DATE: 07/05/2011
TIME: 5:30 AM
Darwin was right. Evolution is inevitable. Maybe that is why I require a certain psychopathic hollow man lovingly referred to as America’s favourite serial killer and commonly known as Dexter Morgan to goad me to be up at this early hour. Gone are the days when the cockerel’s clarion call was the world’s alarm clock(with no snooze feature ofcourse). Yes I might be stating the obvious in a linguistically decorated way but the question nagging me is this-How does one differentiate evolution from devolution?
The quest to find the answer to this very question made me follow the routine procedure.
Google-->links--->sublinks--->sub-sublinks--->advertisements for ‘zwinky’ toolbars.Dead End.
I could see it coming yet I let myself follow the ‘procedure’.So if Google can’t give me the answer , who can? Rajnikant? Now he might know what is Victoria’s secret but this juxtapose may not be idiosyncratic enough for him.
Drawing a blank , I suddenly recall an article by senior parliamentarian and politburo member Sitaram Yechury in the Hindustan Times in which he had referred to this rather obscure phenomenon known as ‘Westoxification’ (in English) . The origins of this phenomenon can be traced back to an Iranian scholar and writer by the name of Jalal Al-e Ahmad , who used the derogatory Persian word ‘Gharbzadegi’ to refer to it.
According to Jalal,the name Westoxification referred to the loss of cultural identity in Iran by the acceptance and mass acknowledgement of the ‘western way of life’. People aped Western fashion, taught Western education, consumed Western goods and used Western machinery. He also said that overdependence on machinery deflated human value.
Mr.Jalal's ideas were well perceived by the intelligentsia.What followed was somehow predictable(though not delectable).Intellectual revolutions started in Iran as a new era of awakening beckoned.Sparks turned into conflagrations and the government was unsettled.In due course of time,the 'revolution'(euphemism for 'revolt') swept off like a sand dune.
However,like the relocation or drift one usually associates with a sand dune,this 'revolution' did 'drift' off to another land which was deperately seeking an identity.Seeking to rediscover itself after the Britishers had harassed it in every possible way.Seeking to rediscover itself within the ambit of the new found "government by the people",democracy.What followed was setup of a 'Western' educational system in the country,adherence to 'Western' style of dressing,usage of 'Western' machinery,homes infested with transistors--->televisions--->computers--->laptops--->mobile phones--->tablets(the list is chronological,of course,my apologies to Steve Jobs if i missed out on something),all innovations from the 'West'(Vinod Dham might disagree but Intel is a US based company).
Now the very reason I have repeatedly put words like 'West' and 'Western' in the limelight in the previous paragraph is not because I am the usual sycophantic Indian who feels the need to show allegiance to anything not-Indian,it is simply because I want to break a myth.What India has failed to understand in the 61 years of its sovereignty is that it is not "Westernised",its "Westoxified".
Throughout the ages the West has been known to be the torch-bearer for ideas like"existentialism",wherein an individual bears complete responsibility for his actions and their outcome.Women have always been given equivalent status in society.Work ethics have been unparalled.Also,it wont be surprising to see some top notch financial analyst sharing a Budweiser with a truck driver at a local pub.Yes,there might have been ugly phases of Anti-Semitism and Racism but no society is perfect.Not digressing from the point,I don't want to discuss the intricacies of the Western society.What I want to discuss is that how our country has conveniently eaten the cherry from the top of the cake,leaving behind the rest of it.Hardly did they know that the 'black forest pastry' of the West(metaphor for co-existence of blacks(chocolate chips) and whites(vanilla),takes a bow!) had much more to offer them.Something much more substantial than Jack Daniels(with all due respect),something much more lasting than an I-pod(apologies to Steve Jobs,again),and something much more captivating than pornography(well,Savita Bhabhi is still a rookie).That,Indians,is the concept of 'equality of opportunity'.
