June 2002 Edition
"I appeal to Bangladeshis and Pakistanis - don't fear India - join with your brothers and sisters in the sub-continent and let's challenge the Euro-American domination of the world." - Suhail Sadiq, India (on a web-discussion board)
In a recent statement, India's Home Minister, L. K. Advani spoke of the possibility of the reunification of India and Pakistan. Far-fetched as that might appear at the present time, many Indian netizens reacted with gushing enthusiasm and dreamy excitement. The possibilities of greater sports contacts, cultural and scientific exchanges, expanded trade, reduced expenditures on the military, greater focus and attention on socio-economic development, optimal use of common resources, the possibilities of poverty elimination and more human equity, and above all a united front against the former colonial and imperial exploiters of the subcontinent - these seemed to be just some of the many tangible benefits that would accrue from a political unity of the partitioned nations of the Indian subcontinent.
For most Indians who have learned to sacrifice an element of their regional or sub-regional identities for the greater good, the benefits of unity are too obvious and too compelling to ignore. Today, an expanding network of transportation and communication links have brought Indian's many nationalities closer than ever before and the most enchanting display of this multi-cultural pluralistic unity is to be seen in the folk dance festivals that take place throughout the country on Republic Day. Colorful and varied costumes, folk songs in different languages and dialects, joyously mesmerizing dance sequences, faces tanned or lighter-skinned - all light up in a wonderful pageant of grace and exuberance. For a few blissful hours - all of the nation's tensions and divisions are forgotten - it is a day for the human spirit to be one - but without pressures towards an artificial sameness or needless conformity. Millions are thus brought together in solidarity and unity with the land of their birth, but it is in their very diversity that makes these occasions so memorable - because it reminds every Indian of how our real unity does not derive from dictatorial force, military edict, or cultural coercion. Our real unity comes from a respect of individual and group differences and an intuitive understanding of the practical benefits of political unity.
Republic Day is one of the occasions where we also remember the horror and torment that the colonial policy of 'Divide and Conquer' brought to us. And this consciousness, when present, obliterates all that could divide us or break us apart.
Yet, for some of it's neighbours, India presents itself as a "threatening monster" - as a grand "bully", as an "imperial superpower" and worse. But India is not a unitary nation - relatively speaking, it's press is one of the freest, it's political democracy is amongst the liveliest, and it's democratic institutions offer checks and balances that few nations in the world are able to exceed. This is not to say there aren't hierarchical divisions in Indian society (that ought to be fought and eliminated) - but objectively speaking - these are no worse than those that exist amongst India's neighbors. Poverty exacerbates social divisions in the subcontinent, but inequities are to be seen almost throughout the world. Even if on the surface, life in the former colonial powers seems more equal - it should not be forgotten that the wealth of these now rich nations came about through the loot of the wealth of the Indian subcontinent and other conquered nations.
Yet, anti-Indian propagandists are often very effective in demonizing India. For many well-meaning Indians, it is very puzzling to be confronted with the kind of hate and animosity that India-baiters bring their way, and are rarely able to come back with any suitable rejoinders. India's weakness in confronting it's attackers is thus often taken for being "guilty as charged". Clearly, part of this stems from colonial acculturation, and the propaganda of religious separatists, and ultra-nationalist forces who exaggerate India's flaws, but fail to acknowledge any of the tangible and concrete benefits that flow from greater political unity. But perhaps, a more significant aspect of this India-bashing is the desire on the part of certain vested interests to keep the people of the subcontinent querulous, and forever divided.
While the situation is clearly premature for India and it's neighbors to unite politically, there are many more possibilities for mutually beneficial social, economic and political coordination and integration than has occurred so far. Of course, the greatest hindrance to greater cooperation is the role of the clerical and military elite in Pakistan, that continues to harp on what pulls people apart, rather than what might bring them together. When it comes to India and Pakistan (or Bangladesh, for that matter) no barrier seems more intractable - or as insurmountable as the obstacle posed by an allegiance to a strongly sectarian religious identity.
