http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?267774
 "It's a cultural and colonial bear-hug. The people who run the country are all tied in this symbiotic relationship." Arundhati Roy, Author-activist |  "The US believes in democracy at home and imperialism abroad. Barring academics, most Americans aren't well-educated." Aparna Sen, Filmmaker | |
 "Indian Muslims do not have the kind of hatred against Barack Obama that they had for George W. Bush for the war in Iraq." Asaduddin Owaisi, MiM MP |  "The war in Vietnam made me think of US as a big bully, but there's much to admire about it, especially its democracy." Bishen Singh Bedi, Former India captain | |
 "India's trying to be a regional superpower, it's a struggling bully that has this fantastic cultural export called Bollywood." Dibakar Banerjee, Filmmaker |  "The US does not influence Indian business as every country makes its own decisions. But American MBA is a flag-bearer." Gautam Thapar, Avantha Group | |
 "You can't have one set of rules for yourself, another for others, and then get away with it because you are so powerful." Javed Akhtar, Lyricist/scriptwriter |  "The ties between the two countries are like a perfect marriage. I see a very positive future for the two countries." William Bissell, FabIndia | |
 "Not only has America zeroed in on the Indian market, "the US market is one India and other countries aspire to be in." Malvinder Singh, Fortis Healthcare |  "We need to have cordial relations with the US but without playing a junior partner or the role of a supplicant." N. Ram, Editor-in-chief, Hindu | |
 "A guy like Oliver Stone can exist in Hollywood. A person who questions holy cows, criticises his country is allowed to work." Sudhir Mishra, Filmmaker |  "I criticise the US government's policies in Iraq or Afghanistan. But then even a large number of Americans oppose these." Nandini Sundar, Sociologist | |
 "Post-war decolonisation's essence was that Third World countries would control their resources. The US reversed it." Prabhat Patnaik, Economist |  "The time to ape the US is over. Indians are learning from all over the world, not just America; we are acquiring US companies." Rajiv Kumar, FICCI | |
 "US combines immense technological expertise with a sad lack of reflectiveness on capitalism's negative effects." Dilip Simeon, Historian |  "The US has failed the Tocquevillian promise of the spirit of equality. The US itself is trying to negate that spirit." Yogendra Yadav, Social scientist | |
 "America belongs at once to the top drawer of individual imagination, and the bottom drawer of the political psyche." Rukmini Bhaya Nair, Poet |  "By being inward-looking and in trying to balance India and China, the US might lose sight of India's potential." Gita Piramal, Business historian | |
 "Americans live by the theory that if you aren't better today than what you were yesterday, you have wasted 24 hours." Naresh Trehan, Medanta |  "Bush brought the nation down to its knees and the nation realises that. It's soft human tragedy of massive scale." Rahul Bose, Actor | |
Even during those years of a more pronounced anti-America stance, our dislike was balanced by our admiration for certain aspects of its culture. Our responses to the then two powers were contradictory—we coveted Moscow's affection but hated its totalitarian system; and even when we hated America, we admired its democracy, its idea of individual freedom. We have always loved Hollywood; American music always found an echo in us, from country to rock to jazz; from Hemingway to Steinbeck to Roth, their writers have influenced us deeply; and intellectuals like Noam Chomsky have as much a following in India as anywhere else. Poet Rukmini Bhaya Nair explains vividly, "America belongs at once to the top drawer of the individual imagination, representing all sorts of personal aspirations and impossible desires, and to the bottom drawer of the political psyche, representing our deepest apprehensions and uncontrollable fears."
American Degree: US universities are a huge lure for Indians. (Photograph by Mohd. Jaffer/Snaps India)
Our contradictory emotions about America explain why it hasn't outraged us as much as it should have—we tolerated it because there is still much to love about it. We hated America's war against Vietnam, but also celebrated its people's opposition to it, particularly as it spawned a rich array of cultural expressions. As former cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi says, "The war in Vietnam made me think of the US as a big bully, and I am still not its fan. But there's much to admire about the US, especially its outstanding democracy, which has made a black man the president."
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About this phenomenon, author-activist Arundhati Roy says, "To most elite Indians, businessmen, bureaucrats, politicians, legal luminaries, artistes, cultural czars—it is a home away from home. Everyone seems to have a close relative who is studying there or working there. We're talking of hundreds of thousands of people here. And each of them has a network of family at home." This element is what prompts political scientist Professor C. Lakshmanan to say, "The US-India relationship is all about middle-class hype."
