I just hate this phrase.
Simply because it has become a tool to use it criminally against certain groups.
My parents, and even every other parent, does a bit of 'policing' to upkeep the morality of their children, especially the girls. Why do they do that? Why couldn't they just let them grow with their own intellect to understand the world? Why do a mother object her daughter wearing skirts above the knee or a top that is not so covering? Why there are parents who, though not making it obvious, are careful of what their daughters or sons do? If I had a daughter I would be protective about her too.
But can the same be applied to groups that has taken up rights to be protective of the 'culture'?
Religions must have started this way. They are the first ones to make rules for people to follow and live within morals. Only Islam issues fatwa against those of its followers who do not abide by the Islamic law to the last detail. Hinduism or Christianity do not have equivalent of fatwa in their religion. Though some Popes and priests have questioned a christian morality at times, there has been no Hindu seers or any who have questioned that among Hindus. But still all the religions do have definitions of Morality.
Now there is a group, which has gone berserk with their concept of Hindu culture. Questioning their legal rights over 'culture' is absolutely agreeable. But questioning and branding their belief as equal to 'talibanist' or 'unpatriotic' or 'uncivilized' is something I personally do not agree to.
I totally disapprove the Sri Ram Seva's action against those they consider as 'uncultured.' Their view point is understandable, but they just do not know how to present it to the world. They have run out of ways to contain the true culture of Hindu. They have stopped innovating ways to better the Hindu culture, instead have taken up a 'victim-like-defensive' stance against 'ruin' of culture.
But I wonder why don't we just let the girls and boys go do whatever they want? Let them drink as much beer or whatever they love, wear how less ever they like, show whatever part(s) of their body they like to, speak any dirty four letter words they enjoy, listen to any 'filthy' music, have any number of girl or boy friends (or even both,) ............ as long as they are NOT our own family members :D
How media twisted Mangalore attack on pub girls
If I happen to see my own teen daughter in tight jeans and tight revealing top, smoking a long cigarette with her boy friend at a coffee bar, as a father with my own traditional 'morals' I would seriously be worried about where and what she is going to be in her life. Because to me, she has no respect for the family values that we have brought her up in.
Ok so what is right what is wrong? or who is right who is wrong?
Those who claim to be 'modern' or 'cultured' (there is absolutely NOTHING in INDIA that is genuinely indegeniously modern) are the ones who have basically alienated or keeping themselves away from the 'old time traditional values' of Hindu or in general, India. To be far away from the brand 'Hindu' is a mark of higher ranking individual in the society that has defined itself the space of modernity path set by the Europe and America. Mostly the younger generations of these countries are the ones who have set a standard to rest of the world in terms of modernization. But what Indian younger generations do not understand is that the west did not copy any other part of the world to shape their morals, but they developed it from their own.
Its true not just about their culture but in every aspects of life. Even their scientific temper is based on their grooming of their own society, life, education etc. Whatever they are today, is only because of what they developed from their own available resources. They did not copy other countries. They are proud to be Americans! They are proud to be English! They are proud of their culture (even if its Christian) their land, their society, their government.... (on the negative side, most of them are not proud of their parents and gurus :D )
Let us see how we analyse these:
1. Yoga was re-accepted by Indians only after the west approved it!! Not till the soft tight sweat pants was invented for exercising that the Yoga was openly accepted by the women in India.
2. International schools in India is in line with global school systems/standards. Adaptation to a standard that was never conceived in India even by millions of Indian schools and teachers.
3. The lifestyles of most of Indians who consider themselves to be the elite class of society, are mostly western or 'english like.' You may see the women in saree, but they speak excellent english but its very hard speaking in their own mother tongues. "We are different. We do not belong to the pale Indian lack lustre society."
4. Start finding out the way the young generations have started to change their names to a Christian like pronounciation, or shortening it to look 'funky.' Because they are more acceptable in the crowd for being 'different' (different from boring Hindus?)
5. The dress codes, body language, communications has all changed. Now they are exactly a replica of what the American teens have invented. We do not create them. We just love to copy.
6. What the fashion gurus of the west define as fashion is applicable to rest of the world! The colour combinations, the shape cutting for the clothes, the walk (cat walk! India never knew about this till we were shown by them) everything MUST have an approval from the west.
7. Standards in manufacturing, governing, management, software development are not what Indians have evolved on their own. The ISO standards, we weren't part of its conception, has become rule of the day. The CMM levels are set by the developed countries and imposed on rest of the world. You keep up to it or get out of business!
A nice write up by Sagar on Why are Indian's Achievements So Little Known
The list goes on and on. There is no end to what we have copied. We have stopped being innovative. By being ignorant to our own 'culture' we have devalued it much further like how something you do not use for years will go rotten and you would only want to throw them to garbage. (The same Ram Sena must stop misuse of photos of Gods put up at places where the land owners want to stop people peeing on their walls!! Gross misuse by certain people, this is not necessarily a Hindu culture. That message is for those who would like to group all loopholes of this society to be a part of Hinduism as if they were mentioned in Vedic books.)
We have no dearth of fashion for women in India. Look at the varieties.
The westernization has helped Indians to look at the scope of creativity. But the misguided youth has not understood what it means to them. They are simply 'slaves' of these definitions.There is so much that Indians can do without having to depend on someone else's standard or definition of living. If they werent looking at the west to shape their lives they are better of in coming up with styles that the west will love to follow. We have to change our mindset to be leaders than being followers.We must have the courage to rule the world in fashion, science, technology, inventions, culture, education, quality, health and every other segments.
Stop blaming on corruption, inefficient governance, 'moral police' for your own inefficiency.
