My Piece in Pioneer: Aspiring for ‘change’ in India
Monday, 17. November 2008 - 11:32 AM
Comments welcome.
Aspiring for ‘change’ in India
Sandeep B
Indians charmed by Obama wish their country could elect someone similar who would bring in ‘change’. What they forget is that unless a nation decides to move forward, change is impossible
It is Obama season now. The murmur that began when Mr Barack Obama won has now metamorphosed into a nauseating din. It is understandable at several levels: First Black US President, capable candidate to lead the US from its current financial doldrums, representative of change, ran his campaign by collecting money from laymen… all nice and well. But this chorus has, and continues to be, overdone. The media overkill on Mr Obama’s victory has reached record levels of exaggeration. He has just won an election, however crucial that might be. But the hype surrounding his victory makes us think that he has actually accomplished something at office. This is not to be critical of Mr Obama but let’s give the man some time to get to work before raining premature praise upon him.
Indian public discourse, however, has taken the Obama aggrandizement to manic dimensions. Amid the melee of conducting yagnas and spinning reamfuls of Obama hymns, we have lost restraint and sacrificed balance at the altar of blind celebration. Aside, I wonder what the reaction would have been had Mr Obama lost the election.
India needs an Obama and variations thereof are the current refrains doing rounds in the Indian intellectual and media theatre. Such a delicious premise presents yet another opportunity to revive old clichés because repeating these clichés doesn’t require hard work.
Mr Obama’s victory is a practical demonstration of the irrelevant notion of skin colour or race in the minds of millions of Americans. However, like in every society, old prejudices continue to exist and they will never fully disappear. Mr Obama’s rejection by the Bible belt is evidence of this. And therein lies a significant lesson for India.
Discrimination against Blacks across America was subtly carried out till as late as the 1960s. Arthur Hailey’s Hotel paints a brief portrait about how a luxury hotel denies accommodation to a well-respected scientist because he is Black. Today in American books, stories, academia, media, popular culture, Government service, and the entire society, the racial intermingling is seamless, which has culminated in Mr Obama’s victory. Nobody can get away with arguing that he was elected because he is Black or simply because of the “let’s give them a chance†factor. The movement for racial equality owes as much to the White thinkers as it was furthered by successive movements by the Blacks themselves. Abraham Lincoln lost his life at the hands of a White supremacist.
And this shows the way as well as has parallels for India. This is not to equate the Black-White discrimination in the US with caste discrimination in India. The two nations have different social and historical realities. In its original conception, caste was never a watertight compartment. However, in the current social reality caste discrimination although diminished, still exists. It will continue to exist in its current form as long as caste vote-banks exist.
Historically, a majority of prominent caste reform movements originated in the so-called ‘upper castes.’ From Basava (who was born a Brahmin) and Ramanujacharya (who initiated the ‘lower castes’ into Sri Vaishnavism) in Karnataka to Swami Dayananda Saraswati to Swami Vivekananda to Gandhi, every luminary in his lifetime caused a major social upheaval that only strengthened Hinduism in the long run. They appealed to the simple but magical formula that always worked with the masses: The innate inclusivity and spiritual character of Hinduism. Their hymns, poetry, and music slowly frayed social rigidity and renewed Hindu society.
All this changed almost overnight under Nehruvian secularism, which perpetuated the British tactic of splintering Hindu society. Every casteist politician today is but an ugly representative of that splintering. As a result, our smaller/regional political parties more resemble hate groups whose chosen method of survival, power, prosperity and perpetuation is whipping up a sense of mindless victimhood and rage. Their quest for avenging historical wrongs is as braindead as it has proven dangerous. At one end is Mr Karunanidhi who writes angry poetry about the tilak/kumkum as a symbol of oppression. At the other, we have self-proclaimed activists and intellectuals like Kancha Illiah who dreams of a time when Brahmins are made to carry faeces on their head.
This passes off as acceptable intellectual discourse and is somehow seen as an expression of social justice. If the US had applied this logic, we would have the Whites willingly become slaves of the Blacks today!
In the elation over Mr Obama’s elevation, Indian intellectuals have suddenly found a new role model to aspire for. Never mind that he hasn’t even taken his oath. They want an Obama as the next Prime Minister. But conveniently forget that an Obama could happen because the US moved forward instead of indulging in revenge-mongering.
