•
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Heard of the term ‘ABCD’ (American Born Confused Desi)? I guess, most probably, you do. Let me play a prophet and enlighten you with my prediction. Extrapolating the current situation in our country, it is only a matter of time that a new breed will come to dominate the centre stage.
A generation born and raised here, overwhelmed by the west, and characterized by an inherent distaste towards its very roots. Slowly, but surely such a transformation is already underway, beneath the ground. The seeds of such a new breed have already been sown, and I can see them sprouting! This very generation is what I call ‘IBCD’ (Indian Born Confused Desi).
Having a deep-rooted faith in science, they overlook its limitations, tempting to believe that science is all-pervasive and can explain all. Science is the new religion. Huh? Anything that lacks a scientific explanation, is probably rubbish, and is contempt-worthy. And, our culture bears the brunt, being a soft-spot for obvious reasons.
Perhaps, it is in our genes – an all-embracing nature. No wonder we seep-in the western culture (especially, American and British) with utmost ease, like a sponge. I have traveled around the world a bit, but have not come across a community that would desecrate its own roots and culture, under the pretext of modernization. Believe me, they belong to the so called developed society; yet, they are not overwhelmed by the onslaught of 'alien' culture. In fact, I have heard common people in Europe discuss about the influence of the American culture on their lives.
Probably, as fallout of this social transformation, a kind of self-effacing psychology is creeping into the minds of the IBCDs. Ironically, most of these IBCDs have not visited these western countries. Some go that extra mile – bashing our culture and dismissing it as rubbish is tantamount to being modern. Yeah, they cannot afford the humiliation of being out of vogue.
Do not get me wrong. I am a youth of this country too. And, I am all for modernization, and not against aping the west; but, not at the cost of originality. If this continues unchecked, a few centuries down the line, our culture would be extinct. I shudder at this thought. God forbid. Think about this: India was the cradle of human civilization, a super-power once upon a time. As a parting thought, I hope that this truth will dawn upon the IBCD generation, and some day in the future the glory will be restored! “IBCDs. Are you listening?”.
A generation born and raised here, overwhelmed by the west, and characterized by an inherent distaste towards its very roots. Slowly, but surely such a transformation is already underway, beneath the ground. The seeds of such a new breed have already been sown, and I can see them sprouting! This very generation is what I call ‘IBCD’ (Indian Born Confused Desi).
Having a deep-rooted faith in science, they overlook its limitations, tempting to believe that science is all-pervasive and can explain all. Science is the new religion. Huh? Anything that lacks a scientific explanation, is probably rubbish, and is contempt-worthy. And, our culture bears the brunt, being a soft-spot for obvious reasons.
Perhaps, it is in our genes – an all-embracing nature. No wonder we seep-in the western culture (especially, American and British) with utmost ease, like a sponge. I have traveled around the world a bit, but have not come across a community that would desecrate its own roots and culture, under the pretext of modernization. Believe me, they belong to the so called developed society; yet, they are not overwhelmed by the onslaught of 'alien' culture. In fact, I have heard common people in Europe discuss about the influence of the American culture on their lives.
Probably, as fallout of this social transformation, a kind of self-effacing psychology is creeping into the minds of the IBCDs. Ironically, most of these IBCDs have not visited these western countries. Some go that extra mile – bashing our culture and dismissing it as rubbish is tantamount to being modern. Yeah, they cannot afford the humiliation of being out of vogue.
Do not get me wrong. I am a youth of this country too. And, I am all for modernization, and not against aping the west; but, not at the cost of originality. If this continues unchecked, a few centuries down the line, our culture would be extinct. I shudder at this thought. God forbid. Think about this: India was the cradle of human civilization, a super-power once upon a time. As a parting thought, I hope that this truth will dawn upon the IBCD generation, and some day in the future the glory will be restored! “IBCDs. Are you listening?”.
0 comments :