Indian Culture Under Western Impact

SABITA SAHU  :  I feel that the youth of India are going away from their Indian roots. Indian culture is impacted by Western Education and thought, I am worried that one day people may cut off from India’s history and the value system.

PRAFULLA MOHANTY :  Your perception is true to a great extent. But which India do you have in mind; the hoary past, the Vedic culture or the India of today- post- Independence India?

S.S         :  Certainly India after 1947, The India which we have seen during our life time.

P.K.M   : Then remember India was never a whole country ruled by a democratic system of polity under one written constitution. The India of the past was fragmented by different cultures because of the differences in the values followed by different kings. There was no idea of India.

S.S      :  Yes I accept. But we have a great cultural inheritance-respect for people and institutions, love of poetry, music and sculpture and especially a culture of tolerance. All that is gradually changing. I feel the impact of Western Education has changed our inherited values.

P.K.M    :  After Independence we certainly accepted the British system which was meant to create personnel to man their administration. The Macaulay system, however, is no longer followed. But modern science and technology, space exploration, engineering, modern medicine had to follow the West as models to build on...

S.S         :  That’s true but it has changed our life style, our family values, our food habits and even our attitudes. No one believes now in patriotism. People are more individualistic and pursue personal interests. Community sense is gone......

P.K.M    :  Such changes are bound to happen. We had inherited a culture of poverty where the joint family, preoccupation with moksa, religious identities were paramount. We never thought of cleanliness even. Health care was in the domain of gods and saints-

S.S         : Death of superstitions is welcome but our dress, food and family life have also changed.

P.K.M    :  This is because we are comparatively affluent. We have learnt to fulfil our dreams by our own efforts. We are the maker of our own destiny. The Vedic system followed Group learning .The classroom system of the west is also a group learning process. But modern educators emphasize the growth and nourishment of individual talent.

S.S         : That’s because of the Western impact. The West thought Knowledge is Power .They wanted the human being to grow powerful and dominate and now see where it has landed our modern youth!

P.K.M    : Well, the Indians believed that Wisdom is Liberty. Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaya- Knowledge is that which liberates us and where did it land us. Whoever came to India, Alexander, Timur, Mahmud of Gazini, the Moguls and finally the British-

S.S         : That’s because we believed in peace and coexistence and Ahimsa-

P.K.M    : All those values have undergone a sea change. Survival in an aspirant world, competitive  economies calls for the new knowledge of knowledge societies where people will be self reliant and tolerant , accommodative without compromising self interest and peace-loving without being submissive-

S.S          :  But the West is also learning from India, Our Ashoka, Gandhi have also impacted the western minds.

P.K.M    :  Yes Martin Luther king (jr) Thoreau and Tolstoy have enriched their minds influenced by Indian values but what about Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Che Guavara? If knowledge is used for domination it is not knowledge –

S.S         :  Buddhism has dominated the East, Japan and China-

P.K.M    :  Yes, but see what China is doing in Doklam! When knowledge stems from Trillions and weapons of mass destruction or half- baked knowledge of God and religion you will try to dominate.

S.S         : There comes Indian knowledge to the rescue of the world.

P.K.M    :  Absolutely, but remember to enforce peace, love and tranquillity you need power. The Mahabharata was fought for justice and peace. The two great wars were fought for democracy. And now we fight terrorism to save civilization.

S.S         :  Can knowledge create a terror free world? Are Buddha and Gandhi still relevant to our situations?

P.K.M     :  I wish I could predict. If Gandhian economics is followed- Small is Beautiful was basically a Gandhian idea borrowed by Sumachar-Perhaps a Village Swaraj like polity will develop. But I don’t see that coming unless we return to the Stone Age again.

S.S         :  India can make a beginning. We can project the values of our cultural inheritance.

P.K.M    :  I can’t agree more. But it is too late for that. We may at best have a basic component of our core values in the syllaby and courses of studies. But knowledge must create jobs and generate wealth. We can’t pursue knowledge for its own sake. We can’t afford that luxury.

S.S        :  So there is no hope?

P.K.M    :  Knowledge culture, civilizations are like flowing streams. They will gather history as they flow into the sea.

S.S         :  (smilingly) Yes, I get the point. Thank you.