India'sSelfDenialByFrancoisGautier

Copyright1999FrancoisGautier(Auroville,24.11.99)
Introduction
WhyisitthatIndians,particularlyitselitetheintelligentsia,thejournalists,thewriters,thetop
bureaucrats,thediplomatsholdanimageofthemselveswhichisoftennegative,andhaveatendencytorun
downtheirowncountry?TheselfperceptionthatIndianshaveofthemselves,isfrequentlydetrimentalto
theirselfconfidence.ThisisparticularlystrikingamongstIndianjournalists,whoalwaysseemtolookat
IndiathroughawesternprismandconstantlyappeartoworryhowtheforeignpressviewsIndia,howthe
foreigncountriesparticularlytheUnitedStatesofAmericaperceiveIndia,whattheHumanRightagencies
sayaboutIndia...Thus,whenonereadscertainIndianmagazines,onehastheimpressionthattheycouldbe
writtenbyforeignjournalists,becausenotonlydotheytendtolookatIndiainaverycriticalmanner,but
often,thereisnothinggenuinelyIndianintheircontents,noreferencestoIndia'spastgreatness,noattempts
toputthingsinperspectivethroughtheprismofIndia'sancientwisdom.Therefore,mostofthetime,their
editorialcontentsendeavourtoexplainthepresenteventsaffectingIndia,suchasAyodhya,ortheproblemof
Kashmir,ortheChristianmissionaries'attemptsatconversionoftribalHindus,bytakingaverysmallportion
ofthesubcontinent'shistoryusuallythemostrecentonewithouttryingtoputtheseeventsinabroader
focus,orattemptingtorevertbacktoIndia'slongandancienthistory.Inagist,onecouldsayalthough
thingshavebeenchanginginthelateninetiesthatthereishardlyanyselfprideamongstIndia'sintellectual
elite,becausetheyareusuallytoobusyrunningdowntheirowncountry.Itisdoneinaverybrilliantly
manner,itistruebecauseIndianjournalists,writers,artists,highbureaucrats,areoftenintelligent,witty
andtalentedpeoplebutalwayswiththatwesternslant,asifIndiawasafflictedbyapermanentinferiority
complex.OnethenhastotrytoanalysetheunderlyingreasonsofthisnegativeselfperceptionthatIndiahas
ofherself,probetheunconsciousimpulseswhichgivemanyIndiansHindus,weshouldsay,asthemajority
ofIndia'sintelligentsiaarebornHindusthehabitofalwaysdepreciatingtheirowncultureandtraditions.
1.TheTheoryoftheAryanInvasion
ThefirstandforemostexplanationforthisinferioritycomplexcouldbethetheoremoftheAryaninvasion,
whichisstilltakenasthefoundationstoneoftheHistoryofIndia.Accordingtothistheory,whichwas
actuallydevisedinthe18thand19thcenturybyBritishlinguistsandarchaeologists,whohadavested
interesttoprovethesupremacyoftheircultureovertheoneofthesubcontinent,thefirstinhabitantsofIndia
weregoodnatured,peaceful,darkskinnedshepherds,calledtheDravidians.Theyweresupposedly
remarkablebuilders,witnessthecityofMohenjoDaroinPakistaniSind,buthadnoculturetospeakoff,no
writtentexts,noproperscripteven.Then,around1500B.C.,Indiaissaidtohavebeeninvadedbytribes
calledtheAryans:whiteskinned,nomadicpeople,whooriginatedsomewhereinUral,ortheCaucasus.To

theAryans,areattributedSanskrit,theVedicorHindureligion,India'sgreatestspiritualtexts,theVedas,as
wellasahostofsubsequentwritings,theUpanishads,theMahabharata,theRamanaya,etc...
ThiswasindeedamasterlystrokeonthepartoftheBritish:thankstotheAryantheory,theyshowedonthe
onehandthatIndiancivilisationwasnotthatancientandthatitwasposteriortothecultureswhich
influencedthewesternworldMesopotamia,Sumeria,orBabylonandontheotherhand,thatwhatever
goodthingsIndiahaddevelopedSanskrit,literature,orevenitsarchitecture,hadbeeninfluencedbythe
West.Thus,Sanskrit,insteadofbeingthemotherofallIndoEuropeanlanguages,becamejustabranchof
theirhugefamilythus,thereligionofZarathustraissaidtohaveinfluencedHinduismastheseAryantribes
werebelievedtohavetransitedthroughnumerouscountries,Persiabeingone,beforereachingIndiaandnot
viceversa.Inthesamemanner,manyachievementswerelaterattributedtotheGreekinvasionofAlexander
theGreat:scientificdiscoveries,mathematics,architectureetc.Soultimately,itwascleverlyprovedthat
nothingisIndian,nothingreallygreatwascreatedinIndia,itwasalwaysbornoutofdifferentinfluenceson
thesubcontinent.
Tomakethistheoryevenmorecomplicated,theBritish,wholikeotherinvadersbeforethemhadatoughtime
withtheBrahminsandtheKshatriyas,impliedthattheAryansdrovetheDravidianssouthwards,wherethey
arestilltodayandthattomarkforevertheirsocialboundaries,theseAryanshaddevisedthedespicablecaste
system,whereby,theythepriestsandprinces,ruledoverthemerchantsandlabourers...AndthusEnglish
missionariesandlater,Americanpreachers,wereabletoconverttribesandlowcasteHindusbytellingthem:
"you,theaborigines,thetribals,theHarijans,werethereinIndiabeforetheAryansyouaretheoriginal
inhabitantsofIndia,andyoushoulddiscardHinduism,thereligionofthesearrogantAryansandembrace,
Christianity,thetruereligion".
ThuswasbornthegreatAryaninvasiontheory,oftwocivilisations,thatofthelowcasteDravidiansandthe
highcasteAryans,alwayspittedagainsteachotherwhichhasendured,asitisstilltodaybeingusedbysome
IndianpoliticiansandhasbeenenshrinedinallhistorybooksWestern,andunfortunatelyalsoIndian.
Thuswerebornwrong"nationalistic"movements,suchastheDravidianmovementagainstHindiandthe
muchmalignedBrahmins,whoactuallyrepresenttodayaminority,whichisoftenunderprivileged....This
AryaninvasiontheoryhasalsomadeIndialookwestwards,insteadoftakingprideinitspastandpresent
achievements.Itmayalsounconsciouslybeoneofthereasonswhytherewasatonetimesuchgreat
fascinationforSoniaGandhi,aWhiteSkinnedWesterner,whomayhavebeenunconsciouslyperceivedasa
trueAryanbythedowntroddenDravidiansandacertainfringeofthatIndianintelligentsiawhichis
permanentlyaffectedbyaninferioritycomplextowardstheWest.Itmayevenhavegivenacolourfixationto
thiscountry,wherewomenwillgotoextremestolook"fair".
Buttoday,thistheoryisbeingchallengedmoreandmorebynewdiscoveries,botharchaeologicaland
linguistic.Therearemanysuchproofs,buttwostandout:thediscoveryoftheSaraswatiriverandthe
decipheringoftheIndusseals.IntheRigVeda,theGanges,India'ssacredriver,isonlymentionedonce,but
themythicSaraswatiispraisedonmorethanfiftyoccasions.Yetforalongtime,theSaraswatiriverwas
consideredamyth,untiltheAmericansatelliteLandstatwasabletophotographandmapthebedofthis
magnificentriver,whichwasnearlyfourteenkilometreswide,tookitssourceintheHimalayas,flowed
throughthestatesofHaryana,PunjabandRajasthan,beforethrowingitselfintheseanearBhrigukuccha,
todaycalledBroach.AmericanarchaeologistMarkKenoyerwasabletoprovein1991thatthemajorityof
archaeologicalsitesofthesocalledHarappan(orDravidian)civilisationwerenotsituatedontheancientbed
oftheIndusriver,asfirstthought,butontheSaraswati.Anotherarchaeologist,PaulHenriFrancfort,Chief
ofafrancoamericanmission(Weiss,Courty,Weterstromm,Guichard,Senior,Meadow,Curnow),which
studiedtheSaraswatiregionatthebeginningofthenineties,foundoutwhytheSaraswatihad'disappeared':
"around2200B.C.,hewrites,animmensedroughtreducedthewholeregiontoaridityandfamine"
(EvidenceforHarappanirrigationsysteminHaryanaandRajasthanEasternAnthropologist1992).Thus
aroundthisdate,mostinhabitantsmovedawayfromtheSaraswatitosettleonthebanksoftheIndusand
Sutlejrivers.

