Indian Opinion

Mukesh Devrari Politeness functions as a controlling category in the Western World, it discourages antagonistic positions and wishes compliance without seeking any retaliatory or opposing perspective. This is a fundamental cultural difference between western and eastern societies. Excessive use of politeness as a preferred category limits the opportunities for the culture of expressing free opinion and dissent to flourish. It stunts the creation of an argumentative society that could contribute immensely in creating a truly democratic society. Politeness is also essentially a method of manifesting the class differences. Imagine a work environment where people who belong to different classes constantly work together in a group, not only in virtual proximity but also in physical proximity. Let’s take the example of hospitals. How a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, cleaner and security guard can be different from each other if all of them can speak only one language, eat similar...

Mukesh Devrari How the feminists should fight for gender equality in India is an elusive question? What should they demand is a settled narrative?  At the first level, feminists should fight to reform the law. It must be based on rationality. It must not be discriminatory and biased. At least women in India are fortunate that the moral conscience keepers of our society were always sympathetic to the concerns of feminists. Immediately after the independence first Prime Minister of India decided to amend the Hindu Code Bill on the modern lines despite the opposition from Hindu fanatics within Congress party. He successfully dealt with fundamentalism of the majority community but decided to bow its head in front of fanatics within the Muslim minority. Perhaps that’s why uniform civil code could not be implemented in India. Feminists in India must ask for the changes in laws that are gender biased and discriminatory. That is the first battleground. At the second level,...

Mukesh Devrari What do cities represent and signify? This question needs to be answered to evaluate the role of cities in social transformation. The common denominator among people living in cities is principally a way of life, a frame of mind, and perhaps a manner of thinking, speaking, and behaving. It is a spirit that makes a city. Again what is that spirit? The spirit of the city arises from its social heterogeneity. The city is culturally and even racially is a heterogeneous place. It’s a place where different languages are spoken, different customs practised and different gods worshipped. (Friedman, 1961, p.88). The central idea of this article is that the cities play a key role in transforming human relations, which in turn influences society at large. The impact of creation and expansion of cities resulted in the individualism in our society. Here the term of the individual means the changes in the aims, objectives, fantasies and dreams of people. Generally, t...

Mukesh Devrari  This article deals with two presentations by Professor Lidia Guzy who teaches at the University of Cork, Ireland, before going deeper into her insights and research. First, a query has to be answered, she repeated it thrice as an allegory that the scholars of religion do not know anything about what happens after death at the end of her last presentation on the second day of the seminar. ‘They simply do not know’ she forcefully emphasized and now nobody has the courage to spread lies. It is an easy question, if treated non-academically, and deserves an easy non-scholarly answer. Nothing happens after human beings die. Human life is like a candle flame. When fuel heads towards the end, it just goes away. It just ends right there. In the absence of an empirical answer, it is perhaps the best possible answer one can accept without being accused as irrational. Like we all accept Big Bang theory, knowing fully- well that our future generations will be laughing at ...

Mukesh Devrari  The debate initiated by William Westerman, Adjunct Professor at City University of New York, after giving a very brief introduction of his paper ‘Critical Edge of Cultural Work’ was enlightening and gave insights into the European worries as the economic fortunes of the western world is dwindling.   Here is basic information for the readers to understand the context.  Center for Tribal Folklore, Language and Literature  of the Central University of Jharkhand is organizing a seminar on ‘Tradition, Creativity and Indigenous Knowledge: Winter School of International Folkloristic and Indigenous Culture’. It is open to all students and faculty. Not many turned up but that is a different story.   The first day of the seminar was emblematic of the geopolitical realities of the 21 st century. China was confident. The US was worried, funds are drying up. What will be the future of arts and social sciences in the western world is a paramoun...

Mukesh Devrari  The answer to this question must start from further questioning. Is there anything like cultural imperialism exists, obviously it exists, many argue. Others say it is a figment of human imagination. Is it a conspiracy of the west against weaker nations? Perhaps the answer dwindles between yes and no. If it exists, is it going to benefit only the white men who live mainly in Europe and America? Perhaps the one simple answer is no. What then this question mean? It is true that due to the present global economic structure western behavioural patterns spread immediately around the globe. But not necessarily everything that is being accepted around the globe is western and it not that the western countries are not being influenced by others. It is well-documented fact that in Great Britain thousands of people covert each year to Islam, at least Jihad watch claims that. It is perhaps greatest defeat for the Judeo-Christian civilization. West thrived because it s...