BBC used to run a program titled ' One Foot in The Past' a few years ago. It used to take the viewers on a trip of the past with a bit of nostalgia thrown in.
After Namo ascended the throne, maybe not his doing but, many Indians are now on a euphoric trip of the past, Indian past only, almost landing there on their two feet, hence the title' Two feet in the past.' No nostalgia here, 'chest-thumping in utmost glee' is the attitude! Suddenly everything Indian has become not only classic but somebody not buying the entire idea may be labelled as Non-Indian, unpatriotic. Is it a new phenomenon or was it always there? I always palpably felt it for years but now it seems that it has got vent to come out.
Being an Asian country, India too inherited a lot of baggage on her back, of the multitude of religions, the traditions, closed minds and the greatness that was blurry at the most, but to take [pseudo] pride in its glory was always the thing to boast! Nothing of that glory remained by the onslaught of time but the pride was always there! Except for a mention on the pages of obscure scriptures [ by Indians only], the rest of the world just did not notice it. Neither we had concrete proof of our glorious past, inventions, progress and hints of highly advanced civilized society, nor could we prove it to the world beyond doubt, like Egypt did.
Over the years we progressed but as my friend's father had said once, 'We got the industrialization but the revolution that is supposed to come along, just did not step on the Indian soil.' Or did he say Indian mind? We always remained plebeians at the heart.
It's an observation that one who is mediocre always brags more. Really intelligent one is deep enough to understand the shallowness of bragging.
We brag that our civilization is great because of its traditions, religions and culture. The Same culture to date does not allow women to enter certain religious places. And here in India, it surprisingly works in unison, transcending all the religious and sectional barriers.
We have such a strange decoction of cultures that you maybe belonging to different religions but the core remains the same. So India has Brahmans in Goan Christians and all the sub-castes of Hindus are seen in Indian Muslims too. The religions that are supposed to be caste-less! This happens only in India.
More disturbing is the fact that education does not alter the scenario even by a small dent. Highly educated professionals from all walks of life, not only from Medical sciences but also from engineering, commerce and others, take pride in following these vacuous Indian traditions that defy normal, sane behaviour.
Thus I know many a surgeon who cleanse the operation theatre spiritually before taking the patient on the table and those who hold a degree like MBBS prescribe medicines which don't have any authenticity but only because they are pro ported by Ayurvedic cult.
An engineer from the south who runs an atomic plant at Kalpakkum does not venture out in Rahu kalam. Or MBA from Ahmadabad does not bat an eyelid while accepting the dowry from equally qualified same caste girl.
In India, marriages are still not bonds between two budding romantics but a dry liaison between two families where boy's family always holds the upper hand, not leaving any opportunity to fleece the bride's family monetarily as well as emotionally and that's traditional Indian culture for you!
Every walk of life, is littered with so many idiosyncrasies, that I really wonder why we call our culture the great? Religion so hopelessly intertwines with every aspect of life, be it medicine, social life, festivals and last but not the least the politics, that it has now become impossible to segregate them.
China and Japan have done that. They, especially Japanese follow their culture with due respect no doubt, but do not allow it, to interfere with its scientific, political and commercial milieu. In China Hon. Mao Tse Tung did that, maybe forcibly but now nobody can see China in the eyes on every front. They do have their one foot in their glorious past but other is marching forward, towards a brilliant bright future!
On the contrary, we Indians, keep on taking the pride in our glorious albeit unproven past,[ that may be a moot point, so even with proven past,] and refuse to come out of the history that has given us nothing but caste wars, draconian misogynist traditions and bleak future. Why are we so obsessed with history? It's a presence that makes the future. If we want to have rosy tomorrow we have to discard the notion that we were great and then, have to start literally from the scratch with a blank slate, work very hard and say 'We will be great'
Till then we are having both our feet firmly in the past!
Being an Asian country, India too inherited a lot of baggage on her back, of the multitude of religions, the traditions, closed minds and the greatness that was blurry at the most, but to take [pseudo] pride in its glory was always the thing to boast! Nothing of that glory remained by the onslaught of time but the pride was always there! Except for a mention on the pages of obscure scriptures [ by Indians only], the rest of the world just did not notice it. Neither we had concrete proof of our glorious past, inventions, progress and hints of highly advanced civilized society, nor could we prove it to the world beyond doubt, like Egypt did.
Over the years we progressed but as my friend's father had said once, 'We got the industrialization but the revolution that is supposed to come along, just did not step on the Indian soil.' Or did he say Indian mind? We always remained plebeians at the heart.
It's an observation that one who is mediocre always brags more. Really intelligent one is deep enough to understand the shallowness of bragging.
We brag that our civilization is great because of its traditions, religions and culture. The Same culture to date does not allow women to enter certain religious places. And here in India, it surprisingly works in unison, transcending all the religious and sectional barriers.
We have such a strange decoction of cultures that you maybe belonging to different religions but the core remains the same. So India has Brahmans in Goan Christians and all the sub-castes of Hindus are seen in Indian Muslims too. The religions that are supposed to be caste-less! This happens only in India.
More disturbing is the fact that education does not alter the scenario even by a small dent. Highly educated professionals from all walks of life, not only from Medical sciences but also from engineering, commerce and others, take pride in following these vacuous Indian traditions that defy normal, sane behaviour.
Thus I know many a surgeon who cleanse the operation theatre spiritually before taking the patient on the table and those who hold a degree like MBBS prescribe medicines which don't have any authenticity but only because they are pro ported by Ayurvedic cult.
An engineer from the south who runs an atomic plant at Kalpakkum does not venture out in Rahu kalam. Or MBA from Ahmadabad does not bat an eyelid while accepting the dowry from equally qualified same caste girl.
In India, marriages are still not bonds between two budding romantics but a dry liaison between two families where boy's family always holds the upper hand, not leaving any opportunity to fleece the bride's family monetarily as well as emotionally and that's traditional Indian culture for you!
Every walk of life, is littered with so many idiosyncrasies, that I really wonder why we call our culture the great? Religion so hopelessly intertwines with every aspect of life, be it medicine, social life, festivals and last but not the least the politics, that it has now become impossible to segregate them.
China and Japan have done that. They, especially Japanese follow their culture with due respect no doubt, but do not allow it, to interfere with its scientific, political and commercial milieu. In China Hon. Mao Tse Tung did that, maybe forcibly but now nobody can see China in the eyes on every front. They do have their one foot in their glorious past but other is marching forward, towards a brilliant bright future!
On the contrary, we Indians, keep on taking the pride in our glorious albeit unproven past,[ that may be a moot point, so even with proven past,] and refuse to come out of the history that has given us nothing but caste wars, draconian misogynist traditions and bleak future. Why are we so obsessed with history? It's a presence that makes the future. If we want to have rosy tomorrow we have to discard the notion that we were great and then, have to start literally from the scratch with a blank slate, work very hard and say 'We will be great'
Till then we are having both our feet firmly in the past!
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