THAT India’s rise from its colonial past requires an in-depth analysis, has been highlighted once again by Ms. Mksozana Dlamini-Zuma, South African Minister for Women, youth and Persons with Disabilities, in the South African presidency. This profound statement at the BRICS summit makes a tremendous sense not just for India but also for the world. For, India’s is the story of a determined effort to shed the dead-weight of the undesirable past in which the national identity was doused by what is generally described as ‘victors’ mentality’ that trashes everything that ever belonged to the vanquished nation or culture.

 

Many in India may not realise the importance of this grand story, but the world has begun noticing it in detail, in depth. Hence the statement by Madam Mksozana Dlamini-Zuma favouring an in-depth analysis of how India achieved success in tackling such a complex challenge in a socially non-violent manner. Of course, the story is still being written -- chapter by chapter -- with patience and persistence. The colonial influence still continues in bits and parts, good enough to leave doubts in the average Indian mind about the veracity of the socio-cultural narrative that the nation’s intellectual and spiritual leaders tried to create. One of the most critical areas in which a major confrontation is needed is education -- in which the Indian efforts falls terribly short of the actual need of the larger society. And in the domain of education as a general tool of social and personal upliftment, India still lacks severely in teaching of its own history. Unfortunately, economic idea still dominates the overall pattern of teaching-learning in the country’s institutions. Despite all these, the overall Indian story of renaissance has been noticed by the world because of its uniqueness, its complexity, its civilisational vintage.

 

The enormous time-line of India’s civilisation is yet to be properly explored, all right. But thanks to the work of various scholars and researchers, the country and the world now know that India could fight back colonial influence or the invaders’ effort of dominance only because of its civilisational depth. The world often wonders how India could protect itself against strong waves of invaders over centuries. Ms. Mksozana Dlamini-Zuma appears to have considered the depth of the Indian story, which led her to suggest an in-depth study of the larger process of India’s rise from the ashes of the colonial past. As a woman of colour, as a member of an otherwise deprived segment of the global society, she possibly knows the details of the colonial influence and dominance on other societies.

 

This awareness might have driven her to think more deeply about India and its fight-back against colonialism. Of course, the Indian story does need a more detailed analysis, all right. But what makes the suggestion all the more important is the global perspective from which the South African Minister has tried to look at the Indian cultural renaissance. It means clearly that the world is watching what India has been doing. It also means that the world is appreciating what India has achieved. This appreciation may have a current context or a past reference. Yet no doubt there is about the credibility of the Indian rise from the ashes of colonial past. For the average Indian, this should be a matter of tremendous pride in the nation and in self. No matter the few negative influences that may still be persisting in the Indian society, the overall story has many, many brightly coloured pages that the world is not failing to notice. The need, thus, is for the larger Indian society to understand this global perception and then redefine its own approach to the issue.