Middlebury Deromaticizes India

India: the land of Bollywood, curry, the Taj Mahal, Kama Sutra, snakes, elephants and pleny of folklore. For most of us halfway across the world, the recent economic boom that has catapulted India to the international stage in recent years seems at odds with our more romantic and exotic perceptions of India.

There are other preconceived notions as well ­— the stereotypical Indian, according to comedian Russell Peters, is a brown-skinned, God-fearing, curry-eating computer genius with 100 cousins and a pronounced Indian accent accompanied inevitably by the special left-to-right head jiggle.

But what actually lies behind these common perceptions of India?

That is precisely the question that the spring 2010 symposium “De-Romanticizing India” attempted to answer. Through the lens of politics, history, religion, art and culture, it aimed to give students a glimpse of the paradox that is India.

But where does one even begin to understand such a vast, diverse, complex and dynamic society? Between its Northern and Southern, Eastern and Western extremes one can find a varied topography of mountains, deserts, beaches and hills and an even more varied cultural fabric interwoven with extremes of a more drastic nature.

Combine the image of the country’s poor and illiterate millions with a soaring GDP of about seven percent, even during the recession, and you will begin to see some of these complexities and contradictions.

India has the world’s third largest number of billionaires; it also has a poverty rate of 42 percent. Even different states within India are on extreme ends. For instance, Kerala has a literacy of 91 percent whereas Bihar stands at lowly a 47 percent.

These are just the disparities that can be expressed through numbers. Behind these figures lie many more contradictions that are not explicitly stated but nevertheless spill into the lives of Indian citizens — like the persisting Hindu-Muslim conflict, the narrowness of the education system and social challenges like the caste system and the practice of dowries.

As an ancient and vibrant civilization, a country of 1.5 billion people, the largest democracy in the world, India struggles with its various divisions of language, ethnicity, religion and culture.

The purpose of the symposium “is to show India as it is, not in the old clichés inherited from colonialism and Rudyard Kipling, but as a complex, diverse and changing country and society,” said Jeff Lunstead, professor of South Asian Studies. An escape from the India of pop culture, or the Orientalist views that have long dominated discourses on Southeast Asia, this symposium attempts to understand India — its domestic and international dimensions — in a holistic manner.

“We wanted people to walk away with a full-bodied view of India,” says Vrutika Mody ’11. “India travels on its own planetary orbit — it is more than an economic powerhouse and more than just another China,” she said.

“There is growing interest about India at Middlebury College,” said Lunstead. “Those who want to deal realistically with the emerging world, in which countries like India and China will play an increasingly important role, need to learn about India.”

Keynote Address: A New U.S.-India Relationship

The dynamic between India and the United States was the focus of the keynote address that kicked off last week’s symposium. Karl F. Inderfurth, who worked in the U.N. and for the U.S. government specializing in South Asian affairs, gave the speech.

Inderfurth started out by stating that India has a big role to play in today’s political climate. “India has emerged as one of the rising powers in the 21st century,” Inderfurth explained. “Along with China, it is one of the major powers on the Asian continent.”

He then went on to state why the United States must engage with India. Inderfurth mentioned the global environment, a desire to maximize economic trade as reasons for U.S. involvement in moving the South Asian region toward stability. Many of the points he made centered on the power the two countries would have working together to create a positive change in the world. “The United States is the world’s first democracy,” he pointed out. “India is the world’s largest.”

The relationship between the two nations was not always so stable. It was only after the Cold War, once India began to open itself up to other nations, that a true bond was formed. “It has been a transformation from a country with which we had an estranged relationship and democracy to one where we are engaged democracies.”

However, Inderfurth admitted that he was afraid that the publicity India is receiving because of its booming economy would create an unrealistic expectation of what it can achieve in the present. “We don’t have to look at India through rose-tinted glasses,” he said.

What we need right now is a realistic outlook for the nation.”

Two of the main problems India faces is maintaining its high economic growth and dealing with challenges such as infrastructure and poverty. Inderfurth added that Manmohan Singh’s government is aware of the domestic challenges it faces. “India sees itself as a developing country,” he explained. “An advanced country, but a developing country.” As of now, India’s rising population is an advantage, because the booming economy has stimulated job and education opportunities.

Another aspect of the India-U.S. relationship Inderfurth focused on was where China fit in to the picture. In the past, India and China have had continuous border disagreements that created tension between them. Both nations have come together to work on their relationship, and China is now India’s largest trading partner.

