must be thankful for every little beacon of light out there!
@Chirag: Good to see you. Thanks. But I think that Indians have swung to the other extreme now, even NRIs. I feel that the days of being defensive about India are over. Say hello to the new, aggressive Indian, who will loudly and childishly defend even the indefensible. Shefaly had mentioned to me some time ago that Indians seem to have made a very quick transition to arrogance, and perhaps she can tell us if my belief that this also holds good for NRIs is, in her experience, true.
@Indyeah: QI, I frankly feel that your question (a lament if you will, coz mine certainly was) of why there are no Indians in India has been wrongly interpreted as a clarion call for all Indians to unite in some primitive dance of oneness.
Thank you for spotting that. I was wondering if anybody would! 🙂 Yes, just because I asked the question doesn’t mean I wanted us all to do the primitive dance. And, as I have already said, this “either/or” polarisation (remember how saying SRK pulled off a publicity stunt with MNIK automatically made one a Sena-supporter?) in itself is reflective, at a deeper level, of the “if-you-are-not-like-me-you-must-be-against-me” manifestation of identity politics. By the way, since you use the term “us and them”, please listen to Floyd’s eponymous song. The lyrics will resonate.
May 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Interesting that you should mention ‘parochialism’ QI.
Here are some rather interesting views I would like to share.
R.Guha writes,”
One can successfully, and happily, be both Tamil (or Kannadiga, or Malayali, or Gujarati) and Indian. However, in the history of our nation, regionalism has sometimes taken the form of parochialism.
This can be benign, as in the claims – or pretensions – of the Bengali bhadralok that their literature, music, dress and cuisine are superior to those found anywhere else in India. But it can also be bloody, as in the attacks on Bihari labourers by the Ulfa cadre, behind which rests the belief that only Assamese speakers have the right to live in Assam.
However, one also needs to ponder over the question that a commentor has raised in response to the column. The commentor writes,” We need to note that India has not been able to silence any of the secessionist movements except the one suppressed in Punjab. We need to ponder why.”
Link > http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/jan/rgh-regions.htm
While one doesn’t necessarily agree with all of Guha’s viewpoints on India and all that he thinks is wrong with India.Or dare I say, the bhakti he shows for Nehru.
But this particular column I feel, deserves attention.
And here are a few words from another column of his that resonated with me. (Though Guha rambles on about some rather abstract notions and factors that he thinks are the reasons as to why India still survives.)
In 1956, Haldane moved to Calcutta to join the Indian Statistical Institute, at the same time putting in his papers for Indian nationality. A few years later, an American science writer described Haldane as a “citizen of the world”. The Englishman-turned-Indian replied: “No doubt I am in some sense a citizen of the world. But I believe with Thomas Jefferson that one of the chief duties of a citizen is to be a nuisance to the government of his state. As there is no world state, I cannot do this…On the other hand I can be, and am, a nuisance to the government of India, which has the merit of permitting a good deal of criticism, though it reacts to it rather slowly. I also happen to be proud of being a citizen of India, which is a lot more diverse than Europe, let alone the USA, USSR, or China, and thus a better model for a possible world organization. It may of course break up, but it is a wonderful experiment. So I want to be labelled as a citizen of India.”
Link > http://www.indiatogether.org/2004/oct/rgh-indstill.htm
Due to lack of time, I have simply pasted the links and the words.
Before I end this rather long comment,let me say that this is where
I DO agree with him completely.
Of these threats I myself hold three to be most dangerous; those of Hindu chauvinism, of assorted caste chauvinisms, and of the corruption and degradation of public institutions.
PS:- Yes,the lyrics did resonate.
@Ketan Thank you for that rather interesting viewpoint.Unable to discuss due to lack of time as of now. Will be back:)
May 19, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Why da fuck does every 1 talk about being an indian … are we qualified enough 2 be called humans first ? yes we are Indains yes we are even maharashtrains or gujaratis or south indians furthur on we r mumbaites and delhites etc etc but that is just based on where we r or what we are … what we shud be focusing on is not 2 make india a better place but 2 be human first … 2 be intellectual beings … beings with a sense of understanding … cz when we will do that not onli india but ne place that we are at we will make it a better place … y so obsessed wid making india better arent we still fragmenting the world in da larger sense … think about it … i agree wid the part about being a better person … cz that alone will save us … that alone will benifit ore future generations … talk bout making a better world not better india … make the world a better place 2 live in … let that be your aim and then you will see and feel the difference !!!!
May 19, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Quirky Indian,
Allow me to say once more, comments really impressed me, and greatly raised my respect for the author behind them. I hope, repetition would not lead to diminution of intensity behind my words. And I also hope, that the fact that someone deeply respects your manner of living, will provide some cushion against all the harms that living according to one’s objective convictions entails.
May 19, 2010 at 4:40 pm
“The first thing when someone meets me is ask, are you from A, B or C caste/religion/region. If not asked (if people are too polite to do it) then an attempt is made to guess.
Why? How does it help??”
Apart from distaste for those “unlike us” & affinity for those “like us”, this attitude is also rooted in our wanting to quick-guess what a stranger must be like. It helps us better determine how to reciprocate to a certain kind of person. If you would somehow know (for sure) a person is a liar you would not like to believe them. If you would somehow know a person is very learned, (depending upon your tastes) you would look forward to/avoid conversation with them.
