The Ideas of India

8/13/2019 The Ideas of India

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The Ideas of India-Roshi Raina.

Siddarth Jain.

Rahul Mishra.

Dhruv Mittal.

Abhishek Sinha.


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Gist Of The Timeline

This writing dates back to 1999 and a revised edition was printed in 2003

Key points:

BJP had come to power in 1998 and ruled till 2004.

Hindutava: The way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture was

prevalent. Kashmir had become a routine threat.

In 2002 Gujarat godhra kand happened where thousands of Hindu andMuslims slaughtered each other.


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Gujarat: Basic Idea

Epitome of NEW EMERGING INDIA

Per capita : 3 times more than Bihar.

Conventional approach is link emergence of middle class to economicprogress.

BUTin Gujarat, Murderous Hindu gangs were led by Rich and educated lot.


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Variations

OF TECHNOLOGY

Mumbai: Uplift and transform life

V/S

Gujarat: State sponsored massacre

OF Ideology

INDIA emerging as back office for IT sector and prevalence of BrainArbitrage.

V/S

Venomous HINDUTAVA, which even justified Happenings of Gujarat as thecreation of HINDU RASHTRA


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Prevalent Politics : shaped by past

Two differing descriptions

India : Victim of recurring invasions.

India : arena of civilizational encounters between unequal protagonists.


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Contrasting pictures of MODERN STATE

What is the concept of modern state??

Pakistan:

found on explicitly defined religious principles.

State of homogeneous people.

Not a part of plural nation.

While India was a complete opposite.

.. And a huge success.

Though many fear that as the Hindu extremists gather control India might

become HINDU PAKISTAN.


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India: One of the four pillars of World

Of Order

India remains to be a political success.

To quote James Madison- Large republics with diverse and conflicting

interests can be a home for liberty, a safer haven against tyranny, thanhomogeneous and exclusive ones.


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INDIAs Own Ground ZERO: Ayodhaya

Babri Masjid Case Mughals had built a mosque there

Archaeological evidences shows a Hindu temple was initially

there.

Jain Monks demanding further excavation

Prevalent Buddhists also want the same.


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Indian History since 1947

Every time we read a book relating to Indian history past independence, whatis it the story of?

What have the major movies since 1950s tried to depict when they show theissues on hand in the society?

Jawaharlal Nehru was instrumental in helping India get rid of Zameendari

System (Feudal System). But how could he single handedly do it?

It was the cinema, the books written in that time, the literature of thatperiod which was motivated by this same idea and evolved into acceptance

amongst commoners.


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Cinema / Fiction

Smita Patel commits suicide in thesexual harassment by the landown

Struggle of an ordinary Indian woman

against the system of zameendariwhich lead her family to poverty


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Indian History since 1947 (cont.)

Indias struggle for Independence (against the British raj) has always beenportrayed as the crucial reason for the very existence of India in the form

that it is.

That it was passion which had risen among communities and people for

retaining the pristine (pure) India which they had known existed ages ago.

Ideas of Eternal India, Political dynasties, feudal corruption

(zameendari) existing in our minds subconsciously are references to nothingbut these same elements which have been instilled in our mind- that India isnot of the recent, but very old.


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The Other History?

Many pre-India states and dynasties resisted the Idea of a common state- theidea of India. (Nizams, J&K, Jungagadh)

Most of political history written in early twentieth century has remainedimprisoned by the fact that most attention has been given to the nationalist

history.


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India- An Idea or Ideas?

The presumption that every Indian can be related to something moreconcrete and singular than just the geographical location has been

eliminated.

Reasons:

1. No language, food, culture, religion, race, color can combine all Indians into

one- the diversity is almost never ending.

2. Deeper the past of pre-Indian politics is studied, the scope of finding acommon base diminishes.

3. Lack of tendency of amongst people to study the other history.


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Democracy: An adventurous strategy

Can be considered as the third revolution- after American and French

revolution. Provides all citizens with social opportunities and the idea of oneman, one value.

It was a risky decision- as evident from the fact that most countries which got

independent during the same period (China & likes) preferred other forms ofgovt. where the most of the people are politically subjugated and the leader

holds most of the power.

The Big Question- Would India, a country of traditions and religions, not

modern commercial societies accept the modernization ? And if modernized,will the culture and the traditional desi Indianism still remain?

With this idea, the idea of India- a modern society was adapted by the (elite)nationalists in power and although they were not sure of the response, they

were confident on Indias capacity to entertain diversity as was evident from

nationalist movement.