Accordingtoofficialhistory,theVedaswerecomposedaround1500BC,someevensay1200BC.Yet,aswe
haveseen,theRigVeda,describesIndiaasitwasbeforethegreatdroughtwhichdrieduptheSaraswati
whichmeansineffectthatthesocalledIndus,orHarappancivilisationwasacontinuationoftheVedic
epoch,whichendedapproximatelywhentheSaraswatidriedup.Recently,thefamousIndusseals,discovered
onthesiteofMohenjaDaroandHarappa,mayhavebeendecipheredbyDrRajaram,amathematicianwho
workedatonetimefortheNASAandDrJha,adistinguishedlinguist.InthebiasedlightoftheAryan
invasiontheory,thesesealswerepresumedtobewritteninaHarappan(readDravidian)script,althoughthey
hadneverbeenconvincinglydecoded.ButRajaramandJha,usinganancientVedicglossary,theNighantu,
foundoutthatthescriptisofSanskritlineage,isreadfromlefttorightanddoesnotusevowels(whichlikein
Arabic,are'guessed'accordingtothemeaningofthewholesentence).Inthisway,theyhavebeenableto
deciphersofar1500and2000seals,orabouthalftheknowncorpus.AsthediscoveryoftheSaraswatiriver,
thedeciphermentoftheIndusscriptsalsogoestoprovethatthattheHarappanCivilization,ofwhichthe
sealsareaproduct,belongedtothelatterpartoftheVedicAgeandhadcloseconnectionswithVedantic
worksliketheSutrasandtheUpanishads.Inthislight,itbecomesevidentthatnotonlythereneverwasan
AryaninvasionofIndia,but,ashistorianKonraadElstwrites,itcouldverywellbethatitwasanIndianrace
whichwentwestwards:"ratherthanIndoIraniansontheirwayfromSouthRussiatoIranandpartlyto
India,thesemayaswellbetheHitites,KassitesorMitanni,ontheirwayfromIndia,viatheAralLakearea,to
Anatolia,orMesopotamia,wheretheyshowupinsubsequentcenturies"(IndigenousIndians).
2.AnImageofPoverty
AnotherreasonwhyIndiansoftenexhibitanegativeideaofthemselves,maybebecauseIndiaisalways
associatedintheworldwithpoverty:MotherTeresa,Unicef,orCalcutta.Thisimagehasbeenreinforcedby
bookssuchastheCityofJoy,aninternationalbestseller,whichtakesalittlepartofIndiatheCalcutta
slumsandgivestheimpressiontothenaiveandignorantwesternreaders,thatitconstitutesthewholeof
India.AnotherfactorwhichreinforcestheimageofpovertyisthetremendousfamewhichMotherTheresa
enjoyedinherlifetimeandevenafterherdeath,assheisintheprocessofbeingmadeasaint.Whileitistrue
thatMotherTheresadidatremendousjobinCalcutta,shenevertriedtocounterbalancetheverynegative
imageofIndiathathernamewascarrying,withsomepraiseforthecountrywhichhadadoptedherforfifty
years.ShecouldhavespokenforinstanceaboutthegreathospitalityofIndians,ortheopenmindednessof
Hindureligion,whichhadallowedhertopractiseChristianitynearoneofthemostsacredtemplesofthe
country,orevenaboutthenearworshipwhichmostHindusshowedforher.
ItistruethatthereisatremendousamountofpovertyinIndia,andthatmanypeoplecanonlyaffordone
mealaday.Butfourthingsshouldbeknown.Firstly,thatuntilthe18thcentury,inspiteoftherepeated
Musliminvasions,Indiawasknownasoneoftherichestcountriesoftheworld,theland"ofmilkandhoney".
Youonlyhavetoreadthenumerousaccountsoftravellersfromdifferentcountries,whoallmarvelledat
India'sprosperity.Thesecondthing,isthatallthegreatfaminesofIndiahappenedduringtheBritishtime.
Manyhistorians,suchasFrenchmanGuyDeleury,havedocumentedtheeconomicrapeofIndiabytheBritish
:"IndustriallytheBritishsuffocatedIndia,graduallystranglingIndianindustrieswhosefinishedproducts,
textilesinparticular,wereofaqualityuniqueintheworldwhichhasmadethemfamousoverthecenturies.
InsteadtheyorientedIndianindustriestowardsjute,cotton,tea,oilseeds,whichtheyneededasraw
materialsfortheirhomeindustries.Theyemployedcheaplabourfortheenterpriseswhiletraditionalartisans
wereperishing.India,whichusedtobealandofplenty,wheremilkandhoneyflowedstarteddrying"(Modele
Indou)...AccordingtoBritishrecords,onemillionIndiansdiedoffaminebetween1800and1825,4million
between18251850,5millionbetween18501875and15millionbetween18751900.Thus25millionIndians
diedin100years!TheBritishmustbeproudoftheirbloodyrecord.Itisprobablymorehonourableand
straightforwardtokillinthenameofAllah,thanintheguiseofpettycommercialinterestsandtotaldisregard
forthewaysofa5000yearcivilisation.Thus,bythebeginningofthe20thcentury,Indiawasbleddryand
therewerenoresourcesleft.
Thethirdfact,isthatafterIndependence,whateverpovertytherestillwasinthiscountry,therewerenomore

famines,asIndiamanagedtobecomeselfsufficientinfoodthroughtheGreenRevolution(whatevernegative
sideeffectsithadonIndia'secologybutthatisanotherstory).Thisisagreatachievement,atremendous
taskofwhichIndiacanbeproudoff.ForifyoulookatChina,India'slargestneighbour,whichalwaysinvites
naturalcomparisonwithIndiaastheysharemanyofthesameproblemsandcharacteristics,itwentthrough
tremendoustraumasafterindependence.Millionsdiedofhunger,forinstance,whenMaodivertedpeasants
fromcultivatingtheland,inhismisguidedandmegalomaniacefforttoincreasesteelproduction.Itshould
alsobesaidthatlateritdidlookasifChinafaredbetterthanIndiainitsefforttofeedadequatelyitspeople.
Butthatisbecausetheyemployedcoerciontocontroltheirownpopulation,whereasIndia,ademocracy,never
triedtoforceitscitizenstohavelesschildrenexceptforashortwhileunderIndiraGandhi(wholostthe
electionsshortlyafter).
ThefourththingisthatthereisatremendousamountofblackmoneyinIndiaasmuchas40to50%ofthe
totaleconomy.IfthatmoneycouldbetappedandchannelledtotheWhiteeconomy,itwouldgivea
tremendousboosttothenation.Butyouneedagovernmentwiseenoughtoenactlawswhichmakepeople
cheatless.Peoplehavebeencheatingsince1947,becauseNehruhaddecidedthatSocialism,partlymodelled
aftertheSovietUnion,wasthebesttooltobridgetheyawninggapbetweentheveryrichandtheverypoorof
India.Atthattime,itseemedagoodidea,butasyearspassed,itprovedadisaster,spawningahuge
bureaucraticsystem,breedingcorruption,stiflingfreeenterpriseandoverallmakingpeoplecheat,becauseit
hadintroducedoneoftheheaviesttaxingsystemintheworld.AndthesadthingisthatIndiansfromthe
middleclasstoeventhepoorerpeoplearesomeofthegreatestsaversintheworld.Notforthemthecredit
cardsystem,whichisruiningtheWest,byartificiallyenhancingtheeconomyno,theysaveinland,gold,
jewellery,orincash,oftenstashedathome.AndthatisatremendousassetforIndia,ifitcouldbebroughtin
theopen.ThereisnowadaysaneconomiccrisisinthesocalledTigercountriesofAsiaevenHongKongis
affectedbyit.Butsofar,India'seconomyhasremainedsound.Ofcoursetherearedrawbacks:theRupeeis
notyetfullyconvertible,subsidiesdraintheExchequer,importdutiesarestillleviedonmanygoods...
HoweverthispartiallyinsulatedeconomyhashelpedIndiatoprotectherownindustries,whileswitching
graduallytoafullyliberalisedfinancialsystem.Thus,ifthattremendousamountofblackmoneycouldbe
tapped,itwouldalsocontributetowardschangingthis"poor"imagestickingtoIndia,whichisharmingher
inherquestforforeigninvestmentsandinternationalrecognition.
Chinatoohadaverynegativeimageuntilthelatesixties:theRedmenace,thecommunistDragon,thegreat
Backwardleap...ButafterNixon'svisitin1971,everythingchangedthatistheWesternPress,whichwas
responsibleinthefirstplaceforChina'snegativeimage,startedprojectingamorepositivepictureofChina.It
alsohelped,thatcontrarytoIndians,theChineseareproudofthemselvesandpossessastrongnationalistic
bendmaybebecausetheyhaveneverbeencolonised,exceptforshortperiods.Andtoday,thereisnotonlya
fascinationforChinaintheWest,buttheIndustrialisedWorldhasalsoplacedmanyofitseconomicchips
there.France,forinstance,invests10timesmoreinChinathaninIndia.Yet,Indiaisamuchmore
interestingcountryfromtheinvestmentpointofview:itisdemocratic,whichChinaisnotpeopletherespeak
moreEnglishthaninChinaithaslawstoprotectcontracts,whichisnotthecaseinChinaitisastable
country,inspiteofthepoliticalproblemsandallkindsofseparatistmovements...Butstill,theworldhardly
takesnoticeofIndiaalthoughthingsarebeginningtochange.AndthatisbecauseofIndia'snegativeimage,
ofcourse!AndnobodyismoreresponsibleaboutthisnegativeimagethanIndiansthemselves.Indiahasto
stopgoingaroundwithabeggingbowlinherhands.ForIndiadoesnothavetobeg:ithasthematerialand
intellectualwealthithaseventhemonetaryresources.
3.TheCasteSystem
Thecastesystemhasbeenthemostmisunderstood,themostvilifiedaspectofHindusocietyatthehandsof
Westernscholarsandeventodayby"secular"Indians.AndthishasgreatlycontributedtoIndia'sself
depreciation,asyouhardlyfindanyIndianwhoisnotashamedofcaste,especiallyifhetalkstoaWesterner.
Butultimately,onemustunderstandtheoriginalpurposebehindthecastesystem,asspeltoutbyIndia's
GreatSageandAvataroftheModernAge,SriAurobindo:"Castewasoriginallyanarrangementforthe

