Yann Martel, a writer of Canadian
origin, best known for his Man-Booker prize award winning novel, “Life of Pi”
was in news recently for apparently to what some might believe for insulting
India. This isn’t the first time someone has criticised India, nor would it be
the last. But what remains a constant is the sheer vanity with which we rise to
an occasion such as this to protect the sacrilegious notion that some uneducated yet enlightened few propagate
as mainstream religious sentiments or
as in this case national pride.
Martel was first in news in 2002
when his book won the prize, and what did he say of India then?
I have always loved
India. It's a wonderful, horrible place. India is all lives in one place, India
is all emotions in one place, it's an extraordinary, dazzling place, it's all
the wonder and horror of life. There are stories that can be told only in India…There
are things that are possible in India that aren't possible anywhere else. It's
horrible in the sense that the rule of law is so arbitrary. But the upside is
that given the diversity, it's amazing how it still holds itself together. It's
a country that dazzles me because it's all of life.
In news recently again as his
book has been adapted into a film by the same name:
“You know you can't fall
asleep in India both morally and existentially - for better or for worse. In
some ways, India is a horrible place. It's corrupt, violent; there are
inequities that are disturbing. At the same time, the place gave us Mahatma
Gandhi. It's a place of idealism and corruption,”
India is the best and
the worst of humanity. There's lot of extremism. Sometimes it gets a little
exhausting,” said the 49-year-old, adding, “What India brought to me was that
for first time I actually and seriously considered faith. What does it mean to
believe in Vishnu and Allah and Buddha and Jesus? Religion in India for better
or for worse is still a mainstream thing right? It's worst in the extremism of
BJP and Shiv Sena and like that but then it's also positive. Because I was in
India, it got me intrigued by religion and that also led me to write Life of Pi
and also changed my life,”
I am a proud Indian. I am, and
there’s no denying it. I am not ashamed of my country despite its obvious
shortcomings, and it does hurt what Yarn Martell said. Not because his views
are derogatory or disrespectful, but because they are true. It’s the bitter
truth. And Martell deserves some credit that he really sugar coated it. He said
all this in a way which wasn’t degrading. He’s an outsider, a foreigner, living
in India for say 2 years, the time during which he wrote the book, obviously
influenced him deeply to change his life. Whatever his views, they might be
influenced by people around him who might be biased, but it’s still the truth.
Ever since the comments surfaced,
the country has been in a furore where talks have been to boycott the film or
perhaps even ban it altogether. This, in a country where every religion teaches
forbearance. The Bhagavad Gita is practically based on forbearance. So is
Koran, and Bible. Something as sacred as Religion in India; does it actually
take a dent in its armour, if some people chose to ridicule? If yes, is it
really as strong as it was projected? And if not, is it really worth protecting
then?
Most times people who are rioting
don’t even know what they are there for. Talk to any seasoned Indian politician
who loves his theatrics. And it’s the truth.
People are offended when an
outsider calls India a corrupt nation. Don’t we ourselves do that every day?
The current Congress government’s rule has been full of scandals, scams and
controversies. I don’t side with BJP either. Given the power of opposition, had
they been resolute they could have brought down the government. The scams which
reached even the Indian Army, were not just gun powder, but nuclear fissible
material. But no. They (BJP) failed even as an opposition.
Arvind Kejriwal, the new face of
the Aam Aadmi- the Mango People, has constantly been branded
as an agent of Congress when he defiles BJP, and vice versa when it’s Congress
at the receiving end. I on the other hand believe he’s a Pakistani, ISI spy,
and Anna Hazare the secret head of ISI, who has infiltrated India in disguise.
We can either keep denying it or
fix it. Apple did it with their disastrous Maps. Why can’t we?
