Dichotomy that continues

One morning in the news paper on the same page;

the dichotomy came alive;

India; trapped in the remains of colonism and casteism

India; the free spirit, liberated, working fast, achieving faster, smiling, shining and emerging. Yes, this is the definition, we today's Indians prefer to give for our lovely country, an independent India of 63 years almost.

India is the investment interest of all big multinational companies from all over the world, India is one of the biggest markets who can buy arsenals to pain relieving balm from other countries with its own money (driven from public taxes). India understand this interest of others of being a powerful market and is paying enough attention to its infrastructural growth so that all those guests who are coming to invest in India, pamper India should not feel discomfort during their rendezvous with India.  Along the way India might get developed if possible. After all India believes in the philosophy of Vasudev Kutumbkam (Sanskrit for whole world is our friend) and Atithi devo bhava (Sanskrit for guests are our gods). Yes, this is absolutely today's India in few lines. At least the India portrayed to the world. India- the brand, the hub of outsourcing, medical tourism and normal tourism too. This India for me is more a commodity than a home for more that one billion human beings.

Mostly we Indians are happy with this propaganda, after all we are gaining a bit of respect  in international level through this and lots of money which is serving our short term life goals like buying a flat, a car of foreign brand, sending our children to a private school and that's it actually. Sometimes while dining in a modern multi cuisine restaurant chain, or in an evening gathering of few friends with a glass of imported Bordeaux wine, we accept, actually this is not it. India is changing, also quite fast but it is not developing completely or properly. India is like that toddler who has learned to walk recently and is just concentrating on walking faster but does not know the road rules.  Do we leave a toddler alone on the road, as he can walk already? No as we know that the results will be fatal. But for India unfortunately, there are no fingers to be hold, she has to go through that fatal experience to learn to walk properly.

Also the baggage of long term foreigner's rule we had in India (200 hundred years of colonial period and before that too, most parts of then India has been ruled by people from outside India) does persist even now. The feudal system of hierarchy, class and caste is there all over the world; it is a basic human (or animal) instinct to sort things into classes but in India it is very visual some times to an brutal extent. Add on, is India's very own caste system.

The practice of shaking hands for introducing yourself in a formal set up, was never there in India because of different religions and castes and the questions regarding their equality and now although we are trying to go international we actually don't have any ritual for introducing one person with the other officially (may be in corporates they take care of that) but a genuine hand shake which gives a sense of equality and companionship while introducing each other  is unavailable here. So a process of introduction mostly depends on smiles and eye contact, which in a official atmosphere is quite unattractive and cold to start a conversation. At home (or informally) though we have our age old Namaste, and for much older relatives we even touch their feet to seek their blessings.

The system (offices, education, parliament, everywhere) which exists in India today is actually a mix of what has been started by Moghuls and then continued by Englishmen.

For example in Indian Army the ranks are designated with names used in Moghul times  (like havildar, subedar etc) until one level and then the ranks are given English names (Like Major, Lieutenant etc).  I guess, in the time of British Raj, when they were preparing Army  in India to be used for taming Indians they could import the officers bearing English ranks from their country but for the mass of the Army they needed local men, which they got by persuading then Nawabs and Maharajas and they kept their ranks just like that.

This is just one example but if you enter into the web of Indian official systems even now we will find a surprising blend of  British systems with then Moghul era systems.

It can be argued that this is normal, appropriate, as India when newly independent needed a guide book to make its own system, it is understandable. But the problem has started originating only when India (or Indian officials) have not been careful enough to bring improvisations to those rules, with time, according to local needs and demands. After all needs of independent India does not remain same as that of India as a colony of European countries.

The result has been a dramatic dependence of common Indian people on things which by any which mean carry a touch of age old and effective English system. But we have conveniently left all those goodness of that system according to our believes on class and caste. In offices we call each other Sir and Madam, not the surname or for that matter first name also, a trend even invisible in today's UK and on addition we add our own respectful notion of 'ji'! This we but do for people only who are higher in rank/authority to us. For the need of showing so much respect actually we feel damned, and then we show equal amount of disrespect to any one who we know are below us in rank and this chain continues from the top to lower most level. This was there from my childhood, I know this Indian way of working, I never had any regrets, as I did not know any other way of working. 