distributionoffunctionsinsociety,justasmuchasclassinEurope,buttheprincipleonwhichthis
distributionwasbasedwaspeculiartoIndia.Abrahminwasabrahminnotbymerebirth,butbecausehe
dischargedthedutyofpreservingthespiritualandintellectualelevationoftherace,andhehadtocultivate
thespiritualtemperamentandacquirethespiritualtrainingwhichalonewouldqualifyhimforthetask.The
kshatriyawaskshatriyanotmerelybecausehewasthesonofwarriorsandprinces,butbecausehedischarged
thedutyofprotectingthecountryandpreservingthehighcourageandmanhoodofaction,andhehadto
cultivatetheprincelytemperamentandacquirethestrongandloftySamuraitrainingwhichalonefittedhim
forhisduties.Soitwasforthevaishyawhosefunctionwastoamasswealthfortheraceandtheshudrawho
dischargedthehumblerdutiesofservicewithoutwhichtheothercastescouldnotperformtheirshareof
labourforthecommon,good".(India'sRebirth,p26).
Itistruethatintimethecastesystemhasbecomeperverted,asSriAurobindoalsonoted:"itisthenatureof
humaninstitutionstodegeneratethereisnodoubtthattheinstitutionofcastedegenerated.Itceasedtobe
determinedbyspiritualqualificationswhich,onceessential,havenowcometobesubordinateandeven
immaterialandisdeterminedbythepurelymaterialtestsofoccupationandbirth...Bythischangeithasset
itselfagainstthefundamentaltendencyofHinduismwhichistoinsistonthespiritualandsubordinatethe
materialandthuslostmostofitsmeaning.thespiritofcastearrogance,exclusivenessandsuperioritycame
todominateitinsteadofthespiritofduty,andthechangeweakenedthenationandhelpedtoreduceusto
ourpresentcondition...(India'sRebirth,p27)Today,theabusesbeingdoneinthenameofcasteareoften
horrifying,speciallytoaWesternerbroughtuponmoreegalitarianvalues.Someofthebackwardvillagesof
TamilNadu,orBiharforinstance,stillsegregateHarijansandthelowercastes,whodonothavethesame
accesstoeducationalfacilitiesthantheuppercastes,inspiteofNehru'sheavyhandedquotasystem,which
hasbeenbadlytakenadvantageoff.
ModerndayIndianpoliticianshaveexploitedlikenobodyelsethecastedividefortheirownselfishpurposes.
ThepoliticiansofancientIndiawereprincesandkingsbelongingtothekshatriyacastetheirdutywasto
servethenationandhighidealswereheldinfrontofthembythebrahminsandrishiswhoadvisedthem.The
Buddha'sfatherforinstance,wasakingelectedbyitsownpeople.Buttodayweseecorrupt,inefficientmen,
whohaveforgottenthattheyaresupposedtoservethenationfirst,whoareonlyinterestedinmintingthe
maximummoneyintheminimumtime.Indianpoliticianshaveoftenbecomeacaricature,whichismadefun
ofbythewholecountry,addingtoIndia'sselfnegatingimage.Theyarefrequentlyuneducated,grosspeople,
electedonthestrengthofdemagogicpledges,suchaspromisingricefor2Rsakilo,afollywhichatonetime
wasdrainingmanystate'scoffers,orbyplayingMuslimsagainstHindus,HarijansagainstBrahmins,asin
thestatesofUttarPradeshandBihar.MinistersinIndiaaremostofthetimeignorant,unqualified,often
havingnoideaaboutthedepartmenttheyareoverseeingitisthecivilservantswhocontrolmatters,who
knowtheirsubjectthoroughly.Youhavetoworkhardtobecomeacivilservant,study,passexams,then
slowlyclimbupthehierarchy,herebygainingexperience.Thepoliticianjustjumpsfrombeingalowlyclerk,or
someuneducatedzamindartobecomeapowerfulMinister,lordingovermuchmoreeducatedmen.There
shouldbealsoexamstobecomeaminister,aminimumofknowledgeandskillsshouldberequiredoftheman
whosayshewantstoservethenation.Itmattersnotifhecomesfromalowcaste,butheshouldhaveinhis
heartalittlebitoftheselflessnessofthekshatriyaandafewdropsofthewisdomofthebrahmin.
Nobodyissayingthatthecastesystemshouldbepraised,forithasindeeddegeneratedbutitwouldalsohelp
inenhancingIndia'sselfprideifIndiansrealisedthatonceitconstitutedauniqueandharmonioussystem.
Andfinally,havethepeoplewhodismisscasteasanAryanimpositionontheDravidians,orasaninhuman
andnazisystem,ponderedthefactthatitisnoworsethanthehugeclassdifferencesyoucanseenowadaysin
SouthAmerica,orevenintheUnitedStates,wheremanyNegroeslivebelowthepovertylevel?Andcanyou
reallyexcludeitoffhand,whenitstillsurvivessomuchinthevillagesandeveninmoreeducatedcircles,
whereonestillmarriesinmatchingcastes,withthehelpofanastrologer?Doesthecastesystemneedtobe
transformed,torecaptureitsoldmeaningandoncemoreincarnateaspiritualhierarchyofbeings?Orhasitto
berecastinadifferentmould,takingintoaccounttheparametersofmodernIndiansociety?Orelse,willit
finallydisappearaltogetherfromIndia,becauseithasbecometotallyirrelevanttoday?Atanyrate,Hindus