Classification into A, B & C helps us know what to expect of a person. Now the only problem is such stereotyping is irrational! But probably it gains legitimacy because of 2 factors:
1. Conditioning from childhood. E.g., what an adolescent would expect of Sardars if he’s not had any acquaintance, and had heard jokes about them throughout childhood?
2. Making positive correlations owing to uncritical examination of data. There’s a well known analogy in ‘atheist circles’ (yes, something like that exists! 😉 ). If a plane crashes killing 250 people, many would point to a lone survivor and use it as attestation of existence of God. But what about 250 dead people, did God not exist for them? Of course, we’ve come up with elaborate hypotheses like past karma, and God’s inherently unpredictable but ‘fair’ manner of working, etc.
But fact of the matter is people are heavily predisposed to make correlations that would support their existing beliefs (whatever they be) and reject instances/arguments that go against them. This in turn is because, we invest heavily in our beliefs. We take decisions based on them – our entire lives are reflection of what our convictions & beliefs had been. To concede that the beliefs were wrong, and indirectly that so were our decisions, and to thus devalue our own lives is extremely challenging for most people (me, included). “Open mind” is a nice phrase, but a bit hollow.
You must have been brought in a fairly cosmopolitan environment. But think of people whose parents had told – “do not talk to such & such person, they’re not good”. Now, juxtapose it with the fact that obedient (unquestioning) children are “good.”…
May 19, 2010 at 4:42 pm
…What do you get?
You get a person who’s invested in the beliefs – “A is intelligent”, “B is helpful” & “C is deceptive/cruel.”
Just like existence of God, all subconscious mental efforts would be directed at defending the stereotypes that were imbibed. Foolish ‘A’ would be ignored or foolishness attributed to some other factor. Excuses will be invented for ‘B”s apathetic attitude. And a nice “C” would be seen as an aberration.
But we will never conclude the simplest things:
1. That existence/nonexisuence of God has nothing to do with a lone survivor.
2. Birth-determined community in which one takes birth does not make people a certain way. And that people in any community are heterogeneous.
As people grow older, stakes to guard their old convictions (on which they’d lived their entire life) become bigger & bigger. How many of us will have the courage to say, “Hey, so what if my beliefs were wrong, I’ll correct them lead a better life ‘next’ time?”
That is why children used to be more open to being pointed out their mistaken beliefs. But I’m afraid, with current stress on children to also be better & perfect, which entail reprimands for making ‘wrong’ decisions from much earlier age, I feel they’re developing ‘ego problems’ at earlier age, they are investing in their beliefs much earlier.
I see things going only downhill from this point. 😦
Sorry Quirky Indian, for making comment long, giving so many analogies, and hope you won’t find it irrelevant.
Forgot to add, these two comments are in response to Indyeah. 🙂
May 20, 2010 at 12:35 pm
excellent article though i disagree with this whole indianness. lets try to become good human beings and for that all your little steps will go a long way. very well written ! 🙂
May 20, 2010 at 8:56 pm
On a lighter note, I call the either/or syndrome (‘either you are with us or against us’ ) the ‘George Bush view’ of the world.
No one says it quite like Dubya 😀
May 21, 2010 at 6:33 pm
A couple of Indians living in Dublin including me are discussing ( the thoughts you have ) on this forum for Indians in Ireland
http://www.indiansinireland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30330
You will find it an interesting read.
May 26, 2010 at 12:52 am
We discuss caste, language, state beacuse we never discuss development. Our politics is around religion beacuse our politics never circled around development. The day we start talking about development, the day we start argue over growth, the day we start fighting for prosperity, there never would be any scope for any other fight !!!
Is it going to happen ???
June 13, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Unfortunately, am not able to read all the seemingly wonderful comments about this but I do agree whole heartedly with your suggestions. These are the small steps that we need to first take that are exactly what you say – small enough easy to do and big enough to matter.
Fragmentation will always be present as a by-product of our democracy and politics but what might happen with these small steps is that more and more people might become educated and civilised enough to see beyond these non-issues and vote for the parties peddling the larger issues. Maybe just maybe.
August 27, 2010 at 3:08 am
Hello,
What a great post. Would like to request for your permission to re-publish it in theasiamag.com.
Hope to hear from you via email soon.
Best regards.
October 16, 2010 at 7:41 pm
“But we seem to forget that timelines have been seriously crunched in this age we live in. Each generation demands faster and quicker change”
There’s a limit to how fast we can go because a lot of change depends on the way people think. And many will not change their whole lives, thereby leaving the change to the children or grandchildren. You can’t fast forward this or skip it. Every nation has to wait before it reaches a certain level.
Also, there seems be an explicit understanding that the middle class India isn’t the “real India” – as if their lives are somehow less real than others. We’re humans too right? We’re as real as any other part of the country.
And prosperity trickles down. If it’s slow, at least it’s inevitable. Your growth of the middle class doesn’t take place in a vacuum leaving the poor “real India” in the dust.
Full development is slow progress and it’s unfortunate that you wont’ see it in your lifetime, but that won’t make it happen any quicker.
June 13, 2011 at 5:17 pm
I agree that immigration won’t stop.
Until the able and talented people will not get their share India has no chance to become a superpower.
We can become RICH yes but not modern or presperous or a superpower.
That’s something different
April 23, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Reblogged this on morethanwhatmeetsyoureye.