“The U.S. needs to engage China on its merits as it does India,” said Inderfurth, “and not get into a competition or a competitive triangle between the two. It should be a cooperative triangle, not a confrontational triangle.” Collaboration between the three nations could lead to great progress on important issues, such as climate change and energy security.

Overall, “Looking at India in a realistic sense of where it is and what challenges it faces and what it can accomplish is a good idea and one that will be well served in this symposium,” said Inderfurth.

Students leaving the address felt they had a better understanding on India-U.S. relationships. “This was a good beginning for the symposium. I think Inderfurth did a very good job of presenting the international perspective on India,” said Mourtaza Ahmad Ali ’12.

Yuan Kang Lim, another sophomore, said, “It’s interesting because U.S.-India relationships aren’t talked about much in the media. It’s a topic of increasing importance for us and I think it’s important to look beyond common stereotypes and a superficial understanding of India.”

Panel: Indian Foreign Policy and Global Outlook

The foreign policy panel held last Thursday at the Franklin Environmental Center in Hillcrest focused on the tumultuous relationship between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Lisa Curtis and Walter Andersen, two experts on South Asia, spoke about the dynamic between the three countries and its effect on the region.

After the Cold War, India made an effort to take its place as one of the leading nations in the region. According to Andersen, the country greatly improved its security system and adopted liberal economic reforms. Opening up its economy to others forced India to reach out to other nations. “It’s the largest country in the region by far, and it’s long taken the stand that it should more or less structure the foreign policy of the region,” said Andersen.

However, India has had troubles with other countries in South Asia ever since gaining its independence in 1947. Pakistan and India in particular have always had a strained relationship, and Curtis admitted that it was difficult to remain optimistic at times. Indian citizens are still smarting from the devastating attacks that took place in November 2008 that were believed to have been perpetrated by extremists from Pakistan. The most recent talks between the two countries took place on Feb. 25, but according to Curtis, were held because of “international pressure rather than changed views.”

One of the main areas of contention between India and Pakistan is Afghanistan. “Afghanistan has become new battle ground for the Indo-Pakistan problems,” said Curtis. “Kashmir is no longer the main issue. Now both countries are vying for influence in Afghanistan. India has developed relationships with the political players in the country, and Pakistan feels threatened by this, so this has caused a huge rivalry.”

India has a very large presence in Afghanistan. It is the nation’s fifth largest aid donor, giving nearly $1.5 billion dollars to various projects taking place there. It also has one of the largest training programs for new bureaucrats, army officials and policemen, and many Afghan students study in India. India’s involvement in the country is even more evident by its five consulates and an embassy, which was attacked twice in 2008. The attacks only made India more determined to strengthen its relationship with the Afghan government.

According to Andersen, Pakistan sees India’s strengthening relationship with Afghanistan as an existential threat. “What India needs to do is open up talks to Pakistan in an effort to convince them that they’re not trying to open up a two-front threat against them,” said Anderson.

However, India is currently debating sending troops to Afghanistan. The United States and India have a similar viewpoint on the situation in Afghanistan. In fact, India is one of the strongest supporters of the surge. Where their views differ is on the 18 -month timeline President Obama announced for the troops’ withdrawal. “They see that as something that will encourage Taliban and Al Qaeda to stick to what they’re doing and they are afraid the Afghan army won’t be strong enough to withstand them on their own,” said Andersen. India is already the only nation to have its own personal security forces on the ground.

“The flashpoint for the Indo-Pakistani rivalry is Afghanistan,” said Curtis. Needless to say, the future of the three countries is inextricably linked to each other. While there are hopes that one day, through peaceful negotiations, an understanding will be reached, Curtis admits that the chances of this happening in the near future are slim.

The dynamic between the countries is extremely complicated, yet the panel was able to break down the relationships into clear points. Mirwais Hadel ’12 gained a newfound perspective on the situation after the panel discussion. “I think it’s really useful for students, and it’s interesting to see how the U.S. reflects on issues in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. It’s helpful, because they have a broader understanding of the situation,” he said.

Panel: Domestic Issues in Contemporary India

On March 5, a panel on “Domestic Issues and Challenges in Contemporary India” met to share ideas surrounding some political complexities in India. The panel was composed of environmentalist Saleem Ali from UVM who specializes in South Asia, Walther Anderson from Johns Hopkins University and Safa Mohsin Khan ’12.