Optimists might want to detract attention from issues like this but the harsh reality stares in our face and gives us a cold look.Indians are chauvinists.The concept of ladies coach in metro all but underlines that.Not so long ago,women were beaten up by morally-charged men in a Bangalore club for "indecent exposure".One wonders where the concept of "indecent exposure" goes away when these same men marvel at 19th century avant-garde erotica by some fanatic auteur.We still need reservations to ensure "equality of opportunity" for certain societal sections.About an year ago,the worthy patron of the Maratha world,Mr.Raj Thackeray had strongly suggested Mr.Mukesh Ambani to reserve 80% jobs in his companies for Marathi people,seeking the reason that it is because of Mumbai and Maharashtra that he is amongst the top 10 richest people in the world.Such preposterous demands might have spelled doom for him.On the contrary he went on to decide the fate of the Congress party in the Maharashtra state assembly elections.
Also when was the last time you got along well with an autowallah.Haggling is a habit,and also an outlet.Believe it or not,we Indians love to come down heavliy on people who are seemingly powerless.We wait for the day when the concept of 'mainstream' diminishes.Everyone is equal.Metallica seems to have heralded this day in a hit song from their latest album.They call it "the day that never comes".I can go on endlessly about other examples of prejudices in our country.We are far away from equality and the first step towards reaching there is equality of opportunity.Opportunity to grow.Opportunity to exist peacefully.And most importantly,opportunity to become who you are.
To break things down,westoxification is as different from westernisation as evaporation is from boiling.
I might be a firm believer in this concept yet I've done nothing to deserve a Nobel Prize(except,of course,if this piece of writing gets me something).And as i see it,I might not be able to throughout my life.Simply because I am too fond of my Dell laptop,Nokia phone and Sennheiser headphones.I love my Budweiser with fried Kentucky chicken.I can walk 5 kilometres in sweltering heat for a Marlboro yet I can't see myself do anything to promote concepts of equality in our country.Call me selectively moral and I will accept it with gratitude.Yes,I am westoxified,not westernised.This acceptance has given me enough reasons to dwell in a cave of self loathing.The question is,are the reasons strong enough to keep me in there?Judging by the fact I am an Indian,I believe not.
TIME: 5:30 AM
Darwin was right. Evolution is inevitable. Maybe that is why I require a certain psychopathic hollow man lovingly referred to as America’s favourite serial killer and commonly known as Dexter Morgan to goad me to be up at this early hour. Gone are the days when the cockerel’s clarion call was the world’s alarm clock(with no snooze feature ofcourse). Yes I might be stating the obvious in a linguistically decorated way but the question nagging me is this-How does one differentiate evolution from devolution?
The quest to find the answer to this very question made me follow the routine procedure.
Google-->links--->sublinks--->sub-sublinks--->advertisements for ‘zwinky’ toolbars.Dead End.
I could see it coming yet I let myself follow the ‘procedure’.So if Google can’t give me the answer , who can? Rajnikant? Now he might know what is Victoria’s secret but this juxtapose may not be idiosyncratic enough for him.
Drawing a blank , I suddenly recall an article by senior parliamentarian and politburo member Sitaram Yechury in the Hindustan Times in which he had referred to this rather obscure phenomenon known as ‘Westoxification’ (in English) . The origins of this phenomenon can be traced back to an Iranian scholar and writer by the name of Jalal Al-e Ahmad , who used the derogatory Persian word ‘Gharbzadegi’ to refer to it.
According to Jalal,the name Westoxification referred to the loss of cultural identity in Iran by the acceptance and mass acknowledgement of the ‘western way of life’. People aped Western fashion, taught Western education, consumed Western goods and used Western machinery. He also said that overdependence on machinery deflated human value.
Mr.Jalal's ideas were well perceived by the intelligentsia.What followed was somehow predictable(though not delectable).Intellectual revolutions started in Iran as a new era of awakening beckoned.Sparks turned into conflagrations and the government was unsettled.In due course of time,the 'revolution'(euphemism for 'revolt') swept off like a sand dune.
