When it comes to the rational and deductive interpretation of Indian tradition and cultural heritage it’s often seen the elite intellectuals stay clear of the subject. They talk about the socio-economic and political fabric of the nation, mathematical and religious connection. They talk about the practiced multiculturalism in the backdrop of pre and post colonial India. When they discuss the religious diversity they mean the Sufi, Bhakti, vis-à-vis Islamic and Mugul era. But they refrain from discussing the rational aspect of Indian traditional thinking heritage starting from the early Vedic era. They have their reasons. In recent years, we have got two polarized looking glass to analyze at our past. While the Rightist deifies and mystifies the past, the Leftist perception sees only the perennial social injustice. In the days of cultural ignorance we have fallen in the trap of using narrowed as well as borrowed dictionary to interpret and understand our own past.
With this book, the writer has made the boldest statement that any one can make about the Indian tradition of plurality, tolerance and heritage of public dialogue. The statement is emboldened by convincing arguments put forth by one of the finest mind of our time - a Nobel laureate, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1998-2004. Currently Amartya Sen is Lamont University Professor at Harvard. After reading the book my take is I won’t mind being called as an argumentative Indian.
I have come across many such profoundly open and well researched ideas and theories. But they can be termed as single or collective threads of various ideas. Whereas with this collection of 16 essays Sen has picked up a wonderfully well preserved and finely knitted fabric of Indian dialogic tradition. As one goes on reading this insightful commentary one can see how starting from the early Vedic era, interlinking patterns of debatable conversations continuously flowing and getting woven into the tapestry of our written or verbal heritage. The writer has picked up each thread of the fabric and tested their robustness and, evenness with absolute precision.
We are a nation of talkers. We talk too much. Sen has begun his first essay with the example of Krishna Menon’s 9 hour long non-stop speech delivered at the United Nations. He goes on to mention that this is not a new habit. As he has pointed out, how Mahabharata alone is seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey put together. “But they proceed from stories to stories woven around theire principal tales, and are engagingly full of dialogues, dilemmas and alternative perspectives. And we encounter masses of arguments and counter arguments spread over incessant debates and disputation.” (p-3, The Argumentative Indian – Amartya Sen)
The earilest sacred text of Hinduisma – Rigveda introduces various theories as well as entities of the Primal forces of Nature, Gods, and Goddess. In the same vain it also askes “Who really knows?” it asks. “Who will here proclaim it? Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation? Perhaps it formed itself, perhaps it did not. The one who looks down on it from the highest heaven, only he knows — or perhaps he does not know.” In aotherword it questions it’s own proclamation.
What makes the Indian cultural heritage a thriving and living entity? Is it the dogged adherence to the faith or beliefs? The ongoing constant debates on established social norms and faiths. Any idea, faith or moral position, established or newly espoused, always generates questions and subsequent arguments upholding the idea, faith or position or critiquing its lacuna/pitfalls.
Sen quite appropriately used the example of Bhagavad Gita, where Arjuna’s position of not taking part in a destructive battle has to face contradictory position of Lord Krishna’s position on once duty towards upholding Dharma and protecting the just cause. It is another matter that Krishna managed to convince a reluctant Arjuna. Incidentally Sen has proceeded to elaborate how in his opinion Arjuna was justified in his earlier stance.
The Rigveda validates ideas of quest. We have inherited this quest for answers. Even when majority have prevailed in our society, the minority has always found its voice and given due importance in the scriptures and tales.
There are ample incidents/evidences of voices irrespective of gender, class or cast has always found their place in the chronicles of our written or spoken history.
Sen has shed lights on various instances recorded in the form the antiquity. Be it Maitreyi’s conversation with the learned Rishi like Yajnavalkya, or Draupadi arguments to persuade an otherwise peace loving exiled Yudhisthir to get back his kingdom and take revenge on Kauravs. Similarly, Javali a low born has asked profound question to Ram in Ramayan.
Such examples might validate the stance of a rightist thinker as the invincibility and sacredness of Indian (read Hindutwa) culture.
Sen has gone ahead to argue how the dialogic tradition we have inherited is no way aligned to the so-called Hindutwa belief system. The public conversation has always been part of our culture, be it the Buddhist India under Emperor Ashoka, or Islamic Mogul Emperor Akber. As he has pointed out during the Sufi and Bhakti movement, most of the poets, philoshpher now we revere came from lower rung of the society. He has rightfully clarified how in the modern India we have jeopardized our public life by letting few people with personal, political agenda hijack the cultural ownership. They perpetuate arrested interaction among communities.
Sen has talked about the age old cultural exchange between two mega culture, India and China. The reference to Chinese scholar Yi Jing’s travelogue on his India visit in 4th century AD, is quite important in the scenario of a current polarized world.
By being student at Shantiniketan, Amartya Sen was exposed to a Tagor’s human and philosophical perspective work and beliefs. In an Essay named as Tagor and his India, reader will get an eye opener on Tagor’s views and vision on internationalism, patriotism and all encompassing humanism. The essays in the 3rd and 4th part of the book relates to the socio-economic-political situation of the modern India…
To be continued…
Filed under: Classified Chaos on May 1st, 2008 | No Comments »