Dr Naresh Trehan, chairman and MD, Medanta, would have us believe otherwise. He feels America represents a complex culture for two reasons, each evoking admiration among Indians. "One," he says, "is its identity—right from its earliest days—as a melting pot of people from different cultures. The other is its tremendous spirit of entrepreneurship, which has only gained momentum through the years. They live by the theory that if you are not better today than what you were yesterday, you have wasted 24 hours."
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Feeling The Eat: American fast food chains are at home in India now. (Photograph by Dinesh Parab)
But even opponents of America say a distinction must be made between its government and its people. As sociologist Nandini Sundar says, "I criticise the US government's policies such as what they are doing in Iraq or Afghanistan. But then, even large numbers of Americans have opposed these policies of their government." Having studied in the US, Sundar says the US reminds her of "those Americans, like some of my teachers, who are liberal in their outlook, who have worked hard on India and whose knowledge of India is perhaps far more than that of many Indians. It also reminds me of the democratic tradition of the US where the emphasis on equality is very strong". For historian Dilip Simeon, America is "a dynamic country with a vibrant culture and academic life", but it is also "a nation whose insularity, self-obsession and militarism" were endangering its own democratic values. "America combines immense technological expertise with a sad lack of reflectiveness about the negative ramifications of the capitalist system," he declares.
Agrees film lyricist Javed Akhtar, "America must be respected for its positivity, democracy, intellectual thought and vigour." But what disturbs him too is the country's lopsided foreign policy, and its arrogance vis-a-vis other cultures. "You can't have one set of rules for yourself and another set for the others, and then get away with it because you are so powerful," says Akhtar. Though also opposed to America's conduct abroad, filmmaker Sudhir Mishra points out, "But there are possibilities there. A guy like Oliver Stone can exist and be idealised in Hollywood. He couldn't exist in India. A person who questions holy cows, who is critical of his own country, who dissents is allowed to work in Hollywood."
Trick Or Treat: Halloween gothic has caught on in India as well. (Photograph by Fotocorp, From Outlook, November 15, 2010)
Film director Aparna Sen, however, is dismissive of the opposition of people to American state policy, its space for dissent. "Barring a bubble of academics, who are very forthright in criticising many policies of the government, a large number of Americans are not well-educated and have very little knowledge about the outside world. They are gullible enough to see themselves as the victim rather than the perpetrator of violence in different parts of the world. The US believes in democracy at home and imperialism outside."
Some feel the harsher aspects of the American state have been blunted because of Obama. Says MP Asaduddin Owaisi, "The kind of hatred Indian Muslims had for George Bush following the war against Iraq is not there against Obama. But the issue of Palestine continues to haunt our minds." Despite the deep distrust of America, Owaisi says it remains the land where the youth feel they can achieve their dreams. "If you visit the American embassy, one can find several Muslim youngsters lining up for visas," says Owaisi, though he cautions New Delhi to think carefully about the kind of relations it wants to nurture with the US.
What kind of relations should India forge with the US? N. Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu, feels that under the prime ministership of A.B. Vajpayee and now under Manmohan Singh, India has almost become a camp follower of the US on key policy issues. "We need a cordial relationship with the US but without playing a junior partner or a supplicant's role," says Ram. Former diplomat T.P. Sreenivasan thinks Indo-US relations will benefit the world: "A strong and visible partnership that is now growing rapidly between India and the US can certainly help in enhancing peace and stability not only in Asia but also globally." Another former diplomat, Aravind Vellodi, wants Indians to shed their paranoia about the US and build upon shared values to carve durable relations. "The US influence on India has been largely benign because we have shared interests in democracy, human rights, rule of law and combating terrorism," says Vellodi.
Love Is In The Air: Valentine's Day is an import we've made ours. (Photograph by Reuters, From Outlook, November 15, 2010)
"The ties between the two countries are like a perfect marriage," says William Bissell, managing director of FabIndia, jubilant at the way Indo-US relations have gathered momentum over the decade. Many captains of industry, quite understandably, view the relationship with America from a business perspective. Contrary to the popular belief that America has zeroed in on India for its market, Malvinder Mohan Singh, chairman, Fortis Healthcare, says the reverse is equally true: "The US market is one that India and other developing countries aspire to be in." In other words, this relationship isn't a one-way street; it suits us too.
