China has begun to repeatedly intrude into Indian territory, not just in one but two separate states. The predatory Chinese empire is using these incursions to reassert its claims on both Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim. Whatever may be the nefarious designs of the Empire next door, the most disheartening thing about the whole episode is the muted and weak-kneed response from the Indian government which has chosen to adopt a suicidal “no-confrontation-at-any-cost” policy of appeasement and submissiveness towards China.
Observing this behavior I, like many others with me, question “What is it that determines our behavior vis-a-vis China?” Is it a confident assessment of our strength or is it a (mis)perception of ourselves as a weak or at least a much weaker nation than our mighty adversary?
There is no doubt that we Indians are going through a crisis of confidence, behind which lies a far more serious identity crisis. It will not go away anytime soon but does show some signs of abating eventually. Still, ultimately perception (faith) is reality to people and dictates their behavior, which is true even in case of our interactions with China.
Today India’s self-perception is that of a weak state, despite the fact that that is not the ground reality. This inferiority complex is the natural outcome of a colonialist ideology (Hinduphobic secularism) that dominates our intelligentsia, our media as well as our education system, one that is aimed solely at creating self-alienation or even self-loathing among Indians so that their brains can become open and malleable receptacles for any other ideology or culture that seeks to colonize it. It is nearly impossible for any single educated Indian to escape the clutches of its all-pervasive tentacles. Those that are not completely under it’s influence are at least touched by it to some extent.
Unfortunately a full cultural and civilizational liberation did not follow upon the physical independence achieved in 1947. We continue to remain a nation enthralled by external colonial ideologies and civilizations that seek to perpetuate their hegemony over the Indian subcontinent and turn India into an extension and appendage. The necessary first step to this goal is the eradication of the already existing native Hindu civilization. This civilizational holocaust is not such a rare and remote possibility as some would like to believe. Most of India’s sister-civilizations, those that were her contemporaries during ancient times, have all either been wiped out or distorted beyond recognition. Perhaps the most glaring example would be that of the high Greek civilization, which Christianity steamrolled at the very beginning of its homogenizing march through Europe. Another would be that of the Egyptian civilization which, although Hellenized by Graeco-Roman conquests, still survived largely intact until it was set upon by Christianity and then finished off for good by Islam. Even the wonderful and fecund Chinese civilization has to a great degree been hollowed out by a self-destructive Maoism and now continues to suffer at the hands of a soulless capitalism.
Unlike these other ancient civilization India has survived with her ethos and her spirit largely intact though hidden. However, the eyes of her own children have been colored over by others so as to make them look upon her with disgust and revulsion. Although her immortal and ineffable wisdom is secure, it remains hidden from the sight of her citizens, who have become the ignorant wards of her enemies and opponents. We Indians, thus, start out at a disadvantage when it comes to self-confidence and healthy self-respect, to compensate for which we are constantly seeking certificates of approval from the West. Anything that has a western “chaap” (brand) is great and we seek this same stamp on our own undeserving brown skin all the time. The pathology is manifest in all aspects of life from the things we buy, the music we hear, the movies we make, the clothes we wear, the education we get… all the way to ideological commitments, with Sri Adam Smith now replacing Sri Karl Marx as our gora prophet who will lead us to earthly paradise. In the case of China, not only has the capitalist West given it it’s seal of approval but, led by its forest of growth-starved corporations, also seems to have fallen head-over-heels in love with it. This unseemly and maudlin, wide-eyed, open-mouthed fascination with the over-hyped Chinese growth phenomenon only exacerbates our deep-seated inferiority complex.
It may be that this is just a phase that we have to go through and not the pattern of behavior we are doomed to perpetuate indefinitely. That is my hope at least. But while this mental/cultural alienation (de-nativization) and colonization continues apace it effectively saps our confidence and kills the very will to stand up and resist any external power that seeks to impose itself on us, including China. Basically we have no faith in ourselves and that is why we behave like losers (and end up losing). As the Gita says, “Yo yat shraddha sa eva saha”, behavior is nothing except for the expression of one’s faith. As a result of it’s colonization India has begun to act like what the Gita terms a ‘Sanshaya-atma’, a soul of doubt, a soul that is hesitating, faithless and irresolute. This doubt shackles it, prevents it from moving forward boldly and consigns it to an existence of misery and ignominy.
Indian’s current response to Chinese incursions is a manifestation of this same soul-killing self-doubt. Our China policy is an unmistakable symptom of this deep-seated malaise. Take for example this recent pronouncement by our Defence Minister A.K.Antony in response to Chinese moves: “To a maximum extent, we will try to avoid confrontation“. This is not an expression of great prudence, but a betrayal of our own faithlessness. By doing so Antony has sent an unmistakable signal to the Dragon that India is not giving itself any alternative when it comes to dealing with adventurism and violations of its territorial integrity. Going to the max in order to avoid confrontation just invites China to find out what this max really is. One wonders what is going through these peoples’ brains? That if they play nice and coy the neighborhood bully will be pleased and beat a retreat? The exact opposite is going to happen. In fact, at the time of writing this China has once again intruded into Indian territory in Sikkim.
