Like That Only

Varma8217;s case is that Hinduism, in contrast to Christianity and Islam, has no notion of ultimate sin. The concept of morality and principle is dear to Indians as a theoretical concept, but largely ignored in real life as impractical. India has one of the world8217;s largest corpuses of high-minded laws and one of the poorest records of implementation.

The Indian attitude towards power is reflected in the Machiavellian tone of the Mahabharata and the Arthashastra. The degree of deference and sycophancy towards anyone in power is linked to the extremely hierarchical and stratified nature of Indian society. The superior-inferior relationship is all pervasive in our culture.

Democracy8217;s deep roots in India, compared to most other countries in Asia and Africa, is not based in our belief in the principles of egalitarianism and accountability. Democracy has succeeded because it has brought about a shift in power towards hitherto excluded constituencies. Democracy in this country remains vibrant because there is a constant jostling for a greater share in the power pie in a highly stratified society, not because of our value system. Which explains why almost every political party in India is run undemocratically.

India8217;s totally lopsided educational planning 8212; under which technical education gets priority over elementary education and even secondary education is on par with elementary education in the Budget 8212; is reflective of our hierarchy-conscious society. The foundations were neglected while building a super structure. The upside of this elitist approach, aided by a centuries-old flair for numbers, is that India has one of the largest pools of trained technical manpower in the world. It gives us the cutting edge in the global IT revolution.

As with power, Hinduism8217;s attitude towards wealth is very different from the biblical concept of money as a corrupting influence. Evidence of Indian pragmatism is the remarkable manner in which spirituality and materialism co-exist. Making money dhanda, however unscrupulously, does not need to intrude on the religious side of a person8217;s make-up. Unlike the rigid certainties of Islam or Christianity, Hinduism is eclectic and elastic. There is no given set of ethics, it is 8216;8216;moral relativism that refuses to be straight jacketed by simplistic notions of right and wrong8217;8217;.

It is this same pragmatism that explains the absence of violent revolutions in our history and the ease with which foreign invaders like the British and the Mughals were able to subjugate us. Once the superiority of the new power was established, the Indian felt it was wiser to co-opt, co-operate or collude, even if internally he considered the outsiders, unclean, uncouth and beyond the pale. The ability to collude without being subsumed made it easy for the country to be conquered but not to be subjugated.

The erudite Varma is well suited to discuss the whole issue of what makes Indians tick. His earlier book The Great Indian Middle Classes is of the same genre. Varma is a successful career diplomat who has held a string of high flying posts, suggesting that he has put to practical application his insights on how to operate the levers of power. To assess what being an Indian means, Varma has drawn from history, religion and contemporary writing as well as from his own personal observations. Though one has a sneaking suspicion that Varma8217;s generalisations are applicable more to the upper castes rather than Indians per se.

Whether to compensate for his cynical assessment of the Indian character or because his publishers are keen to cash in on the current hype about India Shining, Verma concludes his book on a note of optimism. Our uniquely Indian social heritage, warts and all, will be the very reason why India will move to become a leading global player by the 21st century, is his projection.