INDIANIZATION OF INDIA - IV
(MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACK)
Following the western democratic tradition two ministers in India have resigned. It is symbolical but what will happen after the next major terrorist attack in India? Will another member of the cabinet resign? The terrorist attack and the resignation of the ministers symbolise how much India has been Indianized over the years. While we condemn the terrorist attack with the contempt it deserves it also indicates that there are sections in the Indian society that do not follow the path of Indianization. On the other hand by their resignation in the 'true western democratic tradition" that the British had taught certain sections of the Indian society the two ministers have demonstrated that there is a middle class in India that religiously follows the Indianization introduced by the British. The resignation is symbolical and meaningless as the two ministers are not morally or otherwise responsible for the mayhem and carnage that the terrorist created. The opposition in India did not ask the government to resign, so that they could attempt to come to power but volunteered to corporate with the government to eradicate terrorism. They probably acted in the spirit of old Bharat more than in the tradition of western democracy.
In comparison Sri Lanka has not followed the western hypocrisy and no minister would have resigned over a terrorist attack. However the UNP opposition blaming the entire government and implementing the agenda of the west would have asked the government to resign. While sections of the middle class in India have been Indianized in the sense of acquiring superficially the values false or otherwise, attitudes, logic and epistemology of the western Christian modernity in Sri Lanka the section of middle class that has been mostly westernized and represented by the UNP leadership can only imitate and carry out the wish of the westerners.
Since we are discussing the responsibilities of the governments and the oppositions in whatever culture it would be most appropriate to find out who is responsible for the terrorist attacks both in Sri Lanka and India. India in spite of its claims for bogus secularity is not a secular country but a Hindu country in the sense that it is the Hindu culture that is dominant, and a Hindi speaking country. The middle class in India whether in Tamil Nadu or Maharashtra is conversant with Hindi, in general, though there are bound to be exceptions, and is gradually accepting that India is a Hindi Hindu (compare with Sinhala Buddhist) country, in addition to acquiring values, attitudes, epistemology and in general the Chinthanaya of western Christian modernity superficially. What is happening in India is that the middle class in general is becoming superficially western Christian in Chinthanaya, Hindu in religion with Hindi (and English) as the lingua franca. The Indianized middle class attempts to unite the rest of India through cricket and Hindi films and songs. As far as this middle class is concerned any one of them could theoretically represent India and they are accepted as Indians. The acceptance as Indians is not only among themselves but among the westerners as well. In a sense they can be called British Indians as it is the British who have created these Indians, and following Lincoln they could be called Indians of the British by the British for the British.
As we have repeatedly pointed out a section of the so called African Americans including Barrack Obama has also acquired the Chinthanaya of western Christian modernity, and in return have been accepted as citizens of USA, not only in law but also in spirit. In India most sections of the so called minorities, a concept created by the British, have recognized each other as Indians but as in the USA the vast majority of the non middle class minority communities are not accustomed to think that way. They have their local loyalties and they still live spiritually in old Bharat.
Thus so far the British education (and reign) has failed to give a common culture to the people of India, a country created by the British, except to some sections of the middle class. There are so called minority groups in non Hindi speaking states that do not accept the India of the middle class in general that has been described above and it is these people with the support of the non middle class people who resort to terrorist activities. It is a result of the British administration and even after sixty years of "independence" the middle class Indians have not found a solution to a problem created by the British. If somebody is to resign taking the responsibility for not preventing the terrorist attack in Mumbai it has to be the British Foreign Secretary. Though there are some Mumbai wallahs who are prepared to consider themselves as Indians in the above sense, there are other Maharashtrians who would want Marathi displayed prominently in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
The Indian government has preferred to blame a foreign country for the attack. However, India has to look closer not far from Decan plateau to identify the terrorists. It is very unlikely the westerners would support a section of the middle class in Maharashtra against the government in Delhi as the Indian middle class is very obediently following the western ways. It was not long ago that India entered into a nuclear agreement with the USA, and any disillusion is coming from those sections of the middle class in Maharashtra and other places that is still not Indianized and from the non middle classes. Indianization of India is a long process and it will take some time to realise the outcome of the different processes taking place in India. However, India which became Bharat long time ago leaving the Dambadiva heritage is most likely to repeat that experience and finally become Indianized India.
In comparison Sri Lanka is different. Just as much we did not become a Bharat and retained our non Vedic identity (Buddhism sprang from the non Vedic culture in Dambadiva before Dambadiva became Bharat.) we are likely to retain our traditions (of course with suitable changes) in spite of western Christian modernity and a very imitative section of the middle class represented by the leadership of the UNP. The Sinhala nation has to incorporate the Muslims and the Tamils into its fold may be under a different name but it would not be a nation of the west by the west for the west. The Sinhala people have already elected Muslims and Tamils as their mayors, MPs and given responsible portfolios such as Education that have been held by people like Baduiddean Mohamed who unfortunately stopped teaching History in schools. However, the so called minorities still continue to play the role of minorities of the British by the British for the British. The moment they stop being so the so called ethnic problem in Sri Lanka would be solved.
Professor Nalin de Silva
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