shouldnotallowthisfactortobeexploitedshamelesslyagainstthem,asithasbeeninthelasttwocenturies,
bymissionaries,"secular"historians,Muslims,andbypreandpostindependenceIndianpoliticianseachfor
theirownpurpose.
4.MuslimInvasion
AnotherveryimportantreasonforthenegativeselfimagethatIndianshavegotofthemselves,arethe
Musliminvasions.Thisisstilltodayaverycontroversialsubject,sinceIndianhistorybookshavechosento
keepquietaboutthishugechunkofIndianhistorynearly10centuriesofhorrors.AtIndependence,Nehru
too,putitaside,perhapsbecausehethoughtthatthiswasatopicwhichcoulddivideIndia,astherewasa
strongMuslimminoritywhichchosetostayandnotemigratetoPakistan.Yet,nothinghasmarkedIndia's
psycheortheHindusilentmajority,ifyouwishastheMusliminvasions.Andwhateverhappensin
contemporaryIndia,isaconsequenceoftheseinvasions,whetheritisthecreationofPakistan,whetheritis
Kashmir,whetheritisAyodhya,orKargil.Thereisnopointinpassingamoraljudgmentontheseinvasions,
astheyareathingofthepast.Islamisoneoftheworld'syoungestreligions,whosedynamismisnotin
questionunfortunatelyitisamilitantreligion,asitbelievesthatthereisonlyoneGodandalltheotherGods
arefalse.AndsoaslongasthisconceptisingrainedinthemindsofMuslims,therewillbeaproblemof
tolerance,oftoleratingothercreeds.AndthisiswhathappenedinIndiafromthe7thcenturyonwards:
invaders,whobelievedinoneGod,cameuponthiscountrywhichhadamilliongods...Andforthemitwas
thesymbolofallwhattheythoughtwaswrong.Sothegenocideandthewordgenocidehastobeused
whichwasperpetratedwastremendous,becauseofthestaunchresistanceofthe4000yearoldHindufaith.
Indeed,theMuslimpolicyvisavisIndiaseemstohavebeenaconsciousandsystematicdestructionof
everythingthatwasbeautiful,holy,refined.Entirecitieswereburntdownandtheirpopulationsmassacred.
Eachsuccessivecampaignbroughthundredsofthousandsofvictimsandsimilarnumbersweredeportedas
slaves.EverynewinvaderoftenmadeliterallyhishillofHinduskulls.ThustheconquestofAfghanistanin
theyear1000,wasfollowedbytheannihilationoftheentireHindupopulationthereindeed,theregionisstill
calledHinduKush,'Hinduslaughter'.TheBahmanisultansincentralIndia,madeitaruletokill100.000
Hindusayear.In1399,Teimurkilled100.000Hindusinasingleday,andmanymoreonotheroccasions.
HistorianKonraadElst,inhisbook"NegationisminIndia",quotesProfessorK.S.Lal,whocalculatedthatthe
Hindupopulationdecreasedbyeightymillionbetweentheyear1000and1525,indeed,probablythebiggest
holocaustintheworld'shistory,fargreaterthanthegenocideoftheIncasinSouthAmericabytheSpanish
andthePortuguese.
Regrettably,therewasaconspiracybytheBritish,andlaterbyIndia'sMarxistintelligentsiatonegatethis
holocaust.Thus,Indianstudentssincetheearlytwenties,weretaughtthatthatthereneverwasaMuslim
genocideonthepersonofHindus,butratherthattheMogholsbroughtgreatrefinementtoIndianculture.In
"CommunalismandthewritingofIndianhistory",forinstance,RomilaThapar,HarbansMukhiaandBipan
Chandra,professorsattheJNUinNewDelhi,theMeccaofsecularismandnegationisminIndia,deniedthe
Muslimgenocidebyreplacingitinsteadwithaconflictofclasses:"Muslimsbroughtthenotionof
egalitarianisminIndia",theyargue.TheredoubtableRomilaThaparinher"PenguinHistoryofIndia",co
authoredwithPercivalSpear,writesagain:"Aurangzeb'ssupposedintolerance,islittlemorethanahostile
legendbasedonisolatedactssuchastheerectionofamosqueonatemplesiteinBenares".
Whatarethefacts,accordingtoMuslimrecords?Aurangzeb(16581707)didnotjustbuildanisolated
mosqueonadestroyedtemple,heorderedalltemplesdestroyedanmosquestobebuiltontheirsite.Among
themtheKashiVishvanath,oneofthemostsacredplacesHinduworship,Krishna'sbirthtempleinMathura,
therebuiltSomnathtempleonthecoastofGujurat,theVishnutemplereplacedwiththeAlamgirmosquenow
overlookingBenaresandtheTretakaThakurtempleinAyodhya.Thenumberoftemplesdestroyedby
Aurangzebiscountedin5,ifnot6figures,accordingtohisownofficialcourtchronicles:"Aurangzebordered
allprovincialgovernorstodestroyallschoolsandtemplesofthePagansandtomakeacompleteendtoall
paganteachingsandpractices"..."HasanAliKhancameandsaidthat172templesintheareahadbeen
destroyed"..."HismajestywenttoChittorand63templesweredestroyed"..."AbuTarab,appointedtodestroy

theidoltemplesofAmber,reportedthat66templeshadbeenrazedtotheground".Aurangzebdidnotstopat
destroyingtemples,theiruserswerealsowipedoutevenhisownbrother,DaraShikoh,wasexecutedfor
takinganinterestinHindureligionandtheSikhGuruTeghBahadurwasbeheadedbecauseheobjectedto
Aurangzeb'sforcedconversions.
Thisgenocideisstillarealitywhichshouldnotbewishedaway.BecausewhattheMuslimsinvasionshave
donetoIndiaistoinstilterrorintheHinducollectivepsyche,whichstilllingersmanycenturieslaterand
triggersunconsciousreactions.TheparanoiadisplayedtodaybyIndians,theirindiscipline,theirlackof
charityfortheirownbrethrens,theabjectdisregardoftheirenvironment,areadirectconsequenceofthese
invasions.WhatIndiahastodotoday,istolooksquarelyatthefactspertainingtotheseinvasionsandcome
totermwiththem,withoutanyspiritofvengeance,soastoregainalittlebitofselfpride.Itwouldalsohelp
theMuslimcommunityofIndiatoacknowledgethesehorrors,whichparadoxically,werecommittedagainst
them,astheyaretheHinduswhowerethenconvertedbyforce,theirwomenraped,theirchildrentakeninto
slaveryeventhoughtodaytheyhavemadetheirsthereligionwhichtheirancestorsoncehated.
5.EuropeanColonialism
Obviously,oneofthemajorcausesforIndia'sselfdepreciatingimagearetheEuropeaninvasions.The
paradoxisthatnocountryintheworldasIndiahasshownasmuchtolerancetowardsacceptinginitsfold
persecutedreligiousminoritiesfromallovertheplanet.TaketheJews,forinstance,whohavebeenpersecuted
andtreatedassecondclasscitizenseverywhereafterfleeingthedestructionofthetempleofJerusalem.In
India,notonlyweretheywelcomed,butalsotheywereallowedtoliveandpractisetheirreligionpeacefully,till
mostofthemwentbacktoIsraelafterIndependence...ButitisnotonlytheJews,butalsotheParsis,whofled
persecutionbytheMuslimsinIran,ortheChristianSyrians,wholandedinIndiainthe3rdcentury,orthe
ArabmerchantswhofromtimeimmemorialwereallowedtoestablishtradingpostsinKerala...Oreventhe
Jesuits,whowerewelcomedwhentheylandedwithVascodeGamainCalicutin1495.But,astheSyrian
Christians,astheArabmerchants,theyquicklyturnedagainsttheirbenefactorsandsetnotonlytoexploit
Indiacommercially,butalsoattemptedtoimposetheirownreligionsonthe"Heathens",thePagans,the
Infidels.
ItisthusabitofaparadoxwhenonehearstodayIndianintellectualsclaimthatHindusareintolerant,
fanatic,or"fundamentalists".BecauseinthewholehistoryofIndia,Hindushavenotonlyshownthatthey
areextremelytolerant,butHinduismisprobablytheonlyreligionintheworldwhonevertriedtoconvert
othersforgetaboutconqueringothercountriestopropagatetheirownreligion.Thisisnottruewith
Christianity,itisnottruewithIslamitisnoteventruewithBuddhism,asBuddhistshadmissionarieswho
wentalloverAsiaandconvertedpeople.ThishistoricaltoleranceofHinduismisnevertakenintoaccountby
foreigncorrespondentscoveringIndiaandevenbyIndianjournalists.Ifitwas,Indiansmightatleasttake
someprideintheircountry'sboundlessgenerositytowardsothers...Indianshaveaveryshortmemoryof
themselves,maybebecausetheynevercaredtowritedowntheirownhistory.
Thus,thisbeautifultolerancewastakenadvantageoffbynumerousinvadersparticularlyEuropeans
colonisers.ThePortugueseforinstance,wereallowedtoestablishtradingpostsinthe15thcenturybythe
ZamorinofCochin.Andwhatdidtheydo?AlfonsodeAlbuquerquestartedareignofterrorinGoa,razing
templestoerectchurchesintheirstead,burning"heretics",crucifyingBrahmins,usingfalsetheoriesto
forciblyconvertthelowercastesandencouraginghissoldierstotakeIndianmistresses.Later,theBritish
missionariesinIndiawerealwayssupportersofcolonialismtheyencourageditandtheirwholestructurewas
basedon"thegoodWesterncivilisedworldbeingbroughttothePagans".InthewordsofClaudius
Buccchanan,achaplainattachedtotheEastIndiaCompany:"...Neithertruth,norhonesty,honour,
gratitude,norcharity,istobefoundinthebreastofaHindoo"...Whatacommentaboutanationthatgave
theworldtheVedasandtheUpanishads!Afterthefailedmutinyof1857,themissionariesbecameevenmore
militant,usingtheseculararmoftheBritishRaj,whofeltthattheuseoftheswordattheserviceofthe
Gospel,wasnowentirelyjustified,sothatatIndependence,entireregionsofthenortheastwereconvertedto