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Important Indians who characterized

India

India initially was moulded into the idea which the leaders instilled into them.Some of the important leaders include:

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Subhas Chandra Bose

Bhim Rao Ambedkar

Jawahar Lal Nehru


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Some Promin


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Nehru wished to modernize India

Garb of modernity-clothing was not proved uniform as Indians found different

ways of wearing.

There were some difficulties as:

Use of democracy to affirm collective identities.

Multi cultural political unions

sustaining democracy without prosperity.

His idea of india sought to coordinate within a modern state of variety of

values: democracy, religious tolerance, economic development and culturalpluralism.


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Democracy-Post Independence

Indira Gandhi emergency.

Democracy in post independence time deepened to become a principle of

society, transforming the possibilities available to Indians.

Democracy also threatens institutional survival.

Created the problem of religious majority.

Babri masjid case.

It provide most of its citizens to live together with a large measure offreedom.


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Politics- Post Independence

Gandhi and Nehru had already seen that politics is at the

heart of Indias passage and to experience of modernity. India does not have only politics but is actually constituted

by it.

Lord Curzon gave his advice that salvation of India was notto be sought in the field of politics.

While Indians have poured their faith in politics, pinningtheir hopes in great movements like congress party or

Hindu nationalism. Politics at once divides while on other side constitutes it as

a single, shared, proliferating voices and claims.

It is through politics Indians are entering the contemporaryworld.


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Economic-Post Independence

The aspiration to economic modernity has yielded a much more unevenpicture, for most Indians, it was a failure.

Politics have opened its society to history in a quite dramatic manner ehileeconomics has managed until 1980 to preserve for a democratic country..

In 1990s India has begun to open itself to greater international exposure and

competition

Economic possibilities have rapidly changed, yet many of them are trying,most with no hope at all.


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Who is an Indian? What is India?

Only a fragment of Indias population has direct access to cities, but imageshave spread throughout the society.

Extension of democratic politics and electoral competition, imbalance ineconomic opportunities all these together reconstituted the nature and the

identities that we call on our own.

Emergence of political Hinduism, regional voices, claims of caste identitiesgives the question Who is an Indian?

Indians of vastly different background and ambitions today all wish to claim it

for themselves.

Today also the old arguments are replayed and battled.

These struggling battles actually determine the future of India.


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INDIA: FROM MIDNIGHT TMILLENIUM AND BEYON

Shashi Tharoor


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INDIA Seventh largest country in the world in

area (3,287,782 sq.km) which extends 3from north to south and 2,944 km from

east.

Second largest in terms of population w

123.7 crore population second only to C

which has 135.1 crore population.

Projected to become worlds most popu

nation by 2030


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DIVERSITIES IN INDIA

Diversity in Cultural Aspects

Diversity in Economic Condition Social Diversities

Diversity in Climate

Geographical DiversitiesPolitical Differences


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INDIA:A PLURALIST STA

Any truism about India can immediatelycontradicted by any other truism about

Every question has multiple answers an

remains unanswered.

Nothing can be taken for granted about

not even its name.


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ETHNIC MELTING POT

Dravidians (1500BC)

Coming of Aryans

Many warriors and Merchants


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UNITY IN DIVERSITY??? Physical Realities

Perception of Foreigners

Sharing common History

PEOPLE OF THIS LAND ARE DIVIDED, VARIEGATED, RICHLY DIFFERENTIATED, BUT ONE.

BRITISH RULE IN INDIA


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BRITISH RULE IN INDIA British econometricians established that net result was neutral Negative side easier to list: economic exploitation, creation of landless peasantry, exp The pros are less obvious The British brought Railways, post and telegraphs, English language, etc. but these wer

facilitate British rule, then the people.


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Gandhi and His Ideas

Post Independence India and Gandhis death

Eight Oscars awarded to Sir Richard Attemboroughsfilm Gandhi

Contemporary relevance of the film Gandhi

Martin Luther Kings views and thoughts about the relevance of the film

Gandhi was a mortal but the principles he stood for were not


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His definition of truth was his own and emerged from his convictions

Difference between Satyagrah and passive resistance in the minds of

Gandhi

Non-violence is not just absence of violence

Message sent through non violence: moral authority, injustice of the law and

commitment to the cause


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His sole aim was not independence, but the well-being of his fellow human beings

Gandhis principle of non-violence was not used in the many freedom struggles

after that of India

Even now there are still wars and people have been killed in genocides and

holocaust

This proves for this principle to work there are two important factors: Your

willingness to undergo punishment and the moral conscience of the oppressor

Gandhis response to the absence of the latter and its futility in the status quo


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Gandhi was unable to prevent the partition of India as his principles fail whenthe opponent can equally well justify his cause

Misuse of Gandhism by people bereft of moral authority

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The Ideas of India