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© 2012 Sanjeev Sabhlok's revolutionary blog
Kishore Asthana writes very thoughtfully. This email of his which I'm converting into a guest post (I've done so in the past with his permission so I assume he won't mind if I continue the practice), presents the problem of India very elegantly. I don't agree with everything he is suggesting (e.g. the view he has about 'hoarders' – for the solution to such things is different), but I agree with the overall thrust. I've seen the great difficulty in finding even 1500 leaders out of a population of 1,155,347,678 people. Barely 100 leaders so far. And that too mostly very feeble in their efforts.
This, unfortunately, is the India I was born into. A nation the honour and wealth of which was looted for thousands of years by foreigners. And now, being looted by its own people. And yet there is silence. Indeed, there is support for the corrupt. I am flabbergasted by the "hope" otherwise good people have of gang-leaders like Rahul Gandhi.
But I won't go on. Listen to Kishore Asthana. And if you are persuaded to DO something, then join FTI. One day I'm going to have to stop. This miserable response to my call for action (and of many others) is simply not acceptable. This can't go on. Either you rise to lead India, my friend, or I too shall join you in inaction and apathy. Let's all let the world (and our domestic thugs) trample us to dust, together. Shamelessly.
The Indian Mindset Prefers Inaction to Action
by Kishore Asthana
I grew up when the independence movement was still fresh in the minds of Indians. Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence and his non-cooperation movements were lauded all around. Indeed, they were major achievements, or so we thought.
Since then I have had the time to think about these in more depth. I have a feeling that Mahatma Gandhi’s movements were successful because these were were an exact fit for the Indian mindset. As, also for the British mindset.
To get the British out of the way first. I do not think such movements would have succeeded against German, Spanish or Portuguese colonizers. The Mahatma may have prematurely become a martyr, of course, since these colonizers were experts at removing such people without any moral scruples. Fortunately, by that time, the British had become more benign in this regard.
Now to the Indian mindset. I suspect that Indians supported non-violence because, despite the urging Bhagwad Gita, we tend to prefer in-action to action. Look at our history where we have lost countless opportunities just because we could not make up our mind to act courageously. Even at present, we are reluctant to take action against the corrupt. All this show of doing so at present is only because the Congress party fears a backlash. Left to themselves, they would have preferred to have continued with their inaction of the last few years. The venal, too are safe against resolute action as we see in the case of Afzal Guru and Kasab and, earlier, we saw in the case of the Kandahar hijacking and Mehbooba Mufti’s kidnapping and release.
Our incompetent are safe too. Very few face action for being incompetent in India even when children die in manholes callously left open. Our non-violence and incapacity to take action works in favor of the traitorous, too, as we see in the case of Indians with black money stashed away in Swiss bank accounts which we are reluctant to pursue. The greedy are left undisturbed by us. Even with food inflation at 18%, we do not act against the hoarders. There are so many other examples.
Our preference for official inaction has resulted in the country being virtually run by the Supreme Court on the behest of activists who file PILs. Without a court order, it appears even simple things like winter shelters for the home-less do not get built. Perhaps if someone was to get a judgment from the Supreme Court that provision of toilets should be mandatory in our villages, the government would be forced to take action. This would save hundreds of women who are raped when they venture out into the fields for their toilet every day. However, till forced to do so, the government would prefer not to take any action on this or on so many other such issues. It is indeed very revealing of our mind-set.
Other countries laugh at us. Dubai, which would blow away if India were to sneeze in its direction, harbors our criminals with impunity, knowing that we will take no action against it.
Yes, one can point out to the violence prevailing in our society. Indeed we have too much of it – violence against women, violence against the Dalits, violence against each other’s political parties, violence perpetrated by Naxalites and so on. However, these are all examples of the violence of the strong against the weak, where the threat of retaliation is minimal. Yes, even the Naxals are being violent against a weak state. These are not examples of violence – to coin a word, these represent vile-ence. As does the senseless inter-religious violence we see off and on.
I do not advocate violence. Most of the time it is pointless. Often, as we see above, it is vile-ence. However, sometimes violence may be justified. Violence against the hoarders, the corrupt, the venal, the traitorous, the greedy is essential if hoarding, corruption, venality etc. have to be eradicated. I do not mean physical violence by individuals. I mean well-directed, legally sanctioned violence in thought and action by the state. I mean effective action which would curb such practices.
Non-cooperation, again, is an idea whose time is past. We have all seen the effects of non-cooperation in our parliament. Non-cooperation by our unions has hampered industrial development, reducing some states to pitiable conditions. This again is an example of the victory of our preference for inaction over action.
Our vaunted ‘toleration’ is, also, to a large extent, an example of our love for inaction. Chalta hai, is an easy way of saying, “I cannot be bothered to do anything about it.” It appears that we view action as a slope and, instead of climbing it, we generally prefer to roll down to the lowest point.
Indeed, we Indians are very prone to inaction. As a nation, we are also prone to being prone. That is why the world walks over us. And, it will continue doing so till we change our mind-set and rise, head held high and say, we are willing to act.
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Related posts:
- Power of Action
- Words without action mean nothing
- Atanu, it is time for action, not talk. Let’s change India, not wring our hands.
