In different forms of the media, in a single week, this is what was expressed in various contexts:
“India’s Picasso”
“India’s Switzerland”
“India’s Harley Davidson”
There must be many more such utterances but these we were fortunate enough to hear. We say “fortunate” because otherwise we may not have been able to raise the question as to why it is that Indians feel so small about their achievements? Why do they feel insecure and almost jittery about proclaiming something as their own? Why is there this urgent need to equate our worth with something similar in another part of the world?
The achievements of the ancient Indians have been lost for many reasons, of which one is perhaps that we just didn’t care enough to hold on to them or value them or identify with them. That is another story for which some will battle to find a more appropriate and positive ending. But as far as the present moment goes, we have to immediately realign our thinking process and start acknowledging what is very rightfully our own, unique, full of personality. It is high time we say it like it is and refer to Hussain as Hussain and not Picasso, Kashmir as Kashmir and not Switzerland and the Royal Enfield as Enfield and not the Harley.
We just cannot afford to go wrong once again and let our pride be lost and confused in the pages of time – this is what India’s Indians need to remember.