Christianity.RememberhowSwamiVivekanandacriedinanguishattheParliamentofReligionsinChicago:
"ifweHindusdigoutallthedirtfromthebottomofthePacificOceanandthrowitinyoufaces,itwillbebuta
speckcomparedtowhatthemissionarieshavedonetoourreligionandculture"".
Inthelatenineties,IndianChristianscomplainedaboutpersecutionsbyHindus"zealots".Itistruethatthere
happenedtwoorthreecrimes,particularlyaghastlymurderagainstanAustralianmissionaryandhistwo
youngsons.ButthemassiveoutcryitevokedintheIndianPressshowedclearlyhowIndiansareconstantly
denyingthemselvesandconsiderthelifeofaWhiteManinfinitelymoreimportantanddearthanthelivesofa
hundredIndians.Ortoputitdifferently:thelifeofaChristianseemstothemmoresacredthanthelivesof
manyHindus,whichshowshowtheWhiteMan'spresenceinIndiastillhassuchanimpact.Becausewhen
Hinduswereslaughtered,whetherinPendjabintheeighties,orinKashmirinthenineties,whenmilitants
wouldstopbusesandkillalltheHindusmen,womenandchildren,whenthefewlastcourageousHindusto
dareremaininKashmir,weresavagelyslaughteredinavillage,veryfewvoiceswereraisedintheIndianPress
atleastthereneverwassuchanoutrageasprovokedbythemurderoftheAustralianmissionary.
Atlonglast,Hindusarebeginningtorealizetheharmdonebymissionariestotheirsocialandculturalfabric.
Yeteventoday,onestillhearsofcovertattemptsatconversionbyChristianmissionaries.Inthepoordistricts
ofKeralaforexample,missionariesstillusethe"miracle"ploytoconvertpeople:thenaivedropsa"wish"in
aboxplacedattheentranceofchurch.Andlo,thiswishaloan,somecloths,aboatismiraculouslygranted
afewdayslater.Needlesstosaythatthehappyinnocentconvertsquickly,bringingalonghiswholefamily.It
isalsothismeeknessoftheHindustowardstheChristians,asiftheBritishmissionarieshadpermanentlyleft
animprintofinferiorityinthecollectivepsycheofIndians,whichcontributestowardsIndia'sselfdenial.And
letusnotforgetthatPopeJohnPaulIIproclaimedthatAsiawillbethetargetofEvangelisationintheThird
Millennium.
6.Macaulay'sChildren
WhentheytookoverIndia,theBritishsetuponestablishinganintermediaryraceofIndians,whomthey
couldentrustwiththeirworkatthemiddlelevelechelonsandwhocouldonedaybeconvenientinstruments
torulebyproxy,orsemiproxy.Thetooltoshapethese"Britishclones"waseducation.Inthewordsof
Macaulay,the"pope"ofBritishschoolinginIndia:"Wemustatpresentdoourbesttoformaclass,whomay
beinterpretersbetweenusandthemillionswegovernaclassofpersons,Indiansinbloodandcolour,but
Englishintaste,inopinions,inmoralsandinintellects".MacaulayhadverylittleregardforHinduculture
andeducation:"allthehistoricalinformationwhichcanbecollectedfromallthebookswhichhavebeen
writtenintheSanskritlanguage,islessvaluablethanwhatmaybefoundinthemostpaltryabridgementused
atpreparatoryschoolsinEngland".Or:"Hindushavealiteratureofsmallintrinsicvalue,hardlyreconcilable
withmorality,fullofmonstroussuperstitions"...
ItseemstodaythatIndia'sMarxistandMuslimintelligentsiacouldnotagreemorewithMacaulay,forhis
dreamhascometrue:nowadays,thegreatestadversariesofan"indianisedandspiritualisededucation"are
thedescendantsofthese"BrownShahibs":the"secular"politicians,thejournalists,thetopbureaucrats,in
factthewholewesternisedcreamofIndia.Andwhatisevenmoreparadoxical,isthatmostofthemare
Hindus!Itisthey,whoupongettingindependence,havedeniedIndiaitstrueidentityandborrowedblindly
fromtheBritisheducationsystem,withouttryingtoadaptittotheuniqueIndianmentalityandpsychology
anditistheywhoarerefusingtoacceptachangeofIndia'seducationsystem,whichistotallywestern
orientedandischurningoutmachineslearningbyheartboringstatisticswhichareoflittleusefulnessinlife.
AndwhatIndiaisgettingfromthiseducationisayouthwhichapestheWest:theygotoMacDonald's,thrive
onMTVculture,wearthelatestKleinjeansandLacosteTShirts,andingeneralareuseless,richparasites,in
acountrywhichhassomanytalentedyoungsterswholiveinpoverty.Theywillgrowuplikemillionsofother
westernclonesinthedevelopingworld,whowearatie,readtheNewYorkTimesandswearbyliberalismand
secularismtosavetheircountriesfromdoom.Intime,theywillreachelevatedpositionsandwritebooksand
articleswhichmakefunofIndia,theywillpresidehumanrightcommittees,be"secular"highbureaucrats

whotakethewrongdecisionsandgenerallydotremendousharmtoIndia,becauseithasbeenprogrammedin
theirgenestoalwaysrundowntheirowncountry.Inagist,theywillbetheoneswhoarealwayslookingatthe
WestforapprovalandforeverperceiveIndiathroughthewesternprism.Itissaidthatanationhastobe
proudofitselftomoveforwardandunlessthereisabigchangeinthisintellectualelite,unlessitismore
consciousofitsheritageandofIndia'sgreatness,whichhasbeguntohappeninasmallway,itisgoingtobe
verydifficultforIndiatoenterthe21stcenturyasarealsuperpower.
Thustheeducationcurriculumhastobetotallyrevised.Forinstance,Indianhistoryisstilltaughtasitwas
devisedbywesternscholarsanditpromotesblindlytheoriessuchastheAryanInvasion,whichprobablynever
happened.Ontheotherhand,studentslearnpracticallynothingabouttheextraordinarygeniusoftheir
culture.StudiesoftheVedas,forexample,shouldbemadecompulsoryfromtheseventhgradeupwards,
because,asSriAurobindoremarked:"theVedawasthebeginningofourspiritualknowledge,theVedawill
remainitsend.TherecoveryoftheperfecttruthoftheVedaisthereforenotmerelyadesideratumforour
modernintellectualcuriosity,butapracticalnecessityforthefutureofthehumanrace.ForIfirmlybelieve
thatthesecretconcealedintheVeda,whenentirelydiscovered,willbefoundtoformulateperfectlythat
knowledgeandpracticeofdivinelifetowhichthemarchofhumanity,afterlongwanderingsinthe
satisfactionoftheintellectandsenses,mustinevitablyreturn."(India'sRebirth,p.94).Indianchildren
shouldbetoldabouttheimmensehumanandspiritualvaluesoftheirownliterature,likeweinEuropeare
broughtuponthevaluesoftheIliadandtheOdyssey,orthegreatGreektragedies.Therefore,educationin
Indiahastobemoreindianiseditisnotaquestionofbeing"nationalistic",or"saffronoriented",asIndian
Marxistsarefondofsaying,butofknowingone'sownculture:theVedas,theBhagavadGita,theRamayana,
whichaccordingtomanywesternscholarsstandamongthegreatestliteraryworkseverwritten.
Ofcourse,Indianstudentshavetobegearedupforthecompetitiveworld,becauseunlessyoucandealonpar
withtheWest,unlessyoucanspeakfluentlyEnglish,inordertodobusinessandinteract,youcannot
compete,youcannotbecomeagreatnation.Therefore,thebestofwesterneducationhastobeimparted,asSri
Aurobindohadclearlyindicated:"Nationaleducation...maybedescribedastheeducationwhichstarting
withthepastandmakingfulluseofthepresent,buildsupagreatnation.Whoeverwishestocutofthenation
fromitspast,isnofriendofournationalgrowth.Whoeverfailstotakeadvantageofthepresent,islosingus
thebattleoflife.WemustthereforesaveforIndiaallthatshehasstoredupofknowledge,characterandnoble
thoughtsinherimmemorialpast.WemustacquireforherthebestknowledgethatEuropecangiveherand
assimilateittoherownpeculiartypeofnationaltemperament.Wemustintroducethebestmethodsof
teachinghumanityhasdeveloped,whethermodernorancient.Andallthesewemustharmoniseintoa
systemwhichwillbeimpregnatedwiththespiritofselfreliance,soastobuildupmenandnotmachines".
(India'sReb36).ThenIndiawillproducegenerationaftergenerationofchildrenwhoareproudoftheirown
countriesanddonotgoaboutnegatingthemselves.
7.ThePartitionoftheSubcontinent
ThefirstleadersofpreindependentIndiatooksomedisastrousdecisions,andtheworstofthemwastoallow
thedivisionoftheirowncountryonreligiouslines.Andtoday,theconsequencesofthispartitionarestillfelt:
KashmiristhemostvisibleofthembutyoualsohaveAyodhya,Kargil,thenuclearbomb,theBombayor
Coimbatoreblastsandaboveall,theselfnegationofanationwhichisnotwhole,whichhaslostsomeofits
mostpreciouslimbsin1947.Yes,itistrue,theBritishusedtothehilttheexistingdividebetweenHindusand
Muslimsyes,theCongresswasweak:itacceptedwhatwasforceddownitsthroatbyJinnahand
Mountbatten,eventhoughmanyofitsleaders,andafewmoderateMuslims,disagreedwiththeprincipleof
partitionitwasalsoGandhi'spolicyofnonviolenceandgratifyingthefanaticalMuslimminority,inthehope
thatitwouldseethelight,whichdidtremendousharmtoIndiaandencouragedJinnahtohardenhis
demands.Butultimately,onehastogobacktotheroots,tothebeginningofitall,inordertounderstand
Partition.Onehastotravelbackinhistorytogetaclearoverallpicture.Thisiswhymemoryisessential,this
iswhyHolocaustsshouldneverbeforgotten.