This is particularly ironic when one considers that when India was first conquered by it's Islamic invaders, there was a deep distrust of religious orthodoxy of any kind. It is important to recall what Al-Beruni had written of the Hindus of pre-Islamic Punjab: "At the utmost they fight with words, but they will never stake their soul or body or their property on religious controversy."
Later, when Punjab came to be ruled by Islamic sovereigns, conversions to Islam did not take place all at once. But even when they did, it was Sufic Islam that enjoyed popular following - not Quranic orthodoxy. Any objective appraisal of India's Islamic cultural legacy will illustrate how much India's Islamic art and architecture borrowed and built upon earlier Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. The decorative motifs in the Sufi shrines of Punjab - in Ucch, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismael Khan and many other towns draw from traditions that hark back to Taxila. Ahmedabad and Champaner's tombs and mosques use motifs indistinguishable from those seen in Hindu or Jain temples. Similiarly, monuments commissioned during the rule of the Bengal Sultanate either recycled (or imitated) elements from older Buddhist or Hindu Bhakti shrines. Throughout the later medieval period, Hindu and Muslim artisans borrowed and adapted from each other, producing artifacts of incredible finesse and beauty.
The best Sufi scholars did not hide the fact that they borrowed profusely from what they found attractive about older Indian traditions, and in the fields of art, poetry and music, contacts between Muslims and Hindus (or Jains, or Sikhs) could not have been more extensive, and in many instances, were mutually enriching.
Were the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh to be liberated from viewing the world through the prism of religious particularism, they might see there is much that bonds all of the people of the subcontinent. Our geographical closeness, our related cuisines, our similar dress codes, our historic connections, our syncretic culture, our common languages - all of this ought to bring us together - not tear us apart. After all, religion can only promise it's adherents liberation (or paradise) after death - the problems of this life - of our daily existence requires secular solutions. And from a secular perspective, nothing could be more beneficial than the greater unity of the people of the Indian subcontinent - on the basis of respect for pluralism, commitment to democracy, and above all, a deep concern for social fairness, justice and equity.
During the freedom struggle, one could find exemplary and inspiring examples of Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity. India's greatest freedom fighters were all deeply secular, and were sharply critical of all that ailed our colonized societies. The need for such unity is no less urgent today. But in political terms, there are few who can adequately articulate or champion the need for a broad federation of all the people of the subcontinent. Yet, there are some arenas where outstanding examples of secular collaboration can still be found. The people of Pakistan and India are both children of a very rich and illustrious cultural heritage - and in the field of Classical Music, the close cooperation amongst Hindus and Muslims stands out.
Consider how Sulochana Brahaspati of Allahabad, an eminent exponent of the Rampur Gharana got her intial training in classical singing from Pandit Bholanath Bhatta, and later became a pupil of Ustad Mushtaq Hussein Khan, considered a leading light of the Sahaswan/Rampur gharana. In recordings, she has been accompanied by Ustad Sabri Khan (of Moradabad) on sarangi, and the late Ustad Dayam Ali Qadri (of the Farrukhabad/Moradabad gharana) on tabla.
Sarod virtuoso of the Maihar Gharana, Partho Sarathy of Kolkata comes from a family of khayal musicians, and first learnt Sarod from his father, and then continued his musical education (in the guru-shishya parampara) with Ustad Dhyanesh Khan, the late son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Noted singer, Padmavati Shaligram studied classic singing with her father and her uncle, an old student of Ustad Alladiya Khan, the founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.Ustad Shujaat Khan, son of the illustrious Ustad Vilayat Khan,(and a very fine sitarist in his own right), has recorded with Sandeep Das on tabla. Sitarists and music professors, the eloquent Ustad Hameed Khan and Ustad Chhote Rahimat Khan have been accompanied by Pandit Ragunath Nakod (considered one of the greatest tabla players of the Lucknow gharana).
