When the shades get Darker

     India- a place with several Indias and Bharats. A place where many, many cultures thrive. However, thanks to modernisation (or is it westernisation?), a lot of the smaller cultures are losing out on their importance and we are moving towards a system of homogenisation. To counter this homogenisation, efforts are being made in many parts of the country to revive the culture and tradition of that particular region. Museums, art exhibitions, festivals, fairs and the likes are set up to not only preserve but also spread the tradition. Pressure from various activists groups (or maybe, just maybe, actual free will of the government) has led to the government protecting some of these traditions, of some of these cultures.

     For instance, the place where i work, there is a large tribal settlement. From the beginning, i have been encouraged to observe their culture and tradition. By now, i have realised (or have i learned to realise?) that the tribals are the ones who are the closest to nature and we need to protect them from losing their identity. On the legal side, the government has certain laws that protect them. For instance, no outsider can come and purchase land from them. The land can only be transferred within the community members. Pretty good initiative, i'd say. The land is untouched by modernisation (no electricity in many, many villages; no water connection... but that's a different story).  

     However, what i feel is that when we are trying to protect someone/something, sometimes, we get so passionate about the cause that we make our selves blind (and on many occasions, we're blinded by mass following. Everybody says that a so-and-so culture is beautiful and so, it must be). It makes sense, too. I mean, if you want something to be protected, you will want only the good things to be showcased. But, should that mean that we make ourselves blind to the darker sides of that culture?

     To substantiate what i am trying to say, here is another government protection that is not so glorious as the one that makes the tribals the sole owners of the land. There is a practice called Moutana that is prevalent among these tribals. What the practice basically means is that every mistake has a price. If a car runs over a goat, that was left to wander on the roads, the owner of the car will have to pay up for the loss that the owner of the deceased goat. And this system is applied to almost every loss. If, In one village, a woman fell down a stool and died while trying to take down a jar with money, which she was supposed to return to somebody else, the villagers get together and argue that if the person had not lent her money, the woman would not have climbed the stool which led to her fatal fall. There is a Moutana of 2-3 lacs on that person. The police most often does not interfere in cases of Moutana, however bizarre it may be. 

    Also, picture this: Holi here goes on for almost a week. On one particular day, it is unanimously agreed that the tribals can block the roads and ask for money from motorists. Refusal can lead to jeering/colours being thrown at you/sometimes, physical abuse (however, i will admit that the money charged is really insignificant. Rarely do they ask for more than 10 rupees). This day is called Dhulandi. While i have not witnessed Moutana, i have experienced Dhulandi. Here too, like in cases of Moutana, the police does not interfere (i have another post on it, Dhulandi).

     I can take a few more examples, but i think that will make this post boring. It is not that i am rubbishing the claims of the beauty of these cultures entirely. All i am trying to emphasise on is that all cultures, like all other cultures, have their own beautiful sides and their not-so-beautiful sides. Tribal culture (i am repeatedly refering to the tribal culture of Udaipur, Rajasthan because that is where i have a certain degree of understanding, that comes from experience. It is convenient. That does not mean that i am singling it out from the rest of the cultures) may be a very beautiful culture, but it does not make sense to glorify it. Similarly, modernisation/westernisation has a LOT of drawbacks, but it does not make sense to ruminate about the 'good old' days before that. Conflicts of Interests must not allow us to blind us to the drawbacks of the preferred cultures and the good things of the rival culture (rival?).

PS- In this world of Politically Correct words and Stereotypical Interpellations, i cannot help but feel that  (many will feel that) tribals is not a good thing to call them. So, what else do we call them? Something that might not hurt their sensibilities and their identity? Shall we sit and discuss as to what they need to be called? Maybe. That way, we can ignore the real problem at hand (of trying to uplift their position in the society) and just sit forming new words to refer to them tribals (oops, i did it again!).