ForJinnahwasonlythevehicle,theinstrument,theavatar,thelatestreincarnationofthemedievalMuslims
comingdowntorapeandlootandplunderthelandofBharat.HewasthetruesonofMahmudGhaznavi,of
MuhammedGhasi,ofAurangzeb.HetookupagaintheworkleftunfinishedbythelastMughaltwocenturies
earlier:'DarulIslam',theHouseofIslam.TheHinduMuslimquestionisanoldonebutisitreallya
MuslimHinduquestion,orjustplainlyaMuslimobsession,theirhatredoftheHindupagans,theircontempt
forthispolytheistreligion?Thisobsession,thishate,isasoldasthefirstinvasionofIndiabytheArabsin
650.Afterindependence,nothinghaschanged:theswordofAllahisstillasmuchreadytostriketheKafirs,
theidolatersofmanyGods.TheMuslimsinvadedthiscountry,conqueredit,lootedit,razeditstemples,
humiliateditsHinduleaders,killeditsBrahmins,converteditsweakersections.True,itwasalldoneinthe
nameofAllahandmanyofitschiefsweresincereinthinkingtheyweredoingtheirdutybyhuntingdownthe
Infidel.Sohowcouldtheyaccepton15thAugust1947tosharepoweronanequalbasiswiththosewhowere
theirsubjectsforthirteencenturies?"Eitherthesolepowerforourselves,andourruleovertheHindusasitis
oursovereignright,wetheadorersoftheoneandonlytrueGodOrwequitIndiaandestablishourown
nation,aMuslimnation,ofthetruefaith,wherewewillliveamongstourselves".
Thusthereisnoplaceforidolatersinthiscountry,thisgreatnationofPakistantheycanatbestbe'tolerated'
assecondclasscitizens.HencetheneartotalexodusofHindusfromPakistan,whereasmorethanhalfthe
MuslimpopulationinIndia,chosetostay,knowingfullwellthattheywouldgetthefreedomtobeandto
practicetheirownreligion.Inpassing,theMuslimstooktheirpoundoffleshfromtheHindusoncemoreby
indulginginterriblemassacres,whichwerefollowedbyretaliationsfromSikhsandhardcoreHindus,the
ultimatehorror.Partitiontriggeredoneofthemostterribleexodusinthehistoryofhumanity.Andthis
exodushasnotended:theystillcomebyhundredsofthousandeveryyearfromBangladesh,fleeingpoverty,
floodingIndiawithproblems,whenthecountryhasalreadysomanyofherown.
ForFrenchhistorianAlainDanielou,thedivisionofIndiawasonthehumanlevelaswellasonthepolitical
one,agreatmistake:"ItaddedtotheMiddleEastanunstablestate,Pakistan,andburdenedIndiawhich
alreadyhadseriousproblems".Andheadds:"IndiawhoseancientbordersstretcheduntilAfghanistan,lost
withthecountryofsevenrivers(theIndusValley),thehistoricalcentreofhercivilisation.Atatimewhenthe
Musliminvadersseemedtohavelostsomeoftheirextremismandwerereadytoassimilatethemselvesto
otherpopulationsofIndia,theEuropeanconquerors,beforereturninghome,surrenderedoncemorethecradle
ofHinducivilisationtoMuslimfanaticism."(Histoiredel'Inde,p.355)
PakistaniswillarguethatthevalleyofKashmir,whichhasaMuslimmajority,shouldhavegonetoPakistan
andinthemadlogicofpartitiontheyarenottotallywrong.ItisbecauseNehruandGandhiacceptedthis
logic,whichwastremendouslystupid,thatIndiaissufferingsomuchtoday.Ofcourse,wecannotgoback,
Historyhasbeenmade:Pakistanhasbecomeanindependentcountryanditisa"faitaccompli".Butifyougo
toPakistantoday,youwillnoticethatitsPunjabislookexactlythesameasIndianPunjabis:theyhavethe
samemannerisms,eatthesamefood,dresssimilarly,speakthesamelanguage...Everythingunitesthem,
exceptreligion.AndthisiswhatSriAurobindokeptsayingin1947:"Indiaisfree,butshehasnotachieved
unity,onlyafissuredandbrokenfreedom...ThewholecommunaldivisionintoHinduandMuslimseemsto
havehardenedintothefigureofapermanentpoliticaldivisionofthecountry.Itistobehopedthatthe
CongressandtheNationwillnotacceptthesettledfactasforeversettled,orasanythingmorethana
temporaryexpedient.Forifitlasts,Indiamaybeseriouslyweakened,evencrippledcivilstrifemayremain
alwayspossible,possibleevenanewinvasionandforeignconquest.Thepartitionofthecountrymustgo...For
withoutitthedestinyofIndiamightbeseriouslyimpairedandfrustrated.Thatmustnotbe."(MessageofSri
Aurobindoonthe15thofAugust1947).Itisonlywhenthesubcontinentwillbewholeagainandthescarson
bothsideshavebeenhealed,thataGreaterIndiawillregainsomeoftheselfpridegonewithPartition.
8.TheHumiliationof1962
ThesocalledKargilwarofKashmirinJune99hastriggeredtwoverypositivephenomenonsforIndia.Forthe
firsttimeinalongstretch,itgavethecountryabitofnationalism,itmademanyIndiansproudofthe

heroismandselflessnessoftheirsoldiers.Whateverjingoism,orchauvinismtherealsowas,onecouldfeel,
fromTamilNadutoPunjab,thatforatimetheregrewafeelingoftogethernessinthenation,theknowledgeof
one'ssoldiersfightingitoutthere,intheharshestandmostdangerousconditionsanddefendingMother
India'ssacredland.Andthatwasverypositive,forunlessanationpossessesabitofnationalism,itcannot
keepongrowing.AndthesecondverypositiveaspectisthatithasrevivedinIndiaanotionwhichhasbeen
extinctforalongtime:thatofthekshatriyaspirit.Anationneedswarriors,itneedssoldierstodefenditself
andprotectitswomen,children,anditsbordersfromhostileandasuricelements,whichthroughouthistory
havenegatedtheGoodandtheHoly.ItisfinetobeGandhianandnonviolent,butinthetoughandrough
worldoftoday,onecannotbetoonaive:youneedastrongandwellequippedarmytobeabletodefendone's
dharma.ButawellequippedarmyisnotenoughwehaveseenhowtodaytheUnitedStates'army,themost
modernandhightechoftheworld,isonlycapableoffightingfromadistance,eitherbombardingfromthe
sky,orshootingfromboatsoffshore,acoward'swar,asitssoldiershavelostthesenseofkshatriya,of
honour,ofdyingforone'scountry.InKargil,Indiasawtheselflessnessofitssoldiers,withalltheofficersin
front,climbinginthecoldunderenemyfireandwrestlingpeaksinimpossibleconditions,withlittlemore
thanbloodandtears.
ButnotonlyIndianslackselfconfidenceintheirdealingswiththeWest,buttheyseemtohaveapermanent
fearoftheChinese.Isitbecausein1962,theChinesetookadvantageofIndia'snaivete,andattacked
treacherouslyintheHimalayas,humiliatingtheIndianarmyandtakingaway20.000squarekilometresof
herterritory,whichtheyhavenotyetvacated?India'sfirstPrimeMinister,JawarlahalNehru,haddecided
thatIndiaandChinawerethenatural'socialist'brothersofAsia.ShortlybeforeChina'sattack,theIndian
ArmyChiefofStaffhaddraftedapaperonthethreatstoIndia'ssecuritybyChina,alongwith
recommendationsforacleardefencepolicy.ButwhenNehrureadthepaper,hesaid:"Rubbish.Total
Rubbish.Wedon'tneedadefenceplan.Ourpolicyisnonviolence.Weforeseenomilitarythreats..Scrapthe
Army.Thepolicearegoodenoughtomeetoursecurityneeds."Weknowtheresultsofthisveryfoolish
assessment.
ButthebiggestmistakethatNehrudidwastobetrayTibet,apeacefulspiritualisednation.ForTibethad
alwaysbeenanaturalbufferbetweenthetwoGiantsofAsiainfact,theDalaiLama'srepeatedofferthatTibet
becomesadenuclearised,demilitarisedzonebetweenIndiaandChina,makestotalsensetodayandIndian
leadersshouldhaveimmediatelyadoptedit.Butunfortunately,ifthereisonethingwhichallpoliticalparties
inIndiashare,itisthepolicyofappeasingChinainexchangeforanoninterferenceoftheChineseinKashmir.
Butwhatnoninterference?NotonlydidChinagivePakistantheknowhowtodevelopnuclearweapons,but
italsoprovidedmissilestodeliverthem!Ontopofthat,accordingtotheCIA,Chinahastransferredonethird
ofitsnucleararsenaltoNagchuka,250kmsawayfromLhassa,aregionfullofhugecaves,whichtheChinese
havelinkedtogetherbyanintricateundergroundnetworkandwheretheyhaveinstallednearlyonehundred
IntercontinentalBallisticMissiles,manyofthempointedatIndiancities.Thereasonforthisisthatthe
Chinese,whoareprobablyamongthemostintelligentpeopleintheworld,havealwaysunderstoodthatIndia
istheirnumberonepotentialenemyinAsiainmilitary,nuclearandeconomicterms.
ItshouldbeclearthataslongasIndiadoesnotstandupuptoitsresponsibilitytowardsTibetandcontinues
torecogniseChina'sunjustsuzeraintyofit,therewillbenopeaceinAsia.Indianleadersareperfectlyaware
thattheChinese,aspanoffiftyyears,havekilled1,2millionTibetans,razedtotheground6254monasteries,
destroyed60%ofreligious,historicalandculturalarchivesandthatoneTibetanoutoftenisstillinjail.As
weentertheThirdMillennium,aquartermillionChinesetroopsareoccupyingTibetandthereare7.5million
ChinesesettlersforsixmillionTibetansinfact,inmanyplacessuchasthecapital,Lhassa,Tibetansare
outnumberedtwotoone...IndiahasalsotowakeuptotheplainfactthatChinaneedsspaceandhas
hegemonicaspirations:itgotTibet,itgotHongKong,itgotpartofLadhaknowitwantsTaiwan,Arunachal
Pradesh,theSpratlyislandsandwhatnot!Fiftyyearsago,duringtheKoreanwar,SriAurobindo,hadseen
clearlyintheChinesegame:"thefirstmoveintheChineseCommunistplanofcampaignistodominateand
takepossessionfirstofthesenorthernpartsandthenofSouthEastAsiaasapreliminarytotheirmanoeuvres
withregardtotherestofthecontinentinpassingTibetasagateopeningtoIndia".Indiashouldovercomeits

