India

It's not the wrong title, but I had to wait until I was less sleep deprived to write this:

I was in Trivandrum India, and searching for a guidebook for Egypt. I wasn't prepared for the lack of organization of the bookstore. They had "classics" in one area, guidebooks grouped together, but no real organization. You could find all of Pico Iyer's books, but not adjacent to each other, or even in the same aisle.

So I was browsing to see what I could see, and found "Being Indian" by Praveen Varma. The man is a diplomat, and the book focuses on the real psyche of Indians. His theory is that there are certain characteristics that Indians, in general, share. Some stereotypes are deliberately propagated - Indians are highly spiritual -when they serve a purpose. I'm not saying that I agree with everything in this book, as it does discuss generalizations about a nation. There are exceptions to every rule. But it did seem to explain a lot of behavior I witnessed.

We assume that people are elected to be the voice of the people, and that the government should serve the interest of the people. I may have watched too much West Wing, but I believe the vast majority of civil servants believe in their country and want to serve it in some way.

I assumed the same to be true in India. India is the world's largest democracy. Nearly one billion people wield power in a parliamentary system. We heard so many people complain about the corruption of officials. Bribery, even for small things, is necessary to get a civil servant to act. But the book postulates that democracy acts as a way to legitimize power. The "perks" of the job are a display of power, as are the "favors" handed out. There is a public condemnation of the corruption, but privately, a certain moral flexibility pervades. It's morality at a practical level; it can't be wrong if you gain from it.

The book holds that Indians are very focused on gains. They go to the temple and make offerings. They ignore the poor, the filth, the smells around them. The Western mindset says, "How spiritualistic to be able to focus on their prayer" but, in fact, the Indian is just ignoring anything which is extraneous to his pursuit. The Indian went to temple to ask the god for something. All that is around him is not of his concern.

I don't want to sound so negative about India. Democracy in India has given minorities a stronger voice then ever before. Coalitions are formed in a parliamentary system, and minorities may be needed to form the government. There are forces that are leading to a greater inter-Indian identity. With the IT boom, people are moving from one area of India to another. The changing demographics have a way of muting the radical voices. India has never attacked another country, and has shown great restraint in the use of its military. There is great tolerance.

The biggest lesson to me was about my assumptions. I tend to assume that something is mostly similar to me, instead of mostly different. I see McDonalds, Coke, and jeans, and assume that a country is becoming "Westernized." But "Westernized" is more a mindset than fashion accessory. I'm learning which parts of what I hold as "true" are indeed so.