India's Problem with Remembering Difficult Past

India's Amnesia with Difficult Past

India is categorized as a country with rich cultural heritage and past, but India also has memory vacuums in its past. India has a problem with remembering its difficult past: It either brushes it off, or slowly forgets it. India is generous about forgetting about the crimes of outsiders than its own people. Numerous terrorist attacks were perpetrated in India, but not even a single memorial marks the dead. Not only that terrorist events are forgotten, this is also true for major historical events such as the first war of independence of 1957. There is a memorial for the British dead in the war in India, but no such memorial for the dead soldiers of India, or its heroes of 1957. Nothing is known about the soldiers dead abroad while serving the British army, in China in the early 19th century, in Europe, and Middle East in the 20th century in the long drawn wars of the first world war. Of course nothing much is known in terms of memorials for soldiers dead in the wars with its neighbors in 1962 war with China or 1972 war with Pakistan.

India won its independence in 1947, but what about the 250,000 people, who died in the skirmishes that resulted during that year. No memorial. One or two films are made with mock characteristics rather than recreating a museum or memorial. India's invaders always inflicted innumerable losses to the life of civilians in India, almost creating a genocidal effect in India. However, all that India does is just forget about the atrocities, and move on, with the hope that such events won't repeat, which is always proven to be a mistake. They always repeat, India never remembers, and hence never adequately prepares, only to succumb to invaders easily.

India moves on with its insolent indifference into the twenty first century. Media discuss the 26/11 attacks, but no memorial for the victims. Everything is whitewashed and forgotten. India should make an effort to remember its past however sad or difficult it is so such events do not happen again.

Colonial Mind, Emigration, and Identity

Twenty-first Century brought forward a new dilemma for Indians. To be or not to be Indian, when one is living in a country away from India, the motherland. The question attracted attention from newspapers, internet portals, and Indian Twitterati. Bobby Jindal aka Piyush Jindal brought this debate to the front, which had been simmering in the back burner for sometime. There are two theories: One side argues that maintaining close connection with one's Indianness is important, the second side argues that an Indians must completely forget one's Indianness and immerse in the culture of the land wherever they may be living.

Both theories are wrought with problems. when one is away living in a different country, the person is not Indian in the full sense of the term, and only belongs to the cultural heritage of India. The middle way to foster this had already been shown by previous immigrants of colonial era now living in the Caribbean Islands, South Africa, and Fiji. The Caribbean Indians are as comfortable with Calypso music as with Bollywood dance numbers.

The second theory of disowning one's cultural heritage to assimilate completely with a culture of the land one is living at any time is also wrought with problems in addition to the point that it may be difficult and may not come easily for some. One serious issue that comes up with such attitude is if one is so uncomfortable with his own background and cannot live comfortably with his own heritage, how can he be expected to be open minded about myriad of other cultures that may exist around him. And what kind of a leader that one make such person. Twenty first century world brought migrations across the world. There are few places in this world that may be considered homogeneous culturally these days. In Bobby Jindal's case his becoming American mean a very narrow definition of  what American means, which comes with English, and converting to Christianity. In his opinion Asian immigrants are lacking in Christianity, while other Latino immigrants are lacking in English. 

His proposal for Americanness, English and Christianity, is matter of simple life for millions of Indians living in India already, almost every educated person in India speaks decent English, and India has sizable number of Christians dating as far back as early centuries of first millennium C.E. There are a number of Indian Christians living in America as well.  Same is true with Latinos in numerous countries, they speak decent English and are Christians by faith. If this is what defines Americanness in Bobby Jindal's mind, then there are legions of others that are better qualified for such honor than him. Is he ready to call everyone of those who speak good English and is Christian an American then?

Another issue with such disowning one's culture to claim assimilation into another culture is a remnant of colonialism. Neo-Indian culture of nineteenth and twentieth centuries is characterized by learning English language, dress, manners and customs, which sometimes may include conversion to Christianity. Speaking English and dressing as English gentleman is seen as cultured and civilized self. Colonial life in the continent of America is also known for altering the life of natives and landscape of the region forever. Numerous languages perished along with annihilation of tribes, plants, birds and animals. However, there is a modern quest to discover lost languages and cultures, and protect the animals and plant life of the world. It is common in twenty-first century, for humans to live in different countries, but still be able to live comfortably as one-self. The greatest advantage of twenty-first century global world is multi-culturalism, which represents unity in diversity. If Bobby Jindal had difficulty embracing multi-culturalism then he is living in the past a world of early 19th century rather than the twentieth century.

It enriches a country when multiple cultures exist in a country with uniform civil code. Problem ensues when some cultural groups ask for preferential treatment or separate family courts based on their cultural sentiments. Such preferential treatment should not be meted out to any group. Even though the cultures are different they must all respect the law of the land and abide by it, and work for the progress of the country. That's what the leaders should be asking for from their citizens, not homogeneity. Multiplicity is the feature of the twenty-first century. 

Embracing multi-culturalism and multiple selves is the way to go. Living with narrow definitions and identities is helpful to a certain extent, but learning more than three languages, knowing about world cultures and religions is also important in the 21st century. After all no one is living on self-isolating island.

On This Yoga Day, Lets Focus on True Efforts to Understand Yoga

As India, along with the world, is gearing up to celebrate Yoga, a lot of noise is heard from all sides, but real emphasis on true learning is lacking. There is happy noise from the hundreds of Yoga enthusiasts getting ready for their celebration by organizing public performances of Yoga. In fact, some are expecting to enter the Guinnes book for the largest gathering and performance of Yoga. While there are also some gruntling noises from so called secularists, Muslims announcing that they would not be taking part in the Yoga Day celebrations.

India, as the land of Yoga has a responsibility to preserve and continue the tradition of Yoga through education, research and scholarship. Serious study of Yoga is necessary to pass on the requisite knowledge to the future generations. When I was growing up in India all the Yoga asanas I learned are from my family. School education was helpless in the field of Yoga. Similarly, my higher education in Osmania University and University of Hyderabad similarly provided me no background in Yoga. School or college did not teach Yoga at any time. It was only after coming to the West that I learned how important it is for mind, body unity and focus. It was only here that I discovered the value of Yoga. Most universities, public libraries offer courses on Yoga in the West. There are numerous private schools of Yoga that teach a variety of styles of Yoga, calling it a physical exercise. The Yoga day seems to be doing exactly what the privately run Yoga programs in the gyms across the western world had been doing for a long time. Promoting Yoga as a physical exercise. Yoga is much more than just a physical exercise and understanding it should be at the core of Yoga day activities. It is important to have Yoga day celebrated with performance of Yoga. But it should also be a day where new research and scholarship sheds light on this traditional knowledge.

Yoga postures (asanas) are practiced, but it is also important to read and understand the Yogasutras of Patanjali. More publications discussing the Patanjali Yogasutras and philosophical aspects of Yoga should be made available to the common people of India.

Meditation is an essential part of Yoga which needs long and focussed practice under a learned teacher. Training centers, certifications for different levels of Yoga proficiency is also important. Currently, Yoga institutes, and training centers are independent organizations, which are run without any scrutiny or accreditation. A educational authority to certify and accredit various levels of Yoga programs is necessary. Due to the importance of Yoga for modern life, it is important to establish a Central organization to oversee the licensing and functioning of Institutes as well as the certifications for Yoga training.

Before this turns into another show of mindless numbers and postures it should be taken in the right direction where learning, research and scholarship is encouraged at all levels of Yoga practice. Unless Yoga studies is offered as a subject of study in the universities, Yoga Days like this will not be able to provide real value to the practitioners.