Rich Heritage

It has become a fashion to boast about our rich heritage. This is resorted to more by an army of social media enthusiasts as it gives a definitely a sense of satisfaction. It is indeed a privilege to belong to a rich heritage of culture, philosophy, scientific temper, social mores, spiritual insights etc.

No doubt this sort of pride of ancestry gives hope for the future. But at the same time we must also accept and acknowledge why? What? Who? Lead us away from, not down from, such rich heritage? We also need to look practically what we must do now, gradually and diplomatically, not only, to resurrect our past glory but also revive the areas in which the modern civilization need to march ahead for a bright future. We must also question ourselves how much of? Or what part of our past glory that we are proud of and are willing to identify ourselves with, without disturbing our present life too much?

We have too many great observations, citations singing the glory and greatness of India along with a crowd , a more visible one, which gets more recognition as well which is more keen on projecting 'Slum dog Millionaires' for a particular audience. We are looked down as a nation which can be easily led by emotional maneuvering and manipulations, euphemistically implying no one need to  bother about the mental capacity and identity of the nation. This is because we very often resort to uncritical love as when we deify some film stars, politicians and make too many god men out of orators, scholarly interpreters of our scriptures, heads of our mutts etc or resort to unloving criticism when we blame everything on some outside force, as if out of xenophobia. I have read and reviewed wonderful books by many especially on these topics the books BECOMING INDIAN and BEING INDIAN by PAVAN K. VARMA who unfortunately is now in a very wrong place for all his erudition, exposure, experience etc, probably, driven by a desperation or frustration at the lack of recognition, want of platform to survive at his level of life. No one has blamed the British cultural and linguistic intrusion along with the portrayal of our proud heritage more lucidly than him.

But having said that, how many of us can touch our heart and say that whole edifice created by the Macaulay has been destructive, has not contributed to our small growth story, it has been only negative etc. Certainly not, every event, especially if it had any great impact which cannot be denied or ignored, must have taken place to either make us undergo a specific experience or benefit. So in that way Macaulay's system too had its hidden, rather should I say immense benefit for so many generations? I am not saying his system is better or correct or more appropriate for a nation like India. We cannot either deny or do away with the fact that his system did penetrate and prevailed which probably gave employment to millions of Indians then as clerks now as software professionals; it has enabled the great Indian talent to be shared by the whole world. I would like to look at the positive contribution of Macaulay. I am not evaluating it in comparison with the negative impacts it may have or has had.