Khushwant Singh
I bought and read Khushwant Singh’s book, ‘The End of India.’ Some may call the book a polemic, and in a way, it is. The book’s tone is deeply cynical and pessimistic about India’s immediate future.
Khushwant Singh wrote that he thought India died in 1947, with the Partition, and he was correct. Hindus and Sikhs blame Muslims for the carnage, and the Muslims, in turn, blame Hindus and Sikhs. No one blames the politicians or the British who fanned the flames of hatred, planting poisonous seeds that are blossoming into toxic plants today.
The British have long since left our shores, but our politicians continue to fan the flames, threatening to burn the nation as long as they remain in power.
Khushwant Singh does not reserve his ire for the current ruling party and also castigates past governments. I appreciate his even-handed approach because politicians only care about staying in power. Also, in India, politicians jump ship as easily as a cow chews cud, so blaming political parties is pointless
Did he mention Ayodhya in his book? I don’t remember, but as I have mentioned several times, I was in Ayodhya ten days after crazed mobs demolished the Babri Masjid.
When I walked up, my sales representative prompted me to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as I climbed the hillock to keep me safe. I have been in shoot-at-sight zones before, but what I saw that day was far more terrifying than anything I had experienced. I saw a line of men and women, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ eyes blank. They resembled zombies, or people who have sold their souls and brains to the propaganda machine.
I once liked Modi. I liked Modi when I was working in my corporate career. He eased regulations in his state, making it easy for me to get permission to set up a factory. My younger sister, who studied architecture in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), was always more skeptical, blaming Modi for the Godhra carnage, whereas I was willing to forgive him.
One day, a light dawned and cleared the cobwebs in my brain. I shifted from believer to critic. As Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister has progressed, hate speech has become commonplace, allowing crazy people and mobsters to flourish. Women’s safety is severely compromised, despite his pious words. The environment has been degraded, inequality has risen, the quality of education has suffered, and a generation of WhatsApp warriors has risen to proclaim the eternal glory of Modi.
Rich people, successful corporate people, influencers, celebrities, and all sorts of intellectuals and government officials have joined the ranks of the WhatsApp warriors, at least superficially. Many have suspended their minimal critical-thinking faculties, and most don’t care so long as they can buy expensive cars, watches, clothes, whisky, and pretend India is an immense geopolitical power. These people are probably the worst of the lot because they refuse to acknowledge the evidence that demonstrates the rot infesting our country’s roots.
Will India die? I doubt India will die, but maybe the country will suffer before people wake up.
Jawaharlal Nehru
I read Jawaharlal Nehru’s book, ‘The Discovery of India, ’ many years ago, and it is a book worth reading. Indian scientists and thinkers made wonderful discoveries over a thousand years ago, and our contributions to art and culture were immense.
Jawaharlal Nehru postulated that the Indian mind turned inwards when traders and invaders began arriving on our shores from the Middle East, modern-day Afghanistan, and modern-day Iran, etc. I don’t know if his postulate holds water because many other thinkers believe that our education system was excellent until the British meddled with it. I don’t know the truth of the matter, but it is true that the Indian mind has turned inwards. These days, we resemble a frog in a well, convinced that the well is the universe, and that our role in that universe is immense. This belief manifests itself in the increasingly raucous behavior of many tourists, or Indian-origin people living in other countries.
Very few people want to explore topics thoroughly, and when you do, their eyes glaze over. I often feel like I’m reading their minds, each wanting to revert to their favorite topics: clothes, gossip, watches, religion, whisky, foreign jaunts, etc.
Displays of religiosity have become more grandiose. Religion is a badge of honor. Often, people criticize those from other religions, branding them as terrorists or fanatics, while smugly proclaiming that they themselves exemplify tolerance and broad-minded behavior.
Will India die? I doubt India will die, but maybe the country will suffer before people wake up.
Now, I will move on to a different series of posts, and share my experiences while travelling to Kangra.