Culture without preservatives

I do not support preserving culture. Not in the least. There are thing which can be preserved, fruits and vegetables (as pickles or jams), ancient documents (as historical archives), even human corpses for purpose of nether world. However culture is not one of them. If there is to have any relevance to culture, it must mean an unceasing transformation.

Culture is just likewater, it is sweet and nourishing as long as it is flowing, it begins to stink and becomes fetid, if it is stagnant. Culture is something like air, if it settles at one place for too long, it becomes stifling. Culture is not a static picture to be framed and hung from the wall; it has a motion and vitality. Any attempt to force it into a straight jacket can only make it oppressive and stifling.

Isn’t the above paragraph a contradiction to what I have written earlier? Don’t I crib about how Indians (or elite Indians at any rate) are losing it? Not exactly, for when I said change, I didn’t mean any change. For there are good changes and there are bad changes. Problem with Indians have always been that they accept (or reject) almost any western attribute without judgment and because of either inferiority complex or resentment.

West is without doubt, leading civilization. It has been so for many centuries. But that still doesn’t mean west is perfect or that every aspect of western culture in universal. Therefore what we accomplish is in effect importing with many desirable features, quite a few which either are worthless or can’t be adapted to India.

For example, while there is a rich folk tradition of literature which mock Gods (remember all those stories where Indra is painted in most ridiculous light), I doubt that there can be an appreciative audience for Indian South Park.

Sure there will be few modern types who will cheer, but it will leave people cold.
Even me, who has mixed feelings with Christianity, can only cringe at the way Christianity is ridiculed in west.

In short, do change but keep the good things.

One is respect to elders, another is courtesy, yet another is politeness. We need not throw it away.