Reading Public, and the British Novel in Colonial India

Often, the implementation of a new education system leaves those who are colonized with a lack of identity and a limited sense of their past. The indigenous history and customs once practiced and observed slowly slip away. The colonized become hybrids of two vastly different cultural systems. Colonial education creates a blurring that makes it difficult to differentiate between the new, enforced ideas of the colonizers and the formerly accepted native practices.” (Priya Joshi quoted in Contemporary Education By Rao, page 21).

Her theory on the ideological war waged by colonial Britain on India after 1857, ranging from quantitative estimates of book shipments from Britain to India, to library lendings make Priya Joshi’s research compelling.

Her narrative explains the methodology by which national cultures can be subverted, modified and ultimately disfigured. Carrying that logic further, it makes us examine the entire basis of using English in the Indian education system.

Rise above borders – BS Yeddyurappa

Referring to the protests, Yeddyurappa said: “Let us live together, let us enjoy together. Both Thiruvalluvar and Sarvagna were above caste, creed and religion. We should treat all the visionaries born in any state in the country as assets of our nation. That is true patriotism. Limiting such great personalities to one state or religion and campaigning against such achievers is unbecoming of any citizen of this country.”

“Almost all works of Sarvagna have been now translated and sold in Tamil Nadu,” said Karunanidhi.

Referring to Yeddyurappa’s visit to his house in Chennai when he was ill, Karunanidhi said: “When Yeddyurappa asked if Sarvagna’s statue could be unveiled in Chennai, my reply was – `Ayya, we were ready for it a long time ago.”’

Touching on the sequence of attempts made by Tamilians in Bangalore over the last 18 years to get the statue, Karunanidhi said: “Almost everybody, including the Prime Minister and President, were approached. But, perhaps, it was just waiting for the right time and the right people to take it forward.” (via Rise above borders: CM – Bangalore – City – NEWS – The Times of India).

This possibly was one the biggest acts of statemanship in India in the last few decades. Here was a festering the Cauvery waters issue – an intra-state problem between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which was being milked for all it was worth by politicians from both states.

After two decades, when this statue remained under cover due to political gamesmanship. It took a particularly sad lot of politicians to confine Thiruvalluvar to Tamil Nadu for two decades. It took one brave man, Yeddyurappa to make a new beginning.

Emulate Gujarat’s agricultural success – The Economic Times

Gujarat is a drought-prone state, with an irrigation cover of just 36% of gross cropped area. Increased water supply from Sardar Sarovar project, higher investments in check-dams and watersheds (as of June 2007, a total of 2, 97,527 check dams, boribunds and Khet Talavadi (farm ponds) had been constructed by the state in cooperation with NGOs and the private sector), and of course, good rainfall for the past few years has helped propel growth. (via Emulate Gujarat’s agricultural success- Policy-Opinion-The Economic Times).

Indian economic model

There is something interesting in the state of Gujarat. Sometime back there was a status report on finances of all state governments in India. The difference between Gujarat and the Rest of India was stark and telling. Very impressive.

While we have Westernized ‘experts’ saying that Indian agriculture is a dead end - and promoting a line of ‘there is no option apart from mega projects’, we have here in Gujarat the real solution to agriculture and water management. The Gujarat solution, which has been India’s way of managing water. Effectively, at a low cost, under the control of the people who use it and need it. Indian agriculture has a bright future – these ‘experts’ notwithstanding.

Which makes me think.

With Chief Minster’s like Yeddyurappa in the South and Narendra Modi fom the West, what BJP needs is two more Chief Ministers. One for the North and one for the East. To break the logjam at the national level. The last two electoral defeats at the national levels has seen BJP in disarray.

But at the state level it is a different story. More power to such Chief Ministers.

Coming to a bin near you: rat pack takes Britain by storm

“The government needs to look at this,” Crowden said. “Budgets are being cut. If they don’t do something, it’s going to be a serious public-health risk.” (via Coming to a bin near you: rat pack takes Britain by storm).

Where did this come in from

Growing up in various parts of India, one often heard, for every problem, two common remarks. One, “The Government should do something about this.” The second, “It is not like this in foreign countries.”

Whether it was overflowing drain or a pothole on the road. In the last few years, I wondered where this bit of escapist phraseology came in from! And now I know. Looking back, and seeing things now, I can see that things have changed.

The Indian State in retreat

To many, brought up on the Western schools of political understanding, the Indian Voter will vote for cash, sops, caste and allurements. This displays a profound disrespect for the Indian Voter – and greater ignorance.

The Indian State has been gradually and steadily retreating – and the Indian Voter has been at the forefront of this retreat. For all practical purposes health care in India has been privatized over the last 70 years. The vestigial State support for health care can also go, if the State cuts away its exclusive dependence on Western medical systems – and the complete collapse of Indian medical systems. The Western Voter will not let go of the subsidized health care system – while the Indian Voter has been gradually shifting the the private sector.

