Timothy Garton-Ash, whose book The File I'm now reading (about the Stazi file kept upon him while a young man visiting East Germany), was a speaker at the Jaipur Literature Festival. This article captures many of my own observations and those who know India well from the outside.For anyone interested in India, and the ubiquitous "India v. China" debate, it's informative.
My point here is to ponder the importance of the outsider/insider: those who come to know a culture from the outside and who really reveal the culture and how it works in a way that seems very difficult for natives. Before considering India, think of America: who has exceeded Alexis Tocqueville's Democracy in America in capturing the American ethos? In India, I'm finding the likes of William Dalrymple, Edward Luce, Patrick French, John Elliot, and Tarquin Hall provide me with deep insights. Interestingly, Luce, French, and Hall all have native Indian spouses, while I believe that Dalrymple and Elliot make their homes in India. Also, they are all Brits. Among native Indians, we see the value of the outsider experience: Gandhi and Nehru were both deeply influenced by their time abroad. Other good, contemporary examples of native Indians with deep insight include Amartya Sen, Akash Kapoor, Gucharan Das, and Shashi Tharoor, all of whom have all spent a significant amount of time in the U.S.. These individuals, and others I'm sure that I don't know about, have the insider/outsider perspective about India that gives their analysis real insight. I'm sure that there are many that I don't know about, but this provides a good sample. They are the persons that I read for insight.
I have to say that being out of the U.S. now for about five months, I've come to a new appreciation (good and bad points) of our nation. However, compared to India, U.S. politics, society, and culture seem a cakewalk!
My point here is to ponder the importance of the outsider/insider: those who come to know a culture from the outside and who really reveal the culture and how it works in a way that seems very difficult for natives. Before considering India, think of America: who has exceeded Alexis Tocqueville's Democracy in America in capturing the American ethos? In India, I'm finding the likes of William Dalrymple, Edward Luce, Patrick French, John Elliot, and Tarquin Hall provide me with deep insights. Interestingly, Luce, French, and Hall all have native Indian spouses, while I believe that Dalrymple and Elliot make their homes in India. Also, they are all Brits. Among native Indians, we see the value of the outsider experience: Gandhi and Nehru were both deeply influenced by their time abroad. Other good, contemporary examples of native Indians with deep insight include Amartya Sen, Akash Kapoor, Gucharan Das, and Shashi Tharoor, all of whom have all spent a significant amount of time in the U.S.. These individuals, and others I'm sure that I don't know about, have the insider/outsider perspective about India that gives their analysis real insight. I'm sure that there are many that I don't know about, but this provides a good sample. They are the persons that I read for insight.
I have to say that being out of the U.S. now for about five months, I've come to a new appreciation (good and bad points) of our nation. However, compared to India, U.S. politics, society, and culture seem a cakewalk!
No comments:
Post a Comment