Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Foreigner as an alien concept
Even as I watch the drama over Sonia Gandhi's declining the PM post, I found a piece in Outlook that pretty much reflects exactly my thoughts on Sonia's foreign origin.
Many in the BJP would be familiar with the Sanskrit phrase "vasudeva kutumbakam" which means that the entire universe is our family. The idea of "foreign" and "native" is therefore alien to India's value system. Hinduism, which the RSS-BJP claims as its own, is known for its inclusiveness, not exclusiveness.
And if one were to follow Mahatma Gandhi's credo then there is nothing foreign about Sonia Gandhi. One of the mahatma's most fiery associates during the agitation for Home Rule, Annie Besant, happened to be of Irish descent. And two of his closest companions were of British origin. The disciple known only as Mirabehn, constantly by Gandhiji's side, was the daughter of a British admiral. Another remarkable follower was C.F. Andrews whom Gandhiji named Deenbandhu. Even the pre-Gandhi history of the Congress has a prominent individual of so-called foreign descent. As every school child learns, the founder of India's grand old party, was A.O. Hume, a Britisher who intended the Congress to be a forum for Indians to let some steam against the Empire.
Even in ancient and medieval times India showed a knack of conquering all its conquerors. Some of the most famous invaders such as the Kushans, Macedonians and the Mughals, in fact, became settlers in the land, eventually contributing to the great civilisational depth that makes up India.
That is why it would be intellectually niggardly to call a woman who has married and raised her children in India—besides living through the traumatic assassinations of her husband and mother-in law—a foreigner. Fault her for competence, ability or even a poor accent. But if one were to go by the age-old values of our land, it would be distinctly un-Indian to keep harping on Sonia's origins. Something the BJP must surely have discovered.
As I have mentioned in an earlier post, the concept of "vasudeva kutumbakam" is something any right thinking human being should be proud of, not something to run away from.
Many in the BJP would be familiar with the Sanskrit phrase "vasudeva kutumbakam" which means that the entire universe is our family. The idea of "foreign" and "native" is therefore alien to India's value system. Hinduism, which the RSS-BJP claims as its own, is known for its inclusiveness, not exclusiveness.
And if one were to follow Mahatma Gandhi's credo then there is nothing foreign about Sonia Gandhi. One of the mahatma's most fiery associates during the agitation for Home Rule, Annie Besant, happened to be of Irish descent. And two of his closest companions were of British origin. The disciple known only as Mirabehn, constantly by Gandhiji's side, was the daughter of a British admiral. Another remarkable follower was C.F. Andrews whom Gandhiji named Deenbandhu. Even the pre-Gandhi history of the Congress has a prominent individual of so-called foreign descent. As every school child learns, the founder of India's grand old party, was A.O. Hume, a Britisher who intended the Congress to be a forum for Indians to let some steam against the Empire.
Even in ancient and medieval times India showed a knack of conquering all its conquerors. Some of the most famous invaders such as the Kushans, Macedonians and the Mughals, in fact, became settlers in the land, eventually contributing to the great civilisational depth that makes up India.
That is why it would be intellectually niggardly to call a woman who has married and raised her children in India—besides living through the traumatic assassinations of her husband and mother-in law—a foreigner. Fault her for competence, ability or even a poor accent. But if one were to go by the age-old values of our land, it would be distinctly un-Indian to keep harping on Sonia's origins. Something the BJP must surely have discovered.
As I have mentioned in an earlier post, the concept of "vasudeva kutumbakam" is something any right thinking human being should be proud of, not something to run away from.
