Half Sweet n' Half Nuts

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Now that the brouhaha over I-day has died down...

I believe it is safe to publish my views on patriotism.

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.
-- George Bernard Shaw

It was this quote that actually got me thinking about nationalism, patriotism and what have you. Yes, I am Indian. Yes, I believe India is potentially one of the greatest nations of this world. Are we the best? Not by a far shot. Should we strive to do better? Undoubtedly. Does it mean every other nation is an enemy to be scorned or feared? But of course not!

This past week or so a lot of bloggers have written about our love for India and how it should be rightly expressed, the troubles plaguing India, the apathy of the educated Indian towards these problems, the vast divide in the living conditions of different sections of Indians, so on and so forth. None of these are new. It is pretty much the same conversation people have had every year around this time, ever since I was old enough to understand conversations. And yes, no one can deny their inherent truth. But there are a few points that still ring false in my mind and I only attempt to think out loud. Given the strong sentiments patriotism generally evokes, I would like to assure you, my dear reader, I love my country just as much as the next Indian and I do not mean to offend you.

While I’m at it, let me also add the disclaimer that I am no Economics guru or brilliant MBA GirlWonder. I’m also not an avid follower of the Indian GDP etc. and what I question here are issues as my peanut sized geek brain understands them.

A lot of people worry about how we're selling out to the capitalistic lure of the west, allowing MNCs to oust local competition, hence giving in to their obvious evil. They affect the economic growth. They take away local jobs. But do these companies not generate wealth in other parts of the world? Do these MNCs not employ people, albeit outside our country, providing a source of livelihood to a lot of families everywhere? Then what makes the livelihood of an Indian worker more important than that of another worker somewhere around the world? Once you accept this truth, the question arises: "should I buy Indian simply because I am Indian with no thought to what I want/need/like?". Of course, heaven forbid, I should actually say, I think some of the foreign brands are better than our homegrown products!

But lets move on to another aspect of jobs and industries and talk about outsourcing, be it IT, ITES or BPO as these also deal with people earning a living by competing with foreign competition. Everyone agrees it's OK for us to vie for these jobs, because as we claim, we’re cheaper, faster, better. With that logic, why shouldn't manufacturers, of every shade and hue, attempt to make an entry into the Indian market? It’s purely a matter of competition and if the Indian industries can’t take the heat they should get out of the kitchen, rather than complain about Walmart or McDonald’s or whatever else is considered to be the arch enemy these days. As a consumer, I would want the best and national loyalties, in this case, seem irrelevant to me.

The other issue of high debate has always been 'brain drain'. Somehow, I’m inclined to believe it is only those with the privilege of being born to a good life that can afford to speak against it. Everyone is entitled to work their way towards their image of a better life. Why should anyone be obliged to stay in a country/ state/ city/ town/village simply because they were born there? It’s really a matter of degree from where I'm standing. If it is OK to move out of a village in search of a better life why not move out of your country? I do not want to imply that India is a village among the countries of the world; it was simply a parallel to show how people may opt out of their current circumstances. In fact, considering India's problems, one might think the faster people move out the better it would be as there would be fewer people vying for the fast diminishing resources.

At the end of the day all the hue and cry comes down to "it has got to be better than this because I was born here". There is ego involved. The same sort of ego which would rather have hundreds of thousands of people (soldiers, natives, tourists) die rather than give away a piece of land to a neighboring country. But I don't even want to stir that hornet’s nest!

To me, Utopia would be a world without borders. Countries, as we know them, might cease to exist. Taxes would be paid voluntarily as one might pay for the maintenance of their homes. Traveling to different lands would be free. Citizenship would be a matter of where one’s heart feels at home. People would believe themselves to be children of this Earth rather than of a state or country.

Then again, Utopia will never come to be. A mutual respect may be the most we can hope for. This thought provoking quote, seems to me, the only answer to all these questions.

I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.
-- Edith Cavell

PS: Something completely off the topic (I rarely, if ever, mix train of thoughts, but this was something I needed to get out of my system so bear with me!) - something about friendships. If someone has to let go of one friendship to accept another, two questions come to my mind -
- was the first relationship really worth anything if it could be let go so easily?
- is the second relationship really worth accepting if at its very conception it brings with it pain and sorrow to someone you once cared for?

Congratulations! You reached the end! I applaud you!

by nutty at 8:21 PM |