The human mind is a wanderer, explorer and, in many ways, a seeker. It reflects and introspects, raising more questions than answers. There is a lot of confusing noise around India, Indian, Hindu, Hinduism and Hindutva – as we use them interchangeably. Naturally, the book ‘What Does It Mean To Be ‘Indian’? by S.N Balagangadhara, and Sarika Rao, seemed the right book to read. Thank you, Indic academy, for sending the copy under the 1000 reviewer programme.
THE EXPERIENCE.
Starting the year with ‘What Does It Mean To Be ‘Indian’? was not the best thing to do. I should have paid heed to the warning – ‘Written for an intelligent but lay public’.
Initially, the reading was heavy and troublesome. It was tough to keep up with the arguments and, at times, iterative wandering logic. However, soon I warmed up to the debate and the subject. But, even after reading the book, I have no addition to my understanding of ‘What Does It Mean To Be ‘Indian’?
It was not tough to follow the theoretical argument and unidimensional approach in a book claiming to be the result of 40 years of scientific investigations in the Comparative Science of Cultures research programme. It added nothing to me other than maybe voicing some of these arbitral heavy sounding arguments over a drink.
EVERYTHING IS NOT LOST.
I like the premise of India being colonised by Islam and Britishers. Not Mughal and no Christianity in the frame. However, Christianity, the Bible, and the resultant religion find more than a mere mention in the arguments. I instinctively agree with the author. But pity, there is not much of an explanation. It cannot just be about denying us the understanding of our language. Telling us more about what we are not and what is wrong with us.
QUOTING FROM – What does it mean to be ‘Indian’?
“Colonial consciousness is both a process and an event. It is an event because the colonial consciousness that I am talking about comprises of a multiplicity of actions of indefinitely many people over a long period of time. It is also a process because colonial consciousness reproduces itself; it is transmitted through generations and s itself learnt. Consequently, we need to understand the mechanism of this process and the structure of this event’.
“Islamic rule of India. It was not a mere foreign rule but colonisation of India because Islam did not remain foreign to the society it ruled. Instead, it interacted with the society and culture in multiple ways, impacting the culture and being impacted in turn. Islamic colonisation did what every colonisation does- deny access to experience. Islamic colonisation also made our experience partially inaccessible to us, and that is where we were when the British colonised is”.
“Islamic colonisation enabled the penetration of Islamic themes into the ideational world of India using Indian terms and words. … “
“It is my hypothesis that Islamic colonisation arrested the transmission of many of the theories that had crystallised in India. Culture: our theories about people, society and nature. By arresting their transmission by breaking the unity that was established between these theories and our daily experiences, Islamic colonisation inflicted violence on the Indian people. In the absence of access to these theories on the way Indian culture was used to, a certain aspect of experience lost their intelligibility and could no longer be reflected upon. Islamic colonisation damaged our ability to reflect on the experience and thus made these facets inaccessible to us.
That made sense and was so well explained.
UNIDIMENSIONAL THREAD.
S.N. Balagangadhara keeps blaming our lack of understanding on the colonisation by Islam and Britishers. He laments the lack of carrying forward of our language and reiterates that what we know is what we have been told. But, that is an oversimplification for an intelligent but lay public.
There are many jumps and chaotic maundering of arguments. The worst part is this feeling of ‘So What’ after investing hours slowly treading through some 210 pages of internal debate and posturing.
The author labours to discuss not translating the Indian religious concepts into English. The reason; English language cannot reasonably explain and differentiate the nuances. ‘Puja’ is not ‘worship’, ‘Deva’ is not ‘God’, ‘Manas’ is not ‘mind’, and many more examples are given. In his view, we use language without understanding the differences and lose touch with our tradition, heritage, culture, parampara and legacy.
Agree, but there is no answer- what should one do.
The whole book has this author shouting from the pedestal. The tone is non-inclusive, almost like a preacher. There is a presupposition that the reader will fail to understand the logic and the arguments.
There is a lot of ‘I’. You read time and again an argument that starts and ends with – ‘It is true because I am telling you so’. It makes reading the book more difficult.
SOMETHING TO HANG ON TO.
Another argument that is part of the book and something to think about.
Hinduism isn’t a religion per se and is only a term coined by the colonial rulers to simplify their understanding of local beliefs.
I like it as I too think in the same way. We have tried being collective and inclusive for far too long. As a result, multiple sects with differentiated traditions, rituals, and practices have been clubbed under Hinduism. That is why we misunderstand the context and keep equating Hindu, Hinduism, and Hindutava.
The book, in part II, responds to many claims and arguments on Hinduism. And these 13 claims across some 8 pages (126-133) of the book definitely make for good reading.
TRADITION AND RITUALS NEED NO DEFENCE.
Here is something I personally endorse and quote from the book.
Why do we wear Kumkum on our forehead or Bindi?- when asked, some are embarrassed, and others come with ad hoc explanations about pharmacological interaction between Kumkum and some nerve ending in the brain. This ‘explanation’ is supposed to provide a scientific basis for the practice. Why this attempt? Because, without it, we think we come across as silly and stupid people. How can a woman wear Kumkum on their forehead or stick Tulsi leaves behind their ear or…? This indicates that we believe our practices need to be sanctioned by some or another theoretical explanation. To put it crudely, we believe that our practice must be ‘textually’ justified. The defence of our traditions follows the same route’.
Why can’t it just be part of our tradition and rituals inherited through generations? Why should we justify everything like the book ‘Hindu rites and Rituals’ by K V Singh’.
So I agree when the author says;
There is no need for ‘reason’ to keep ancestral traditions alive. The only reason to practice a tradition is the fact that what is practised is a tradition, and that is what it means, as it has always meant, to be Hindu. By this, I keep faith with my fathers, who kept faith with his forefathers and were blessed in doing so.
But I still do not know; what does it mean to be ‘Indian’?
SOME MORE GEMS From – what does it mean to be ‘Indian’?.
There are gems of statements that can be used as a prop in any discussion. At the same time, they provide an argument or line of thinking while answering some of the questions people ask.
People often confuse an explanation of experience with the experience itself. Many fail to see the fundamental difference between ‘having and experience’ and ‘having an explanation for experience’.
Indian culture is a culture where knowledge is experiential in nature- it is practical knowledge that is meant to form and reflect upon the experience. The knowledge makes sense when rooted in experience; it is about experience; its goal is to shape and transform the human experience. Indian theories are about experience and were devised to think about how to change them.
Who says so? The author does. Why does he say so? Because he says so. What should I do with it? No answer. What does it mean? It all depends upon the intent of the author.
IN THE END.
If you are okay reading a book titled; What does it mean to be ‘Indian’?. Go through 210 pages of seriously heavily iterative, at times preachy and convoluted arguments – do read the book.
On the other side, if you don’t read, you will do yourself a favour. Trust me, you would not have missed anything anyway.
If you are Indian, you would still be Indian and still won’t know what does it mean to be ‘Indian’? But then why in the first place should one differentiate and try to understand what it means to be ‘Indian’?
BLOG/06/2022
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