aweofChinaandbereadytoeventuallyfaceoncemoretheChinesearmy.ThenucleartestsofIndia,which
havebeenverycriticised,becauseideallyyouhavetogetridofnuclearweaponsifyouwantasafeworld,
shouldbeseeninthatlight.
9.AWesternisedFramework
ItisnotonlytheBritisheducationsystem,whichwasblindlyadoptedatIndependencebyNehru,butalsothe
wholejudicial,constitutional,andlegalsetup.TheConstitution,forinstance,hasrepeatedlyshownits
flaws,asthePresidents,whohasnorealpowers,areplayingmoreandmoregamesandtryingtoimpinge
uponthePrimeMinister'sprerogatives.DemocracyinIndiahasalsobeenperverted:wehaveseenhowthe
Congress,whointhelastthreeelectionsofthecenturymadedisastrousshowings,hasusedthesubtletiesof
thesystemtobringdownfoursuccessivegovernments,thusprovokinguselessandexpensiveelections,which
inturnthrewnostablegovernmentsuntiltheNationalDemocraticAlliancewonbyalandslidein1999.
Therefore,itisthewholedemocraticsystemofIndiathathastobereshapedtosuitanew,truernation,which
willmanifestagainitsancientwisdom.
AndwhatistruedemocracyforIndia,butthelawofDharma?Itisthislawthathastoberevived,itisthis
lawthatmustbethefoundationofatruedemocraticIndia:"Ithasbeensaidthatdemocracyisbasedonthe
rightsofmanithasbeenrepliedthatitshouldrathertakeitsstandonthedutiesofmanbutbothrightsand
dutiesareEuropeanideas.DharmaistheIndianconceptioninwhichrightsanddutieslosetheartificial
antagonismcreatedbyaviewoftheworldwhichmakesselfishnesstherootofactionandregaintheirdeep
andeternalunity.DharmaisthebasisofdemocracywhichAsiamustrecognise,forinthisliesthedistinction
betweenthesoulofAsiaandthesoulofEurope."(India'sRebp.37March16th1908)
Andthemostwonderfulthingisthat,practically,Indiahasathandthemodelofanewformofdemocracyin
theoldPanchayatsystemofIndianvillages,whichhastoberevivedandworkeduptothetop.Theseancient
Panchayatsystemandtheirguildswereveryrepresentativeandtheyhadalivingcontactwiththepeople.On
theotherhand,theparliamentarysystemhaslostcontactwiththemasses:theMPelectedfromTamilNadu
orAndhraPradesh,sitsmostofhistimeinDelhi,anartificial,arrogantandfarawaycity.Thepalatial
bungalow,thecar,theservants,thesycophancy,thetemptationtogetcorruptheencountersthere,makehim
forgethisoriginalaspirationtoservethepeopleifheeverhadone...Whathastobedoneisnotonlyto
decentralizetheGovernment,bygivingagreaterautonomytothestateswhichshouldtakecareofmost
separatistmovementsbutalsotosendbacktheelectedpoliticianstotheirfieldsofwork,sothattheyhavea
livingcontactwiththeirpeople,astheydidtwothousandyearsago:"Wehadaspontaneousandafree
growthofcommunitiesdevelopingontheirownlines...Eachsuchcommunalformoflifethevillage,the
town,etc.whichformedtheunitofnationallife,wasleftfreeinitsowninternalmanagement.Thecentral
authorityneverinterferedwithit...becauseitsfunctionwasnotsomuchtolegislateastoharmoniseandsee
thateverythingwasgoingallright"...(India'sRebirth172)
TheJudiciary,withitsmillionsofbacklogcases,whichsometimestakedecadestobedecidedupon,withits
lawyerslookinglikecrowsintheseridiculousblackdresses,wouldhavetobereviewedtoo.Itwouldbeabsurd
toputbacktheManulawintopracticebutcertainlythelawofDharma,ofTruth,shouldbetranslatedintoa
newJudicialsystem.NottojudgeaccordingtoWesternstandards,withitssocalledsecularvalues,which
havenorelevancetoIndia:"Theworkofthelegislatorsattemptedtotakeuptheordinarylifeofmanandof
thecommunityandthelifeofhumandesireandaimandinterestandorderedruleandcustomandto
interpretandformulateitinthesamecompleteanddecisivemannerandatthesametimetothrowthewhole
intoanorderedrelationtotherulingideasofthenationalcultureandframeandperpetuateasocialsystem
intelligentlyfashionedsoastoprovideabasis,astructure,agradationbywhichtherecouldbeasecure
evolutionofthelifefromthevitalandmental,tothespiritualmotive.."(FoundofIndianCulturep.283).
Indiahasnonationallanguage,asNehruthoughtthatEnglishcouldbetheunifyinglanguage.Butbarely
10%ofIndiaknowsEnglishfluentlyandHindiisspokenonlyintheNorth.Yet,veryfewseemstorealisethat
IndiapossessesinSanskrittheMotherofalllanguages,sointricate,sosubtle,sorich,thatnootherspeech