This may be the case, but Dr Rajiv Kumar, director-general, FICCI, points to a fundamental difference. "The time to ape the US is over," he says, "Indians are learning from all over the world, not just America, and Indian companies are acquiring US companies as well as outsourcing them." These changes in the business sector have changed the patron-client feature of Indo-US relations, he concludes. Adds Gautam Thapar, chairman, Avantha Group, "The US does not influence Indian business as every country makes its own business decisions. But the American mba course is considered a flag-bearer on how to do business."
True, the industry is upbeat, but business historian Gita Piramal has very legitimate fears about the potential of Indo-US relations not being realised. "I think Indo-US is a good relationship to foster, but by being inward-looking and in trying to balance India and China, the Americans might lose sight of the potential that India presents," says Piramal.
ATS Greens: American-style gated community. (Photograph by Narendra Bisht)
Perhaps this potential might not be realised for another reason—the US appears to be in decline, beset by pessimism and lack of faith in itself. Actor Rahul Bose expresses the American mood well, "I've been going to America for the past 25 years. What strikes me most about the country now is that the entire energy seems to be in coma. Be it business or new ideas, things are comatose. There is a deepest sense of fear and I find that very disturbing. Bush brought the nation down to its knees and the nation realises that. It's soft human tragedy of massive scale."
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Agrees Prabhat Patnaik, "India's increasing proximity to the US really means the Indian bourgeoisie's increasing proximity to the US, and that is just the flip side of the Indian bourgeoisie's increasing distance from the ordinary people. The Indian bourgeoisie now nurtures ambition of a global reach, for which it needs American support, and is willing to pay the price of entering into a strategic alliance with the US and Israel." Agreeing with Patnaik is the voice from the Hindu right. Says Yogi Adityanath of the Gorakh Peeth, Gorakhpur, "The US can never be a true friend or well-wisher of India. It may use India as a market, but it can never see India prosper politically or economically."
Is the American influence changing India and its state? Hear what the talented filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee has to say, "My impression of America is drawn from Hollywood films. It's quite similar to what Bollywood means to India. I see quite a few similarities there. India is trying to be the regional superpower, it's a struggling bully that has this fantastic cultural export called Bollywood." In other words, a world bully tying up with a regional bully...Is this what we want India to be? Readers, send in your response.
By Pranay Sharma with Anjali Puri, Sheela Reddy, Namrata Joshi, Arindam Mukherjee, Rohit Mahajan, Pragya Singh and Arpita Basu in Delhi, John Mary in Thiruvananthapuram, Pushpa Iyengar in Chennai, Arti Sharma in Mumbai, Madhavi Tata in Hyderabad and Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
| Also In This Story |
| obama visit The boycott of George W. Bush was total; on Obama, the Left is not unilaterally opposed |
Authors: Pranay Sharma|Anjali Puri|Sheela Reddy|Namrata Joshi|Arindam Mukherjee|Rohit Mahajan|Pragya Singh|Arpita Basu|John Mary|Pushpa Iyengar|Arti Sharma|Madhavi Tata|Sharat Pradhan
Tags: Indo-US
Section: International
Subsection: Cover Stories
Places: USA
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| Nov 06, 2010 01:31 PM 1 | |
| Nov 06, 2010 02:13 PM 2 | Says MP Asaduddin Owaisi, "The kind of hatred Indian Muslims had for George Bush following the war against Iraq is not there against Obama. But the issue of Palestine continues to haunt our minds." For once, a politician speaks absolute sense. That said, Owaisi could have been more forthright. The Obama of hope and change, the Obama of promises ("America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own"; " The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." Cairo, June 2009)and the Obama in reality are two different entities. His tame acceptance of Israel's resumption of settlement construction in the West Bank and Palestinian East Jerusalem, the continued blockade of Gaza and the attack on vessels carrying humanitarian supplies to besieged Gaza belie his promises. Obama continues to be tied to AIPAC (the American Zionist lobby)'s coat tails. Owaisi could have said this. |
| Nov 06, 2010 02:38 PM 3 | The Obama administration has tried its best to shield Israel from scrutiny in the UN of its war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during her attack on Gaza when the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s Goldstone UNHCR's Goldstone damming report came up for discussion. |
| Nov 06, 2010 02:44 PM 4 | You can't have one set of rules for yourself and another set for the others, and then get away with it because you are so powerful," Is he talking about Saudi Arabia and the middle east? |