It is a basic truism of negotiation that when one side is continuously aggressive and the other side is constantly accommodating the latter will end up losing its shirt. In most situations one party short-changes itself because it perceives itself as less powerful when it has not done due diligence to find out the true extent of its own power. This perception of weakness is its real weakness. The worst thing the compromisers can do is to openly admit their debilitating self-perception and confess that they have no alternative but to negotiate on the other party’s terms. This will naturally lead the other party to drive an even harder bargain. This open admission of owns own faithlessness is precisely what our representatives are doing in this situation. In fact you can draw an exact parallel here with the approach towards Indian Islamists as well, who are always demanding concessions and we are constantly conceding them. They demand, we concede. Why? Not because we are masterfully executing some overarching grand strategy but simply because we are scared, because we have a perception of our own weakness and no realistic understanding of our strengths.
I don’t for a moment believe that pitiful Pranab (India’s Foreign Minister) or affable Antony or any of the rest of neutered Congress sycophants have the nation’s best interests at heart. If they did then they would have no problem drawing a clear line in the sand. At the very least they should put forward a forceful exposition of the Indian stand and it’s objections to Chinese incursions. Argument is not the same as quarrel which, in turn, need not necessarily lead to conflict. But here they are doing the exact opposite by rubbing out each successive line that the Dragon crosses thus giving China ever more room to capture territory (value) from us. What they are telling China, in effect, is that anything goes. Keep pushing and we will keep relenting.
From the point of view of strategic negotiation the only way to optimize one’s outcome in the face of an aggressive and adversarial negotiator is to adopt the same strategy oneself or walk away from the negotiating table. Why not just take up the case of Tibet? That’s easy enough. In fact this is a golden opportunity to erase A.B. Vajpayee’s mistake. If China brings up Sikkim, we’ll bring up Tibet. The Chinese stand to lose a lot more than us by playing this game and there is no doubt in my mind that the dragon would have blinked first. This is all the more true given their obsessive focus on the 2008 Olympics. India can single-handedly jeopardize their plans here and bring their cherished dream crashing to the ground. Once the Olympics are over and done with India loses even this greatest of all bargaining chips that has fallen into its lap.
However, our gentlemen diplomats can only ineffectually whimper their soft little denials and rebuff the lustful advances of our potential ravisher with effeminate refusals to talk! Anyway what can one expect from a government that has stood by while Tibet has been continuously raped for the past few decades right next to us in plain sight. Compared to that poor nation we are only being eve-teased by China. An occasional sharp pinch here and there is no problem for us honorable folk. Perhaps it’s a fitting analogy for China which, while it continues to pin down a helpless Tibet, glowers balefully at Bharat Mata with the implied threat to keep quiet or join the imperial harem as its slave.
Truth be told India is NOT negotiating with China. India’s “representatives” are actually being brow-beaten by a bunch of imperialist thugs across the border hungry for territory and high on power. That is why they can “corner” Indians on Sikkim even when our brave foreign minster declares it as something non-negotiable before the start of negotiations. I can just imagine Pranab-babu getting all hot and sweaty under the collar, trying to smile and cajole the other side into talking about something else while the Chinese raise pointed questions and make aggressive demands on India to chop off its finger (in Sikkim).
The incompetent eminences we have appointed to negotiate on our behalf are doing the same thing with China that they are doing with Sonia, playing obedient lap-dogs and servile brown-nosers who want to avoid trouble and maintain the status quo even at the cost of the nation’s sovereignty and dignity. Every time they end up taking the easy way out and adopting the path of least resistance. So I guess we Indians have only ourselves to blame ultimately. It’s not just the nation but the individual units of the nation, its citizens, who are suffering from a weakening self-perception, which brings me back to my original point about the life-sapping colonialism that continues to dominate India. A people unaware of their unique heritage will not care to preserve it against internal or external threats. Life then becomes nothing but a pursuit of one’s own happiness, heedless of anything that might happen to a nation that is not much more than an abstract and ultimately illusory concept. That’s why you hear the constant refrains of “Arrey kya honay wala hai?” It’s because of the “Chalta hai” attitude that we put in power a leadership of the lowest possible pedigree that tries to dominate the desi janta as their Sarkar but at the same time has no qualms when it comes to groveling before videshi bahus and neighborhood bhai-log as if these were their very own mai-baap.
I do, however, see signs of change. The very fact that people are taking the time to think and ponder over these issues is an indication. Young, urban professionals are not just in it for the money. A vast number are also searching for meaning and relevance beyond just the material accouterments of a western-style existence. Many are turning their eyes towards their own civilization in search of something that is more profound than their present profane reality. The change is definitely coming. I only hope that it arrives in full force sooner rather than later. But one thing is certain. We cannot expect this change to come from a set of politicians and parties who are too ingrained in the old ways of thought. It has to come from those fortunate enough to be able to remove the blindfolds of ideological colonization from over their eyes and destroy self-doubt with the sword of self-knowledge (Jnana asina aatmanah chhitvaa sanshayam).