17. November 2008 - 12:55 PM
Your last line sums up all the problems we face today. Hate destroys the one who hates. Instead of moving forward, the likes of Karunanidhi survives on pitting one community against the other. What i always think is, how far those politicians want to to back and dig out issues to beat the current generation? I always wonder why cant they speak one word against the british who until recently plundered our wealth? Why dont they talk about foreign invaders like aurangazed? it is only the present generation of hapless brahmins, who have nothing to do with what their ancestors reportedly did, face the stick and will continue to face for the next 200 years.
17. November 2008 - 8:37 PM
So, how do we proceed forward? Leave aside the rantings of Illiah or whoever. The Brahmins are irrelevant in his scheme of things. In Tamil Nadu, atrocities are not being committed by Brahmins. All non Brahmins know this and the Brahmin there is no longer an issue. On the other hand look at Brahmins in Bihar and the UP, where their numbers matter. Despite not being the cause for any inter caste problems there too, where the other castes take out their anger on the lower castes, they have now become important enough as a vote bank to matter to Mayavati.
The way we can come out smelling of roses is when we can get the other castes, the intermediate ones to understand what is really happening. Who is going to do take on the mantle? Who will bell the cat as it were?
17. November 2008 - 9:56 PM
I do not see a single figure on the horizon in India who can stop the revenge-mongering and inspire India’s teeming millions to look forward rather than lug their heavy past with them. I yearn to listen to a speech that is statesman-like. Some have incarnated Mayawati as the Obama of India but her coalition of people from different social classes and strata is a mere mockery of the Indian voter. Ironically, what might seem as a tool to reconcile classes and communities itself defeats the purpose. We, as a nation, should understand at the most fundamental level that nothing can be avenged by planting ‘our leader’ at the helm-whats more important is how this leader can take us forward by looking forward.
17. November 2008 - 11:44 PM
“Today in American books, stories, academia, media, popular culture, Government service, and the entire society, the racial intermingling is seamless,…”
You have obviously not been to USA. I live in Southern USA where racism, hatred are still quite visible for everyone to see. Even in big cities such as Atlanta and Nashville, progressive states such as Virginia and the Carolinas, there is so much yet to change. But in general, yes, people have become more tolerant and understanding.
Note: If you look at the votes McCain got, almost all of it waas from the South and the Southeast USA.
18. November 2008 - 2:17 AM
An interesting read, Varnam.
18. November 2008 - 3:18 AM
A colleague of mine campaigned for Obama in rural Virginia a month ago. One of the people whose door he knocked on plainly said, “I will never vote for a black guy”. Many others were, he said, plainly just managing to keep their answers civil, but their intentions were easy to guess. Some time back I lived in Mississippi. You can feel the undercurrent of racism there as soon as you leave the academic campus.
USA is still has racism intact in the south, and that too without a black-hating political party/media to fan the flames. India, on the other hand, has a anti-Bramhin parties, media who thrive on creating caste and religious divisions, and textbooks taht repeat lies. India, in spite of all that, is still not all that racist/casteist….
But the hype on Obama is much much overdone, I agree. Even some TV channels here drool over Obama. Obama is a smart guy, and I like him, but the hype is too much!!
18. November 2008 - 8:10 AM
good article.
http://hitchintak.blogspot.com
18. November 2008 - 6:42 PM
I feel India’s political system is a complete mess and thats the root cause of most of our problems. There are just too many politicians and too many political parties. These political parties target small masses of people , people who they know will get easily influenced by their talks. And to add to this mess is the government which is too laidback to take the right action. And the politicians in India are well aware of this fact.I feel if the government could show more restrain, and draw a line these things could come to end or atleast the number of people who could fall prey to this will reduce. Earlier it was problems regarding caste and now people want to divide the nation too.
I feel if like minded people come together and stand up against this, it will be possible to change the outlook of the people of India and put an end to this. We do need someone with a mission someone ( I’m not sure if it should be someone like Obama.)who wants to works towards the betterment of India to b our PM. But, above all, we require us indians to come together, look out for each other and help each other if we want to move forward.
18. November 2008 - 8:30 PM
Ashish:
I went to Mississippi for my studies too
20. November 2008 - 7:58 PM
Dear Sandeep,
An excellent post!
24. November 2008 - 8:19 PM
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