From moonshot to moonshot - a patriot's vision of India

I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live. Rabindranath Tagore

It may seem ironical that the man who said this is the same man who is the source of India’s national anthem (and also of Bangladesh). But this opinion article gives us an idea what he must have meant. He was actually criticizing the ‘fanatic nationalism’ that the world was witness to during the 1st World War (and history was destined for another one in the same vein). He was trying to associate it with ideas of peace, harmony and welfare. Further, he also envisioned that whenever India decided to contribute the world; it should be only in the form of humanity.

This is a week when Indians are literally over the moon, even though none of our popular moon-oriented festivals are around the corner! The landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the moon’s surface - making India the fourth and also the first to land on its south pole - is an extremely proud moment for all of us. This article by New York Times states that India is providing a template for other countries dreaming big.

While I have been closely following LinkedIn posts over the past few days, there is one very clear tendency that comes out – highlighting that India was always great and had a golden past. Some posts talk about why school history books should be rewritten, giving Indian achievements the recognition that is long due.

History will continue to be rewritten through the ages. Where you and I exist is just a speck of time in centuries of human existence. We happened to be that generation where our history books were influenced by certain thought processes. In its early decades, independent India was starkly different, and the colonial hangover was still so strong that it influenced a lot of our thought processes. It is clear to me that:

a) We have evolved greatly as a nation since then.

b) We still have miles to go ahead.

c) Cultural exposure is necessary, though my reasons are different.

d) India is taking up a prime position in the global economy and society and it truly deserves to do so.

e) What matters is how India will wield this power as it marches towards a developed country vision in 2047, it's 100th year of independence.

This article expresses a few of my thoughts on this historic occasion.

Three movies – Three Indias?

When you want to see how the thought process of a society evolves, look no further than cinema. And more specifically at three movies representing three different eras.

• Poorab Aur Paschim (1970)
• Swades (2004)
• Mission Mangal (2019)

All three are about patriotism, love for motherland and attachment to roots, but that is where the similarities end. Poorab Aur Paschim showcases Indians living abroad who are ashamed of their Indian origin and totally embrace Western culture. The protagonist played by Manoj Kumar seeks to bring them to India and instill a love for their motherland. Although these NRIs experience culture shock initially, they ultimately find their calling. The takeaway is that India’s culture, tradition and way of life are the best, even though the West is miles ahead in just about every aspect of development.

In the movie Swades, the protagonist played by Shahrukh Khan is also an NRI, more specifically a NASA scientist, who has come to an Indian village to visit Kaveri Amma (his beloved nanny). He sees poverty, inefficiencies, corrupt administrations, casteism – a series of faults in Indian society. At the same time constant comparisons are made to the US. The general tendency is that while US may have developed, it does not have the kind of culture India has, so we will always be ahead.

Mohan strongly contests this kind of thinking in one very powerful scene, where he criticizes this obsession with culture to explain away all our problems and call ourselves great. He says:

Main nahi manta hamara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai. Lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon ki hum mein kabliyat hai, taqat hai, apne desh ko mahaan banane ki.

(I do not agree that India is the world’s best country. But I do agree that it has the capability to do so)

Some of the villagers are obviously offended. Over the movie, Mohan’s patriotism gets revived, he encourages the villagers to take charge of their destiny, and convinces them to work with him and ‘light a bulb’ (stable power supply which was non-existent previously). Ultimately, Mohan completes his work in the US and comes back to his roots to work for the development of India. He realises that is possibly what his heart and soul want all the way.

The third movie is the Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Mangal, is dedicated to ISRO’s previous blockbuster MARS Mission. Due to some circumstances, scientist Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) and project director Tara Shinde (Vidya Balan) are assigned to the Mars Orbiter Mission, which is considered impossible due to its tight budget. Moreover, no country before that had achieved first time success to Mars previously. But the determined scientists make it happen and tell the world to “Copy that!”. They are asked to take the support of NASA, wherein Akshay Kumar makes this hilarious dialogue:

Hamari har samasya ki marramat NASA se karvane jayenge ... toh hum satyanasa ho jayenge

(If we go to NASA for all our problems, we will be ultimately destroyed)

Through these three movies (while there would undoubtedly be others) you see the remarkable journey of a nation that was once dependent on the world for even very basic resources to the present – when it is in a position to not just solve its own problems but contribute immensely to the future of the world. Mission Mangal is not a forced topic to propel a nation - it is reality, just like the Chandrayaan 3, reflecting how India is making gigantic strides across many fields today.

India emerged from the colonial era, struggled to get on its feet and is now showing the way. More and more Indians believe in their potential to change their destiny. That is the most remarkable asset for any country, and even more so for the one that houses the world’s largest population. We do not have to look out desperately today for an isolated 1983 World Cup triumph, Sachin Tendulkar, Sushmita Sen or MS Dhoni to feel proud of our nation (in reference to the 1989s and 90s). We can connect to the world with confidence and assertiveness, from a position of strength.

Do we keep culture at arm’s length? Absolutely not!

It is no mystery today that the world looks very keenly towards India as a pivotal and transformational force of the 21st century. This power is both a well-earned privilege and a great responsibility. Out here, however, I have one complaint with the movie Swades. It seemed to take Indian culture and traditions very lightly. Somehow, we have developed some stereotypes of our culture like the religious rituals, the superstitions, the ‘pandits’ or ‘brahmans’, etc.

Our cultural moorings are actually very rich and I totally support rigorous study of our ancient texts and knowledge. Not just to have a national pride that borders on vanity, but because there is a lot that humanity can gain from this knowledge. From my understanding in recent years of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, etc, I have seem my entire perspective on our culture change.

While we kept doubting our culture, influence of our traditions has spread far and wide across then world – more recently in the US thanks to the likes of luminaries like Swami Vivekananda (Ramakrishna Mission), Parmahansa Yogananda (Self realization fellowship, Yogoda Satsanga Society), Swami Prabhupada (ISCKON) and many more. I only wish that such knowledge was presented to us in schools – if not as syllabus, then as optional reference books. ?

As Indian aspirations and efforts take us towards the vision of a Developed nation by 1947, our cultural moorings are extremely important to determine what kind of power India will be. In my view, it has to be a country that works for the global good, and shows a new direction on how power and influence should actually be wielded.

And to be a force of global good, we only need to firmly connect to our roots, established in the civilization that gave the term ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (all the world is one family) to this planet. That is indeed the kind of nationalism that I would want India to showcase to the world, of course while defending its genuine interests. That is the vision of Tagore that we should strive for.