How to tell the India story
We have primarily the West in mind for telling the India story to the world to improve our image. The West, especially the US, is very judgmental and puts the non-Western world on the defensive by constantly measuring it by the yardsticks of democracy, human rights, transparency, press and religious freedoms and so on, for which they have constituted NGOs with long publicity arms. India too is not spared.
Image
Our story though is heard differently in different parts of the world. Our scientific, technological, industrial achievements and development programmes attract more interest in developing countries where our image is much more positive than in the developed world, though there too the Indian story has evolved from focusing on poverty, backwardness and social ills to recognition of an economically rising India. We are increasingly bracketed with China, though the latter has outstripped us. But an increasingly assertive China is now perceived as a threat, whereas India is not, which is to our advantage.
Hindutva and the issue of rising intolerance in India get adverse attention primarily in the US and the UK and some Leftist circles in Europe. In some eyes a consolidation of Hindu power would make India less amenable to external influence. Christian lobbies in the US and parts of Europe also distort the story of tolerance and religious freedom in India by focusing on the issue of conversions.
That we are home to all religions, believe that all are equal, that all the world is a family, that we are a living example of unity in diversity and so on, is a story that we have told since Independence, but without shaping global thinking about India enduringly. We should not be overawed by Western opinion and our approach to the India story should not revolve around increasing our self-esteem in occidental eyes.
The role of our own intellectuals, NGOs and the media in distorting the India story externally should not be overlooked. This is aggravated by some academics, writers, analysts living abroad who feel alienated from their country of origin. The secular-non-secular debate and caste issues are used for tarnishing India’s image. The influence of such elements should not be minimised as they validate existing prejudices against India in certain Western circles.
On the whole, India’s image is a mixed one, with many positives and several negatives. At the popular level the positives are our old civilisation, the splendour of Maharajas, India as the land of Gandhi and Buddha, Bollywood, dance and music, rich culture, temples, festivals, great touristic sites, yoga, Ayurvedic massages in Kerala. Democracy, prowess in the IT sector, and growing economy, add to the list of positives.
The negatives are the caste system, inequality, poverty, dirt, overpopulation, corruption, social divisions, Kashmir, human rights violations, unresolved tensions with Pakistan, nuclear issues, mounting intolerance and Hindutva ideology. Generally, the media interest in India is limited in the West and often negative as its focus on our social ills persists.
Negatives
Apart from managing the negatives, our story is in parts confusing to tell. We advocate peace but have fought wars, though not of our making. Our philosophical attachment to non-violence co-exists with violence in our society. Mahatma Gandhi fought racism in Africa but incidents against African students in India expose us to accusations of racism.
We are basically most tolerant but religious tensions disfigure our society. The caste system is outlawed but we have encouraged its role in our politics through our electoral process and caste-related reservations.
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| Photo: Indiatoday.in |
India’s core personality is defined by its Hindu identity, yet we have rejected this over the years because of secularism. The Ramayana has influenced the cultural identity of some of our eastern neighbours but we get into domestic controversies over it. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi our civilisational identity is being projected with less inhibition, but we see the resistance within.
We have multiple narratives about India in our own country. The challenge is how to tell a coherent story.
Success
Our story is both well-established and evolving. An India grows and modernises, its story takes new dimensions. China’s story has changed in the last 30 years from a poor backward country to a formidable power which all want to woo and accommodate. Its financial capacity gives it the means to tell its story, including through many international Chinese TV channels. Russia has created its RT channel, but India has no channel to match RT, BBC or CNN.
The India story cannot be told by the government alone or through its sponsored initiatives. In a democracy like ours the story gets told also by the civil society, the media, the intellectuals, writers, the entrepreneurs and so on. The dissenters, the alienated, the protesters tell their own tale.
Foreign journalists and businessmen in India have a narrative from their perspective. In an authoritarian society the story can be controlled. Not so in India. At times, our story is heard on its own, as with our Mars mission, our launch of 104 satellites at one go, the Indians at the head of US IT giants and, conversely, our poor show at the Olympics.
Our story will no doubt be better heard when we resolve our own problems, address our social ills, progress economically and develop a broadly shared national narrative. We should understand that a success story is the only story worth telling.
(Courtesy: Mail Today)