Similarly, the dependence on subsidized grain has been steadily decreasing. Inflation may give a false impression of increasing food subsidy bills. However, fact is that from about 75% of the population in the 1960-1970 decades, the dependence on subsidized food grains has reduced to 30%-40%.

Similarly, in other sectors too, the reduction of the role of the State is becoming apparent and welcomed – by the Indian Voter. The resistance is from the bureaucracy and the vested interests of Big Business.

Do things change

Over the years, Indians use this phrase less and less. This phrase is now close to becoming either extinct or may even become a parody. It may soon make its way into Indian films as a joke.

The interesting thing is ...

The other thing was that the people who could do something, the educated, the elite, the Westernized used this phrase, hankered for this solution more than the poor or the desi and the dehati types. In all my years, I have never heard a desi say that “the Government should do something about this.”

Curious eh!

Coming to the Brits! Till they get up, and stop asking the Government to do something, the decline will not stop!

Racism in Detective Fiction

How very true!

Ms.Christine and Susanne, you have hit the nail right in the centre of head! Your aim is truer than you imagine. Whatta shot! Though I dont know if you have hit the nail deep enough – deep into the heart the darkness of the Western heart, which gave rise to these genres of Western ‘literature’.

An Indian columnist laments how Indians lack literary talent and ability!

The Indian churail (or pisach or djinni) faces similar problems as the Scandinavian myling or the Er Gui of China: they don’t translate well outside of their culture.

India may have had local incidents, where an oppressive zamindar may have created a market for horror stories and monsters – but without genocide, slavery and massacres to fall back on, popular imagination simply does not have the fodder to create ghouls and monsters.

And that is reason for Indian churails being rare – not lack of literary ability in Indians.

Pallavi Aiyar: Where Marx comes alive

perhaps nothing exemplifies European socialism more than the maze of regulations governing the retail trade in Belgium. It took a panel of five young government officials from the Directorate for Regulation and Organisation of the Market, armed with pages of notes, to explain the main highlights of these to me.

This is what I learnt: In Belgium, shops can only legally go on ‘sale’ twice a year, in January and July. It is only during these periods that shops may sell goods at below cost or ‘extremely reduced’ profit. For six weeks before the sales period, shops may not advertise price reductions.

Although offering discounts (as long as these do not amount to a loss) is legal at other times of the year, for a month before the biannual sales, textiles, shoes and leather products may not be discounted at all. Moreover, the sales are reserved for the ‘seasonal renewal’ of stock, so products deemed non-seasonal may not be included in the sale. Sofas, for example, are considered seasonal but antiques are not.

To implement all of this, two hundred-odd inspectors from the Directorate wander around the country inspecting and many complaints regarding non-compliance are also phoned in.

The rationale behind this mountain of red tape is the protection of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which it is believed would go bankrupt if big retail were to be allowed to dump in an unrestrained manner. (via Pallavi Aiyar: Where Marx comes alive).

Europe has come a full circle!

The State has slowly and surely, completely taken over. The hard fought liberties, the Magna Cartas, the Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, have been in vain. The people have have just stepped up to the dias and handed over all the power back to the State. The much touted Renaissance and Reformation have all come to nought.

For the Rest of the World, what is truly a cause of anxiety is that the East seems to be embracing Western political ideology and constructs with reckless enthusiasm - in their quest for 'progress' and 'modernity'. And the public sector behemoths may yet cause some damage.

Remember the East India Company - a public sector company.

India Pakistan Cricket – new light or old wine …

Shashi Tharoor and Shahryar Khan in Shadows Across the Playing Field tries to provide answers by analysing 60 years of this intense cricketing rivalry, one, which has, on occasions superseded the intensity of the Ashes. (via something to hope for, and look forward to).

Nearly a year ago, 2ndlook wrote how Cricket administrators in India and Pakistan had managed to sustain a healthy business relationship for nearly 20 years.

This India Pakistan Cricketing relationship is very healthy – and has been managed by four people. Of course, there has been no case study, or a book or even a news report on this partnership. So some of this is my perception based on media interaction.

The four people in this complex relationship have been Jagmohan Dalmiya and Shahriyar Khan at the administration level. Between these two, they have managed a consensus between the Asian cricketing countries and South Africa. Jagmohan Dalmiya has a business background – and a career in cricket administration. Shahriyar Khan is a career diplomat and also a cricket administrator.

The other two are Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan – two well known and respected players in each of the countries. Between, these four, they have managed this complex cricketing relationship. Some of it is visible – but mostly, below the line. Especially, significant is the management of agreements.

Are things changing

This new book will probably throw some light on how this relationship was sustained and maintained - in spite of a adverse political climate and sometimes negative public opinion.