- Ideas without action are meaningless, just idle dreams
- Distinguishing clearly between three ways the state can take HUMAN LIFE: war, police action and aggression
- Indian oppression of India (or the costs to India of Indian rule) #2
- My approach towards the liberation of Indian women
- The Indian disease of looking backward
- Great Indian leaders
- Indian oppression of India (or the costs to India of Indian rule) #1
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The Indian Mindset Prefers Inaction to Action: Kishore Asthana writes very thoughtfully. This… http://goo.gl/fb/bwF3L
Our honour and wealth was looted for thousands of years by foreigners. And now, being looted by its own people. http://ow.ly/3HBMF nice read
Nearly all the communities in India (such as Bengali), are succumbed in 'Culture of Poverty'(a theory introduced by an American anthropologist Oscar Lewis), irrespective of class or economic strata, lives in pavement or apartment. Nobody is at all ashamed of the deep-rooted corruption, decaying general quality of life, worst Politico-administrative system, weak mother language, continuous absorption of common space (mental as well as physical, both). We are becoming parents (mindlessly) only by blindfold self-procreation, simply depriving their (the children) fundamental rights of a decent, caring society, fearless & dignified living. Do not ever look for any other positive alternative behaviour (values) to perform human way of parenthood, i.e. deliberately co-parenting of those children those are born out of ignorance, real poverty. All of us are being driven only by the very animal instinct. Can the Indians (Bengali) ever be able to bring that genuine freedom (from vicious cycle of 'poverty') in their own life/attitude, start themselves 'Production of Space’ (Henri Lefebvre), at least, initiate a movement, by heart, then only a decent & efficient politics will come up.
- Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Howrah-711101, India.
Nearly all the communities in India (such as Bengali), are succumbed in 'Culture of Poverty'(a theory introduced by an American anthropologist Oscar Lewis), irrespective of class or economic strata, lives in pavement or apartment. Nobody is at all ashamed of the deep-rooted corruption, decaying general quality of life, worst Politico-administrative system, weak mother language, continuous absorption of common space (mental as well as physical, both). We are becoming parents (mindlessly) only by blindfold self-procreation, simply depriving their (the children) fundamental rights of a decent, caring society, fearless & dignified living. Do not ever look for any other positive alternative behaviour (values) to perform human way of parenthood, i.e. deliberately co-parenting of those children those are born out of ignorance, real poverty. All of us are being driven only by the very animal instinct. Can the Indians (Bengali) ever be able to bring that genuine freedom (from vicious cycle of 'poverty') in their own life/attitude, start themselves 'Production of Space’ (Henri Lefebvre), at least, initiate a movement, by heart, then only a decent & efficient politics will come up.
- Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Howrah-711101, India.
Dear Siddhartha
It is important to stop complaining and to lead. Let’s not blame others. Blame ourselves first.
Join FTI or otherwise become a leader.
Regards
Sanjeev
Dear Siddhartha
It is important to stop complaining and to lead. Let’s not blame others. Blame ourselves first.
Join FTI or otherwise become a leader.
Regards
Sanjeev
Did not read completely. Most of the problems are generally solved when one knows who he is. Outwardly action is like tree chasing the sun by the tree trunk; it needs to be supported by going deep and spreading the roots.
Indians are becoming rootless. Macaulay and his “green” and “red” have been successful beyond their dreams. Ask yourself how many IITians built Bokoros, worked for bringing Ganga to Kaveri, started Anna Hazare type movements to eradicate corruption?
Alien concepts, ideas and books have “booked” Indians for many generations. Corruption starts when natives are taught to disown their own ancestors, culture, history, heroes, sages and their achievement and start holding alien white, green and red books. Unless you have Resnick Haliday and Popov in local native languages not merely translation but organically germinated …
Did not read completely. Most of the problems are generally solved when one knows who he is. Outwardly action is like tree chasing the sun by the tree trunk; it needs to be supported by going deep and spreading the roots.
Indians are becoming rootless. Macaulay and his “green” and “red” have been successful beyond their dreams. Ask yourself how many IITians built Bokoros, worked for bringing Ganga to Kaveri, started Anna Hazare type movements to eradicate corruption?
Alien concepts, ideas and books have “booked” Indians for many generations. Corruption starts when natives are taught to disown their own ancestors, culture, history, heroes, sages and their achievement and start holding alien white, green and red books. Unless you have Resnick Haliday and Popov in local native languages not merely translation but organically germinated …
Returning to Vedas may help. It appears that extreme pacifism of Jainism and Buddhism have left their permanent effect on Hinduism and made us coward. Old Aryans were not like this. While I laud Buddha for his work but in longer run his religion has caused more harm to India. We could not prevent Ghaznavi from attacking Somnath. We have been slaves for almost 2000 years till getting independence in 1947. Inaction and Socialism has harmed our progress.
So as much we need your political initiative to remove Socialism , we need reforms at society level also. In this regard I like the work of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
Manish
You need to know what to pick from the Vedas (if that’s your preferred approach). Saraswati was a reformer and picked things from the Vedas that mainstream Hinduism still denies. That’s why his Arya Samaj movement is practically dead, now.
All that remains is the DAV college movement which is quite good. I’ve commented on it here: http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/07/dayanand-saraswatis-contributions-to-womens-education/ and
http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/07/does-the-dayanand-anglo-vedic-movement-promote-reason-and-critical-thinking/