Dear India

You are a land of immense paradox and contradiction. Very few geographies have the level of spirit, history, and cultural diversity, alongside the shackles of social stagnation and depravity, so evidently naked.

As a child I didn’t like taking trips to you. My virgin Vancouver lungs just weren’t prepared.

This began to change around the age of 10.

The wonders of gulleys, back alley firework shops, music, street food vendors, artisans, and the raw human experience that was on display with so many people jam packed together, each with a story to tell, became fascinating. I ‘m grateful I got to visit and spend time with my great grandmother, hug her and get kisses from her. Her eyes told a story of immense history, pain, and beauty that I still feel heavily connected to.

I remember our relatives living in close proximity and neighbourly affection, drinking chai with Hindu families that have been in the same location for hundreds of years. It was inspiring to think and see that decades after partition, some semblance of normality was settling back in.

Without going into too much detail, equality is being toyed with at an accelerated pace. India has a spirit of freedom and tolerance deep within its DNA that appears to be in the process of being modified.

This isn’t to say that there hasn’t been continuous tension over the centuries, but that the current, systematic approach being taken to shape India’s identity on a fear based populist movement can teach us a lot. The following Iqbal couplets come to mind.

“ There is no standard by which to judge Yours and your father’s worth.
You utter words but they did deeds. They roamed: you stay at home.

We have despoiled the inheritance that we from our fathers won.
The heaven from the zenith has dashed it down”

Iqbal died prior to world war two, yet the dashing down from the heavens continues to this day.

India is on a path towards power that rivals China as the premier player on the Asian geopolitical block. It’s relatively free market economy, literacy rate, labour, talent pool, and improving relationship with Western economies(US, Israel) have set it up to succeed as a byproduct of the US-China Tech Cold War. This provides a coat tail to a superiority complex driven political base that will not differentiate between India’s geopolitical luck and repressive policies/tactics when it comes to the economy.

Prosperity derived from authoritarianism is short sighted and unhealthy for the soul of any nation. The twisting of history in real time, the repression of religious freedom, and the ever increasing disparity between rich and poor may create a stew of toxicity that if unleashed, could cripple India and her bright future, just as she began to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes.

On the other hand, we need to do more, those that have been able to garner some success and wealth outside of their homeland, ought to contribute back to some degree and affect compassionate change in India that speaks to the Indian spirit. This isn’t something thats easy, but it’s definitely doable, it just requires a few ingredients : Mohabbat(love) and Jugaad(hustle).

It’s from الله