Seven years ago – on the late afternoon of May 11th I was lying on my bed in my studio apartment in Jodhpur when I felt a slight tremor. Thinking that an earthquake might have hit I scrambled outside to enquire with my neighbors – everyone had felt that tremor but it did not feel like an earthquake. Not worrying too much about it I went back to sleep and that night I went back to my home town of Ajmer for a small vacation. It wasn’t until next day morning did I realize what kind of earthquake did that tremor signify because as we all know now and I got to know that morning when I read the screaming headlines that India had conducted a successful nuclear test. With Pokhran only 120 Miles away from Jodhpur – that tremor was from the nuclear explosion that had taken place.
When I went back to Jodhpur in a couple of days - I could feel some tangible effects of that test in weather. It was palpably hotter, less breezy and stiflingly humid. At 8 in the morning it used to feel as hot as 12. But I did not mind it at all because there were some intangible benefits going. Centuries after Ashoka started the long decline of Indian civilization in the aftermath of Kalinga war with his vow to denounce all war – India was ready to reclaim its power and not be ashamed about it. For all the talks about peace and ahimsa – it is a fact that history of mankind is filled with powerful prevailing over the weak in wars. Ashoka, by denouncing war made India a nation of weaklings who were ready to bend over and get their asses whipped by outsiders. What followed was a long string of outside marauders invading and looting this country with gay abandon. With a successful nuclear test and retaining the ability to develop a nuclear weapon we were finally regaining some of the last power and were letting the world know that even though we are a peace loving nation – we are capable of protecting ourselves.
I believe that the confidence gained through that nuclear test started a long string of other successes over the next few years of the BJP government including the enormous success in the IT sector. For the first time – we started hearing about India as a power to be reckoned with and not as a nation of 800 million poor people and a land of snake charmers and eastern mysticism.
Imagine that the US has a black President and a woman as the majority leader in the Congress. Imagine that UK has a Muslim as its Prime Minister. Imagine that one of the major European mainland countries elect a non-White, non-Christian as its President/Prime Minister. Imagine that in Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims are allowed to practice their religions. Well you might just have to keep on imagining because none of these will be a reality anytime soon.
But there is a country in this world which has already been there and done that in a mere 60 years of gaining freedom. Though western powers often try to preach to that country to be more tolerant of diversity, ground realities often fly in the face of their assumptions. The hubris of the west is almost pathetic. It works on the assumption that equality of women, practice of treating all races and religion as equal are essentially western concepts and ancient cultures of the east need to be made aware of these philosophies.
What then explains the fact that at present India has a Sikh Prime Minister, a Muslim President and a Catholic woman as head of its biggest political party whereas United States which got rid of slavery more than 150 years ago is yet to elect a single black person as its President? Or a woman for that matter. In fact when Barack Obama became only the third black ever to be elected to the US – his victory was hailed as a typical US dream come true – and comes with the cliché that “It can happen only in the US”. It is a typical example of western hyperbole. Well if after 150 years of the end of slavery a third African American to the US senate is hailed as American dream come true then the bar set for dreams for blacks (and any other minority) is pretty low.
Imagine you have a relative who you love a lot and you know is brilliant. She can score straight As when she puts her mind to studies. She can be brilliant in sports when she goes regularly for practice sessions. Every now and then she shows these signs of brilliance. But on an average she’s a laggard. She has far too many other diversions, shortcomings that keep her away from fulfilling her full potential. She’s also had a troubled past that keeps her away from concentrating and being successful.
Would you be just content and happy that at least she shows some signs of brilliance and success at some times? Would you accept her explanation at face value that her troubled past does not let her achieve her potential?
Or, since you love her dearly, you’d make an effort to point out to her to other people around her who’ve had similar or worse pasts but yet have achieved great success with far less talent than her? Wouldn’t you rather criticize her for her shortcomings even though it makes her mad so that she can achieve her place under the sun?
Now – if you are willing to do this for your loved one – why would you balk at doing the same for your country? Why would you want to keep explaining her shortcomings? Why would you blame her ethos of corruption and inefficiency on years of foreign rule? After all – as a race what happened to Jews in WW II was probably the worst that can happen to a race to sap their self-confidence, sense of dignity and will to excel. Yet, look at Israel today. In a total desert with no real natural resources they have created an oasis.
Our lack of civic sense, lack of honesty and lack of purpose is a reality. We can either address it and take our rightful place on the world stage, or keep harping on 300 years of colonial rule and 500 years of Muslim rule and be a perpetual laggard.
I rest my case!