But when I went out, I saw that things if little differently handled  can bring out better results. 

A sense of equality, at least a trial to make it happen, gives more comfort to people of all levels. Those powerless mass of common people, actually can then make a change, they start the real development needed in a country, for the country, they then one by one start adoring their work and don't take it just as a duty.

Those Shining Pearls - Undercurrents of Independent India

"Middle class" are that section of a society who are known for its routined and secure life style. They have rules and they try not to change them.

Has middle class remained unchanged in India?

I also belong to the middle class of India. Today while celebrating 60th Republic day, I would like to take you on a walk into the lives of women of five generations of my family. Reading about these characters from each generation might also reflect an image in your mind from your family.

Madhavi: Age 70-80, mostly wear white or cream coloured sarees, her hairs are all white and she don't care to dye them, she has seen India fighting for independence, she has heard Gandhi, Bose or Tagore live in radios, she was married in their teens (love marriage? are you kidding!), she gave birth to 6 children, lived in big joint family, took care of all of her family members and several pets like cows, she has faced many famines, epidemics and proverty, travelling by train was her dream, she mostly lived in villages, she has seen India changing its gear from being agricultural to tech savvy, hardly went to school, she struggled hard for proper education of her children as she almost had no voice in the family, but she never gave up.

You can see her lying in her bed, her face is full of wrinkles but her wobbly stature is all smiling and blessing.

Mridula: Age 50-60, dress code saree or salwar kameez, better education, she was married in early twenties (love marriages-very few friends of her had), she is a house wife but some of her friends opted for jobs but stayed in family friendly options like teaching, they had 2-3 children, concept of family planning, children's immunisation and equal education for girls were brought into force by this generation, many of her friends were still living in joint families but she started her own family where her husband was working, they grew up listening radio and are getting old seeing T.V., watching movie was a feast in their youth, money they had was not plenty but not scarce too.

She perform the glamorous "in-law" role in the society and her generation is very much present in almost all levels of todays India from national to family politics, her husband has retired but she is busy advising her kids (distant) either on phone or online.

Manavi: Age 30-40, is confident with saree, salwar and jeans, education was compulsary for her, many of her friends have never seen any village, nuclear family was her only choice, having a profession is an essential criteria in her life, she and many of her friends strongly believed in choosing their own life partners, They all have only one or two children, they are the first T.V (/ cable T.V) generation of India, most of them use computer at work or home, they travel a lot, they had a strict childhood but now they have enough money to indulge a little.

She and all her friends are juggling frantically between being family oriented and professional, they are very competitive, life is not concealed for them and is full of choices, this brings both happiness and little confusion in their daily lives.

Manya: Age 20-30, Mainly college goers or are entry level professionals, wear mostly jeans, feels uncomfortable in saree, career is a must for them and don't want to leave it at any cost, they believe in late or no marriages, don't know how to cook and don't bother about that, life has been quite tough in getting admissions to educational institutes from the very beginning and then to remain in the rat race of academics or which ever path they have chosen, money was quite easily accessible and most of their material needs are taken care of, they are not addicted to T.V anymore, they have more to play with like mobiles, computers, ipods, nintendo DS, wii etc etc, they listen mostly band music and remixes.

They face strong peer - pressure and therefore get more confused about love, career and life as a whole. They have accepted ladies compartments in trains but they fight against glass ceilings in their jobs.

Milli: Age 5-20, their childhood is very different from any of the predecessors, many of them stayed 8-9 hour in day care/creche/play school from as early as 6 months of their age, their family strictly consists of parents with occasional visits from grand parents or other relatives, they are more friendly with cartoons than their cousins, world has become very small for them as they often travel abroad with their parents, they are on the verge of changing education system of India, they are also on the verge of immense pressure from peers and parents, they are the most busy and rich kids of India in last 60 years.

They are very strong headed, material loaded generation, India expects a lot from them.

So lives of the middle class women of India has changed dramatically in last 60 years, the only thing that has not changed is their busy schedule!

Disclaimer: The views are based on a particular family of India and by no means calls for any generalisation. Names are fictional.