| Nov 06, 2010 03:24 PM 5 | Sudarshan, film lyricist Javed Akhtar is right when he says of America "you can't have one set of rules for yourself and another set for the others, and then get away with it because you are so powerful." America has declared a war on terrorism while militarily, financially and diplomatically supporting the state terrorism and crimes against humanity conducted by its allies. Then again, America sanctimoniously rants about the nuclear ambitions of others while holding (and twice using) the world's largest nuclear arsenal. |
| Nov 06, 2010 04:41 PM 6 | One would have to work hard to locate issues where the long-term interests of India and the United States are in conflict. The US has provided a hospitable home for the largest, most talented slice of the Indian diaspora. As a market for Indian exports, especially of software and IT services, a source of capital and technology, as a nation which shares our disquiet over the not entirely peaceful rise of China, the U. S. will remain the cornerstone of Indian foreign policy for decades to come, irrespective of which political formation is in power in South Block. On Pakistan, only the timelines of the two nations are different. If India cannot resolve its issues with Pakistan without U. S. support, it will have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and its global ambitions. The embarrassment of PL 480 and the anger over the tilt are now history. Although India and the U. S. are not in the same league - the U. S. federal deficit is the size of India's economy -, there is a fundamental symmetry in the relationship as it can be visualised over the next twenty years. This Presidential visit is a reaffirmation of a great relationship as it develops for the future. |
| Nov 06, 2010 04:53 PM 7 | America is an enigma. Twenty different Indians from twenty different walks of life has seen America from their own deffering relationship with that country. Like tewenty blind men who touched the elephant at tewnty different parts of it's body. Like it or hate it, you cannot ignore that woderful country. If you do not go to America, America will come knocking at your door. |
| Nov 06, 2010 05:00 PM 8 | ALL the pictures are of WOMEN! Are there no more MEN on earth? WAKE UP, MALES! SPEAK UP! |
| Nov 06, 2010 05:38 PM 9 | >One would have to work hard to locate issues where the long-term interests of India and the United States are in conflict. There are many issues where interest of America & that of India are in conflict. Right at this moment the raging debate about outsourcing of American jobs. This I believe is an irreconciliable conundrum. >The US has provided a hospitable home for the largest, most talented slice of the Indian diaspora That is the glass half-ful view. The glass half empty glass is that a poor country like India has educated & trained the largest part of this diaspora at considerable cost itself. >As a market for Indian exports, especially of software and IT services, a source of capital and technology The direction of flow showing reverse tendencies . Obama is coming over as he says solely to sell American hardware to Indian market. Not to buy anything. And India is one of the the largest investor in US. >as a nation which shares our disquiet over the not entirely peaceful rise of China, No. Not at all. Today US cannot afford to share this dsiquet. China today being what it is, only in that cocoon called MEA that such antiquated cold war days ideas are sheltered. In the unlikely event of this China complex turning real, it does not take rocket science to surmise that India will be left fend for itself. Even on Pakistan US did not stand by India. History read over last sixtytwo years is atestimony to that. >the U. S. will remain the cornerstone of Indian foreign policy for decades to come, irrespective of which political formation is in power in South Block. US is a huge factoral in formulating Indian foreign policy; but need not be 'cornerstone' which, I presume, means see things through US prism. >there is a fundamental symmetry in the relationship as it can be visualised over the next twenty years. Even in todays'dog house US economy is by far the largest in the world. The harrased dollar remains the prime currency of world trade. So whatever be the symmetry that calls for fine calibration instead going the whole hog. Do not get involved in an unequal bargain. Barack Obama is coming. Don't buy anything unless the price is not right. |
| Nov 06, 2010 06:00 PM 10 | David - My point is our interaction with America should be based on pros and cons on a bilateral basis and not be dictated by opinions of people like Akbaruddin Owasi or Arundhathi Roy. In a unipolar world do we really have a alternative. Also,how has India benefitted from her consistent support to the palestine cause? The Arab countries continue to harbour everybody from Jihadis to Dawood Ibrahim. |
| Nov 06, 2010 06:13 PM 11 | The last sentence 'India is trying to be the regional superpower, it's a struggling bully that has this fantastic cultural export called Bollywood." In other words, a world bully tying up with a regional bully...Is this what we want India to be?' does not live up to the facts on ground. Has India bullied Bhutan, Nepal (despite its perception), Bangladesh, Myanmar or Sri Lanka? Paranoid Pakistan is another matter, it will always say so as its army and ISI cannot survive without these misconceptions. |