The panelists gave an overview of the domestic challenges of India with regard to the environment, party politics and the Hindu-Muslim conflict. “The talk was great because people were addressing similar issues like religion and development from different perspectives and backgrounds,” said Kyle Olsen ’10.

Saleem Ali highlighted the need for India to adopt a more environmentally friendly road to development. He pointed out that India was ranked #123 (one spot behind China) on the environmental index designed by Columbia and Yale universities.

“Overall, the Indian government has not been very forthcoming on these issues. There is a normative debate between development and environment,” he said. When asked what suggestions he had for a more environmentally friendly path to development, he suggested the Taiwan and Malaysia models but did not elaborate on how India would reconcile its huge population and coal intensive production methods with these smaller models.

Ali pointed toward the strength of India’s civil society and grassroots organizations for environmental protection. “Because India is a democracy, better sense will prevail in terms of reducing this rampant degradation,” he said, highlighting Chinese efforts to reduce environmental degradation by comparison.

On the political side, Walther Anderson discussed the consequences of party politics in India. “The Indian parliament mirrors the population of India,” he said. He gave a brief history of Indian politics highlighting the long domination of the Congress, eclipsed only recently by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP. He also talked about the inevitability of a coalition government in India due to “social issues.”

He highlighted two crucial aspects of the future of Indian politics. First, “Indian politics will be centrist. It is already moving towards being centrist because of its complexity,” he explained. Second, he said that “change is going to be incremental. “You won’t have revolutionary change. It just won’t happen.” Despite its gradual pace, the Indian system is incredibly open and change will ultimately be realized, Andrerson explained.

Safa, on the other hand, gave a more personal account of her experience with another major domestic challenge of India: the Hindu-Muslim conflict. “The tension between the two groups is such that it simmers beneath the surface and can explode at any moment,” she remarked. She also described the polarization of Hindus and Muslims with regard to neighborhoods in her hometown of Meerut, saying that it was “unhealthy.”

She specifically mentioned two events, the Babri Masjid Demolition and the Gujarat riots, which really shaped relations between the two communities. “It’s not the riots themselves but their aftermath that is the scariest part,” she said. She lamented that Muslims in India are also politically under-represented.

“My family votes for the Congress because it is the lesser of the two evils,” she said. She also commented on the suppression of their language, Urdu, which is not taught in local schools. She ended her talk with the question, “Is India really secular?”

Grace Gholke ’13 found Safa’s personal perspective was very much valued by the audience. “I found it very intriguing to hear personal experience,” said Gholke, “because sometimes to hear about unfamiliar things in a very abstract, academic way is hard to connect, so it’s always good to hear about how these issues are experienced by people within the country.”

Beyond the Symposium: Success powers forward

After a packed week of lectures and panels, the symposium ended with a return to the popular elements of the “romantic” India. A showcasing of Bollywood through the movies, “Rang De Basanti” gave a candid insight into the corruption that is present in the highest portals of Indian government. Indian food complete with generous servings of spicy curry and naan bread were offered in celebration of Holi on Saturday. The symposium concluded with a performing arts show, Midd Masala, which had performances by dance troupes from several colleges dancing bhangra, fusion and garba.

Even though the task of de-romanticizing an exotic country like India is an arduous one, students and faculty alike feel that the event has been a success. “I think the symposium was a good starting point to help unfold the various ‘unspokens’ about India,” said Vrutika Moody ’10. “It’s hard to map how perceptions change but I do think that it brought important issues to the forefront. Even introducing the idea that India has such dense challenges like environmental degradation and Hindu-Muslim ties up ahead impressed upon students that the gleeful atmosphere in Bollywood movies was not always accurate.” She acknowledged that it was difficult to unfold all the nuances of India within a week, and hoped that the symposium would encourage students, professors and townspeople to want to research or visit India more.

Mody attributed the diverse people interested in the symposium — even people who had never taken a class on India or had never been there to the “multi-cultural nature of Middlebury. Students of all majors can see a fitting spot in India’s development,” she said, whether through art, economics, history or environment and the symposium tried to cater to that. Another encouraging factor was the number of townspeople who attended the events. “It shows the depth and breadth of interest in India not just in the college, but in Middlebury as a whole,” said Professor of South Asian Studies, Jeff Lunstead.

Overall, the symposium was indeed successful in unpacking the several layers that form the complex Indian society. While the stereotypes still persist, it has enabled people to see it in a new light, in the realities of its challenges as well as strengths. As Anoushka Sinha ’13 puts it, the symposium generated a lot of “Go India!” spirit on campus.