canequalittoday.ItcouldeasilybecometheunifyinglanguageofIndia:"Sanskritoughtstilltohaveafuture
asthelanguageofthelearnedanditwillnotbeagooddayforIndiawhentheancienttonguesceaseentirely
tobewrittenorspoken",admonished50yearsagoSriAurobindo,Adeadlanguage,yousay!Impossibleto
revive?Butthat'swhattheyarguedaboutHebrew.AnddidnottheJewishpeople,whentheygotbacktheir
landin1948,revivetheir'dead'language,sothatitisspokentodaybyallJewishpeopleandhasbecomealive
again?ThesamethingoughttobedonewithSanskrit,butasSriAurobindopointsout:"itmustgetridofthe
curseoftheheavypedanticstylecontractedbyitinitsdecline,withthelumberingimpossiblecompoundsand
theoverweightofhairsplittingerudition".LetthescholarsbeginnowtoreviveandmodernisetheSanskrit
language,itwouldbeasuresignofthedawningoftheRenaissanceofIndia.Inafewyearsitshouldbetaught
asthesecondlanguageinschoolsthroughoutthecountry,withtheregionallanguageasthefirstandEnglish
asthethird.Ontopofthat,Sanskritwouldbeagifttotheworld,becauseitwillboostthestudiesofthe
Vedas,whosegreatsecretswillbeunravelled.Andagain,thiswillgoinenhancingIndia'sselfimage.
10.AriseAgainOAncientIndia
"AriseOIndia,beproudoncemoreofThyself",onewouldbetemptedtosayinconclusion.Thisshouldbe
India'smottofortheThirdMillennium,afterfivecenturiesofselfdenial.For,inspiteofitspoverty,inspiteof
thefalseAryaninvasion,inspiteoftheMuslimholocaust,inspiteofEuropeancolonialism,inspiteof
Macaulay'schildren,inspiteofthePartition,inspiteoftheChinesethreat,inspiteofthewesternised
framework,Indiastillhasgottremendouspotential.Everythingisthere,readytobemanifestedagain,ready
tomouldIndiainanewmodernnation,asuperpowerofthe21stcentury.Ofcourse,Indiahastosucceedits
industrialisation,ithastoliberalise,becauseunlessyoucancompeteeconomicallywiththeWest,nonation
canbecomeasuperpower.Indiahasalsotosolveitspoliticalproblems,settleitsseparatisttroubles,getridof
corruptionandbureaucracy.Andlastly,ithastoapplyquicklyitsmindandgeniustoitsecologicalproblems,
becausetheenvironmentinIndiaisinaverybadway,nearthepointofnoreturn.Thus,ifIndiacansucceed
intoitsindustrialisationandliberalisation,becomeaforcetobereckonedmilitarily,economicallyand
socially,thenthewonderthatISIndiacouldagainmanifestitself.
AndwhatisthisWonder?Beyondtheimageofpoverty,ofbackwardness,beyondeventhewonderthatis
Hinduism,thereisaKnowledgespiritual,occult,esoteric,medicalevenstillalivetodayinIndia.This
KnowledgewasonceroamingupontheshoresofthisworldinEgypt,Mesopotamia,Greece...butithas
nowvanishedtobereplacedbyreligions,withtheirdogmasandrituals,do'sanddon't,hellsandheavens.
Forwehavelostthetruth.wehavelosttheGreatSense,themeaningofourevolution,themeaningofwhyso
muchsuffering,whydying,whygettingborn,whythisearth,whoarewe,whatisthesoul,whatis
reincarnation,whereistheultimatetruthabouttheworld,theuniverse...ButIndiahaskeptthistruth,India
hasmanagedtopreserveitthroughsevenmillenniumsofpitfalls,ofgenocidesandattemptsatkillingher
santanamdharma.AndthiswillbeIndia'sgifttothisplanetduringthenextcentury:torestoretotheworld
itstruesense.torechargehumanitywiththerealmeaningandspiritoflife,togifttothisdolorousPlanet
Thatwhichisbeyondmind:theSupraMental.Indiawillbecomethespiritualleaderoftheworld:"Itisthis
religionthatIamraisingupbeforetheworld,itisthisthatIhaveperfectedanddevelopedthroughthe
Rishis,Saints,andAvatars,andnowitisgoingforthtodomyworkamongthenations.Iamraisingforth
thisnationtosendforthmyword...WhenthereforeitissaidthatIndiashallrise,itistheSantanaDharma
thatshallrise,itistheSantanaDharmathatshallbegreat.WhenitissaidthatIndiashallexpandand
extendherself,itistheSantanaDharmathatshallexpandandextenditselfovertheworld.Itisforthe
DharmaandbytheDharmathatIndiaexists".(India'sReb.p.46Uttaraspeech)
Thisknowledgedoesnotnecessarilyresideinmysticalrealms,asitcanbeverypractical.Ayurvedafor
instance,theoldestmedicalsciencestillinpractise,butwhichisunfortunatelynowbeingneglected.Asa
result,Americancompaniesarepatentingmedicinesusingthepropertiesofneemorhaldi,whichwereknown
4000yearsagobyIndia'sforefathers.AsinthecaseofSanskrit,theIndianGovernmentshouldputits
energiesandresourcestowardstherevivingofAyurveda,sothatIndiaisnottotallyswampedbyallopathic

medicine,whichiscontrolledbymultinationals.Orpranayama,thescienceofbreathing.Itisaverypractical,
downtoearthknowledgeanditseffectshavebeenstudiedforthousandsofyears.Indianteachersknow
exactlywhatresultswillthistypeorthattypeofexercisehaveonyouandwhatkindofroutineyoushould
dotoimprovethatparticularproblem,ordevelopthiscertainfacultyinyou.Pranayamaisprobablythebest
suitedIndianyogicdisciplinefortheWest,becauseitissodowntoearth,soscientifictherearenomiracles,
nolevitation,nosmokymysticismandeverythingcanbeexplainedinarationalway.Andagain,theU.S.A.,
alwaysprompttoexperiencenewtechniques,isusingthisknowledge:quiteafewAmericancompanieshave
includedexercisesofpranayamainthepepssessionsoftheirexecutivessportsmentooareexperimenting
withittoimprovetheirperformances,asthefilm"theGreatBlue",hasshownwhentheherodoesaseriesof
breathingexercisesknowninIndiaas"Viloma",tostoreasmuchairaspossibleinhislungs,beforebreaking
aworldrecordinunderwaterdivingwithoutoxygen.Thenyouhavemeditation,thequeenallofyogic
disciplines,whichisbeingpractisedmoreandmoreintheWest,astherehavebeennumerousscientific
studies,whichhaveshownthepositiveeffectofmeditationonheartproblems,psychologicalstressorblood
circulation.
TheironyofitallisthatnotonlymostoftheIndianupperclassandintellectualelitedoesnotpractise
meditationandpranayama,orgetstreatedforitsproblemswithAyurveda,butthatnoneofthesethingsare
includedintheschoolsanduniversitiescurriculum.Soyouhavethiswonderfulknowledge,whichhas
disappearedfromtherestoftheworld,butifyougotocitieslikeDelhi,orBombay,yourealisethatmostofthe
youththerehavenoideaaboutmeditation,orhaveneverheardofpranayama.Theyaretotallycutofffrom
theirancientculture,fromthegreatnessoftheirtradition,andevenlookdownonit.SounlessIndiansstart
takingprideintheirownculture,Indiawillneverbeabletogiftittotheworld.
FamousFrenchwriterAndreMalrauxhadsaidthatunlessthe21centuryisspiritual,thenitwillnotbe.What
hemeantwasthattheworldhasnowcometosuchastageofunhappiness,ofmaterialdryness,ofconflicts
withinitself,thatitseemsdoomedandthereappearsnowaythatitcanredeemItself:itisjustgoingtowards
selfdestruction,ecologically,socially,spiritually.Sounlessthe21stcenturyallowsanewspiritualorderto
takeovernotareligiousorder,becausereligionhasbeenafailure,allovertheworldthentheworldisgoing
towardspralaya.AndIndiaholdsthekeytotheworld'sfuture,forIndiaistheonlynationwhichstill
preservesinthedarknessofHerHimalayancaves,ontheluminousghatsofBenares,intheheartsofher
countlessyogis,oreveninthemindsofherordinaryfolk,thekeytotheplanetaryevolution,itsfutureandits
hope.
The21stcenturythen,willbetheeraoftheEastthisiswherethesunisgoingtoriseagain,aftercenturiesof
decadenceandsubmissiontoWesterncolonialismthisiswherethefocusoftheworldisgoingtoshift.And
aswhenIndiausedtoshineandsendforthHerDharmaallovertheOrient:toJapan,Thailand,China,
Burma,orCambodiaandinfluencetheircivilisationsandreligionsforcenturiestocome,oncemoreShewill
emitHerlightandradiate,Queenamongnations:"IndiaoftheagesisnotdeadnorhasShespokenHerlast
creativewordShelivesandhasstillsomethingtodoforHerselfandthehumanpeoples.AndthatwhichShe
mustseeknowtoawake,isnotananglicisedorientalpeople,docilepupiloftheWestanddoomedtorepeat
thecycleoftheOccident'ssuccessandfailure,butstilltheancientimmemorialShaktirecoveringHerdeepest
self,liftingHerheadhighertowardsthesupremesourceoflightandstrengthandturningtodiscoverthe
completemeaningandvasterformofHerDharma".
Then,India'sSelfDenialwillbedonewithforever...
AbouttheAuthor
FrancoisGautier(mailto:fgautier@auroville.org.in),borninParisin1950,isaFrenchjournalistand
writer,whoisthepoliticalcorrespondentinIndiaandSouthAsiafor"LeFigaro",France'slargestcirculation
newspaper.HeismarriedtoanIndianandhaslivedinIndiaforthepast29years,whichhashelpedhimto
seethroughtheusualclichesandprejudicesonIndia,(towhichhesubscribedforalongtime),asmost
foreign(andsometimes,unfortunately,Indian)journalists,writersandhistoriansdo.Heshuttlesbetween

DelhiandtheinternationalcityofAurovillenearPondichery.
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*LeModeleIndou,byGuyDeleury.Hachette,leTemps&leshommes.1978
*IndigenousIndians,byKonradElst,VoiceofIndia,NewDelhi.*
*TheFoundationsofIndianCulture,bySriAurobindo,SriAurobindoAshramPress,Pondichery.1988
*GrowthofMuslimpopulationinIndia,byK.S.Lal.VoiceofIndia,NewDelhi.