| Nov 06, 2010 06:37 PM 12 | India will subsidise Pakistan through USA. How?? Obama is hoping for a 10 billion deal with India, mainly weapons. Assuming a 30% profit that would be 3 billion profit for US companies for which they will pay 90million as tax which USA will pay Pakistan!!!!!! All this while indians are starving in India. |
| Nov 06, 2010 06:47 PM 13 | "Says MP Asaduddin Owaisi, "The kind of hatred Indian Muslims had for George Bush following the war against Iraq is not there against Obama. But the issue of Palestine continues to haunt our minds."" Once again, Albuquerque is placing global Islam and global Moslems way ahead of India. Let's focus on the good and the bad about what the Obama visit means to India, not to Palestinians on the West Bank, or how airport officials at JFK view visitors from Iran. India, and Indic issues, please. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:03 PM 14 | Shekhar cannot see beyond his RSS nose. He is obviously not a citizen of this world. A statement by an Indian MP, Owaisi, is quoted in this article and his lordship, Shekhar, will not have any response to it. For him - and the rest of his RSS shaka comrades - Muslims and other minorities - be they MPs or others - have no say in India or in an Indian publication. They must not be seen or heard. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:13 PM 15 | Yes, they do have a say, but let's keep the focus on India, Indic history and Indic consciousness. Not on Iraq or the West Bank. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:16 PM 16 | "In a unipolar world do we really have a alternative." Sudarshan, we make it a unipolar world by our obeisance to Yankee Doodle. To your second question: "Also,how has India benefitted from her consistent support to the palestine cause?" - By our morality. Commitment to Truth, Justice, and human rights never did anyone harm but, on the contrary, it raises your moral standards. Following the corrupt and the unprincipled will lead us nowhere. America is headed down a moral abyss. Why must we follow her on that course? |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:20 PM 17 | "Yes, they do have a say, but let's keep the focus on India, Indic history and Indic consciousness. Not on Iraq or the West Bank." Stick to your shaka journals,Shekhar, and let the rest of us be Indians sharing a planet with other human beings. Outlook isn't the magazine for you. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:25 PM 18 | "No. Not at all. Today US cannot afford to share this dsiquet. China today being what it is, only in that cocoon called MEA that such antiquated cold war days ideas are sheltered. In the unlikely event of this China complex turning real," India's best long term hope with China is the presence of as many as 200 million Buddhists. They have none of the arrogance, exclusivity or expansionism of the CCP, Politbureau or Red Army. They are an obvious and direct link with the Indic culture and civilisation, though of course possessing a character of their own. Spiritually, there is not even a conceivable area of conflict or disagreement. The same of course cannot be said for large numbers( not all) of Moslems and Christians. India should encourage people-to-people contact with this large community of Buddhists, including pilgrimages to each other's sites. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:33 PM 19 | when Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, visited India and threw cash everywhere, people thought he was donating so much to Indians. But, the Government which had earlier issued circular to all the Government offices to have Linux installed in their computers, revised it after his visit and issued circular for installing MS Office. The cost of one MS Office software was about Rs. 10000 and more for every System in every office. Now calculate how much Bill Gates spent in India and how much he earned straight from out of Government Treasury. What Obama is offering to India is also just peanuts. Indians are going to be looted by them. Indian rulers are going to aid him in that loot. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:37 PM 20 | I'm actually left-liberal, but one who refuses to equate Hindu groups with Islamic or who maintains that fundamentalism of one is exactly the same as the fundamentalism of the other. Or that the Hindu groups are as much a threat globally as the Islamic. If I am going to accept this position, I want to see proof. Not be forced fed out of some vague commitment to 'secularism'. The problem with secularism in India, is that it is almost obligatory to attack something or someone, Hindu, as a way of counter-balancing any denunciation of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. To show off "Look at me, I'm criticising the Hindus, therefore I'm a great secularist" Many people, including myself, refuse to play this game. |
| Nov 06, 2010 07:55 PM 21 | >> ALL the pictures are of WOMEN! Are there no more MEN on earth? WAKE UP, MALES! SPEAK UP! Male unblocked - Either you have a serious problem are you are extremely funny . But you always manage to extract a smile for your post .. this one counts among your best . great one :) |
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