Here is an Indian, truely patriotic, finding fault with his own
culture and the age-old values it imbibed on the minds of its people. The language, style and approach he takes suggests
that he deliberately chooses to be sarcastic. He wants to shock his countrymen out of complacence. The deep note of patriotism and sincere wish to rectify the condition also is unmistakable. That gives his argument much needed credibility and acceptability.
He argues that culture can kill and
Indian culture has killed the very zeal and initiative of the Indians for progress and modernity. How,otherwise,can a country that produces more than 2.5 lakh engineers and 3 million university graduates every year manages to
remain one of the poorest countries in the world, he asks. So much so that 260 million people live below poverty-line. He holds culture responsible for this.
Any culture that stiffles the very urge for modernity and innovation and
rational thinking fails to promote progress. Indian culture did this for centuries, says Subodh. The greatest drawback of this culture, he says, is that it has constantly imbibed on the minds of its people the ridiculous values like
glory in poverty, not to expect fruits from whatever you do, not to hate your enemy even when he is bent on killing you in war,the soul is great and he body is an object of decay and so to be neglected, excessive justification of selflessness etc.
This has not only weakened the indian
society but has also rendered them inert and self-satisfied. They burried themselves in the nostalgic memories of the past glory of their ''great culture''. The world marched ahead and embraced industrialisation and scientific achievements while India kept talking about its myths and scriptures and their spiritual superiority over the ''evil'' westerners. Money, to them, was a corrupting force. Science and the rational attitude it promotes was to be shunned with all the moral inner force. The
natural and the only possible result was it laged behind. Solution ? Change the culture that failed to uphold you and create another, more healthy, more rational, more modern.
There is a kind of pungent rhetoric which is deliberate. In an
attempt to ridicule each and everything that comes his way, Subodh, sometimes passes unkind remarks. For example, his comment that Islam is the cruelest of all religions, or his comment " Why did we need the ''evil'' westerners to show us the natural art of defecating in better style?"
Subodh''s book should be read for a mercyless mask-tearing attempt which sometimes is necessary for a hypocritical society.
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