Amongst the Dhrupad Gharanas, there has been particularly close and intimate contact amongst musicians of Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. Uday Bhawalkar who started his musical education at Ujjain, received the Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academi grant and became a student of Fariduddin Dagar in Bhopal. Dr Ritwik Sanyal of Katihar (Bihar), began his music lessons with his mother, a student of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, who in turn were often accompanied by Pandit Shrikant Mishra of Benares.
What is most notable is how the tradition of Dhrupad - an especially evocative and expressive genre of Indian Classical Music (whose lineage is traced back to the era of the Sam Veda by some scholars) has been preserved by Hindu and Muslim Maestros alike. This is just one exquisite example of the continuity of tradition, and the unity of India's composite culture that transcends all barriers. But there is no reason why such cooperation - why the love for a great heritage and tradition must remain confined to any particular field, or only to some Hindus and Muslims in India. The possibilities of greater collaboration amongst Indians and Pakistanis, (or Indians and Bangladeshis, or Nepalese, or South Asians in general) are many.
Yet, there are also serious obstacles. Wishful thinking, or idealistic propaganda about such a future will not take us closer to that goal. People will not only have to articulate the possibilities, but also actively struggle to realize them. The myriad difficulties and hurdles in the path of greater closeness will have to be dealt with frankly and honestly. In India, that will require educating those who are naively romantic about friendship with Pakistan (or Bangladesh), as well as those who have written off all Pakistanis, and see no distinctions between the rulers of Pakistan, and those who must suffer their writ. Hindutvadis who fail to distinguish between the vast majority of peace-loving Muslim Indians and a small group of fundamentalist terrorists, and constantly engage in unnecessary Muslim-baiting must also be isolated so that secular Pakistanis are assured that unity with India will not lead to any repression of Muslims by Hindus.
In Pakistan, moves towards peace and reconciliation with India may involve very difficult emotional and ideological choices. It will require tremendous courage, grit and foresight. And above all, it will require patience and perseverance in combating those who have so far been very successful in instigating divisions on the basis of religion. There will always be vested interests in society (and manipulative super-powers) whose wealth and influence derives from ensuring that the working masses of Pakistan remain prisoners of sectarian prejudice. To counter them will not be easy, but neither will there be much progress if such dangerous and divisive forces are not challenged.
It is up to the wise and enlightened in Pakistani (or Bangladeshi) society to ensure that the common people are able to let into their hearts, the tender murmurings of inspired melody-makers. And remake their nations in a brand new mould - where the dominant theme can be social progress and social equity instead of unquestioning (or chauvinist) adherence to any religion based on revealed truth.
Relatively speaking, prior to colonization, the Indian subcontinent was neither poor nor backward. It was a land where people had made numerous scientific and philosophical discoveries. It's arts and crafts had an élan and spirit that was hard to match, it's music - a lyric beauty, it's pluralistic traditions had color and spice. Pre-colonial India attracted respect, even reverence abroad. But today, the subcontinent is all-too-frequently dismissed with ill-concealed contempt or indifference.
Were the people of the subcontinent to break off their mental shackles - to liberate themselves from the psychological scars of colonization and conquest, they would find much that is inspiring and enlightening in the subcontinent's heritage. They would realize that rather than be exploited and used as pawns by others, they could make something of their own future. And amongst India's neighbors, there might come the realization that cooperation, rather than hostility towards India made more sense.
That could lead to a new dawn in the Indian subcontinent.
Alternatively, we may all have to put up with more strife and conflict. And many may needlessly suffer the unwanted consequences. Can the past be transcended? Can the people of the subcontinent reshape their destiny? Only time will tell. But the collective will led by wise counsel can surely influence the outcome.
Back for other selections from South Asian Voice for other articles on issues confronting India and the region.
Also see South Asian History or Topics in Indian History for relevant essays that shed some light on the history of the subcontinent.
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