This is a description of the Indian attitudes towards the idea of state, public sphere, civic sense, idea of public morality and others.

1. Susmita Dasgupta, PhD
dasgupta.susmita@gmail.com
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2. This is because the Indian will become
the most numerous species of human
beings on earth by 2030.
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3. It is expected to have at least 7% of the world’s spending and
consuming class
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4. 4
To be an attractive
destination for world
capital because its GDP
will grow and it will be
home to many rich
persons in the world.
But it will be
increasingly be home to
the world’s largest
number of the
appallingly poor, hungry,
homeless, ill, illiterate,
unemployed and
unemployable and the
ageing.

5. Will mean knowing its paradoxes and understanding them and
of course, eventually working through these contradictions.
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6. Indian cosmology = Indian metaphysics
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7. 7

8. A set of pagan practices which can vary across
households in the same spatial vicinity.
Its rituals have no textual or ecclesiastical backing.
It is a dharma which literally means what one usually
has taken upon oneself to do. Dharma is actually
something that one holds on to.
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9. No one created the Universe
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10. 10

11. 11

12. And the individual is in charge of holding up the Universe in
balance along with others.
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13. The individual should remain very still
In cooperation with others
And in fixed positions relative to the rest.
She should not move or change or shift and shuffle,
lest the Universe topples over because of her.
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14. But to continue things as it is..
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15. 15

16. 16

17.  Because committed by balance, we find it difficult to see progression
and change, evolution, transformation and hence have little regard for
causality.
 Knowledge gives power and this may upset the balance by changing
the relative positions among people, a catastrophe if you are
precariously holding the Universe in a balance.
 Knowledge has the potential to “add” something to the system which
might again mean a realignment of the set up..
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18. Indians can adapt to it, absorb it, bend it and twist it to suit the
Indian conditions..
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19. 19

20. Because they are not employed in offices
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21. Vis-à-vis the central power
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22. Where the employer is the State, the job is permanent..
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23. Does the Indian become a businessman so that she
compensates through money what she loses out in
terms of social power.
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24. Economic power has been used to achieve social power..
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25. 25

26. The caste system is a mechanism by which these positions are
ranked hierarchically..
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27. Do not take this nonsense lying down…
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28. And because we are not increasing the size of the
pie, we try to improve our lot relative to the rest..
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29. And in a democracy based on universal adult
franchise, increasing our population is also a way to
achieve our goals.
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30. We pull off no major revolutions because that might
topple the system, but work within the system trying
to improve our relative ranks.
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31. 31

32. We are contemptuous of people achieving and
doing well because by someone else’s success our
relative positions are threatened.
We also need more money that our ‘posts’ provide
us with because economic power would help us
attain the social status that we otherwise find
difficult to attain.
We are unhappy about anyone doing anything
that would change systems and make fresh
demands on us and thus would like to sabotage
the process.
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33. This is because we neither wish to
change the system and our clients would
want it even less.
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34. Hence while we are very corrupt in our
own offices, we are very sensitive about
politicians being very corrupt.
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35. 35

36. It is the state that can control individuals and the
social classes to maintain the mutual spaces and
relative distances
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37. In order to maintain order among the castes, each claiming
superiority over the rest.
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38. She cannot tolerate someone else claiming superiority
over her because she is one place rather than the other.
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39. 39

40. An Indian wants equality with her superior but would like to
maintain a hierarchy over her inferior.
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41. 41

42. When countries in south Asia are at best dictatorial
and otherwise anarchical and ochlocratic..
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43. 43
The modern state that
shelters the individual
against the pressures of
the society to maintain her
social role. Democracy
somehow helps engender a
modern state.
Democracy plays out the
opposing forces in the
society so that some forces
are automatically
contained by others
through the impersonal
voting machine.

44. 44
Has revolved around the
nature of the state that
gives equal social
opportunities to all and
is inclusive
And/or around gaining
more share of the overall
power in a zero sum
game…

45. 45

46. But it is intolerant of anyone who
appears to “interfere” in the “set up”.
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47. Sufis, heterodox sects, and absorbed religions like
Buddhism and Jainism that challenged the Hindu
caste system.
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48. All across India where persons of each religion have
lived side by side
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49. 49
Limits of the private space and
kinship are intolerant of
diversity.

50. But her cosmology
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51. Because the Indian draws her identity from
this Universe and draws her ethics, philosophy
and metaphysics from this idea
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52. Which moves towards something, which is run of
God’s will and in which individuals can become akin
to the Creator.
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53. Is an attempt at the “Semitization” of
the Indian cosmology of balance.
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54. And it has the possibility of completely
nullifying the Hindu view of life…
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55. 55

56. That many say is a lack of national pride..
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57. No idea that “I” can be an agent of change.
No idea that the order needs to be “created” and
recreated because it is supposed to be eternal and in
search of balance.
No connection between ends and means and hence
fails to see things in terms of their consequences and
implications.
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58. Ecological problems, pollution issues.
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59. This is also because of a near absence of causality.
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60. 60

61. But adds to it that the overall size of the cake must
also grow
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62. Will also help create it..
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63. 63

64. One also had to cleanse the system and repair it..
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65. A dynamic one, one who created and protected the system and also
held it in balance.
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66. Which the people had to uphold. This galvanized the people into
mass participation.
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