However,like the relocation or drift one usually associates with a sand dune,this 'revolution' did 'drift' off to another land which was deperately seeking an identity.Seeking to rediscover itself after the Britishers had harassed it in every possible way.Seeking to rediscover itself within the ambit of the new found "government by the people",democracy.What followed was setup of a 'Western' educational system in the country,adherence to 'Western' style of dressing,usage of 'Western' machinery,homes infested with transistors--->televisions--->computers--->laptops--->mobile phones--->tablets(the list is chronological,of course,my apologies to Steve Jobs if i missed out on something),all innovations from the 'West'(Vinod Dham might disagree but Intel is a US based company).
Now the very reason I have repeatedly put words like 'West' and 'Western' in the limelight in the previous paragraph is not because I am the usual sycophantic Indian who feels the need to show allegiance to anything not-Indian,it is simply because I want to break a myth.What India has failed to understand in the 61 years of its sovereignty is that it is not "Westernised",its "Westoxified".
Throughout the ages the West has been known to be the torch-bearer for ideas like"existentialism",wherein an individual bears complete responsibility for his actions and their outcome.Women have always been given equivalent status in society.Work ethics have been unparalled.Also,it wont be surprising to see some top notch financial analyst sharing a Budweiser with a truck driver at a local pub.Yes,there might have been ugly phases of Anti-Semitism and Racism but no society is perfect.Not digressing from the point,I don't want to discuss the intricacies of the Western society.What I want to discuss is that how our country has conveniently eaten the cherry from the top of the cake,leaving behind the rest of it.Hardly did they know that the 'black forest pastry' of the West(metaphor for co-existence of blacks(chocolate chips) and whites(vanilla),takes a bow!) had much more to offer them.Something much more substantial than Jack Daniels(with all due respect),something much more lasting than an I-pod(apologies to Steve Jobs,again),and something much more captivating than pornography(well,Savita Bhabhi is still a rookie).That,Indians,is the concept of 'equality of opportunity'.
Optimists might want to detract attention from issues like this but the harsh reality stares in our face and gives us a cold look.Indians are chauvinists.The concept of ladies coach in metro all but underlines that.Not so long ago,women were beaten up by morally-charged men in a Bangalore club for "indecent exposure".One wonders where the concept of "indecent exposure" goes away when these same men marvel at 19th century avant-garde erotica by some fanatic auteur.We still need reservations to ensure "equality of opportunity" for certain societal sections.About an year ago,the worthy patron of the Maratha world,Mr.Raj Thackeray had strongly suggested Mr.Mukesh Ambani to reserve 80% jobs in his companies for Marathi people,seeking the reason that it is because of Mumbai and Maharashtra that he is amongst the top 10 richest people in the world.Such preposterous demands might have spelled doom for him.On the contrary he went on to decide the fate of the Congress party in the Maharashtra state assembly elections.
Also when was the last time you got along well with an autowallah.Haggling is a habit,and also an outlet.Believe it or not,we Indians love to come down heavliy on people who are seemingly powerless.We wait for the day when the concept of 'mainstream' diminishes.Everyone is equal.Metallica seems to have heralded this day in a hit song from their latest album.They call it "the day that never comes".I can go on endlessly about other examples of prejudices in our country.We are far away from equality and the first step towards reaching there is equality of opportunity.Opportunity to grow.Opportunity to exist peacefully.And most importantly,opportunity to become who you are.
To break things down,westoxification is as different from westernisation as evaporation is from boiling.
I might be a firm believer in this concept yet I've done nothing to deserve a Nobel Prize(except,of course,if this piece of writing gets me something).And as i see it,I might not be able to throughout my life.Simply because I am too fond of my Dell laptop,Nokia phone and Sennheiser headphones.I love my Budweiser with fried Kentucky chicken.I can walk 5 kilometres in sweltering heat for a Marlboro yet I can't see myself do anything to promote concepts of equality in our country.Call me selectively moral and I will accept it with gratitude.Yes,I am westoxified,not westernised.This acceptance has given me enough reasons to dwell in a cave of self loathing.The question is,are the reasons strong enough to keep me in there?Judging by the fact I am an Indian,I believe not.
