Son,
You are going to the same college where your grandfather had studied. I am proud that you are also going to the University of Michigan !
You are going to the same college where your grandfather had studied. I am proud that you are also going to the University of Michigan !
I am reminded of my day, when I left on a journey for America to purse my education.
As I look back, I feel that at some level, nothing has changed and yet at another, everything has.
I read a joke recently : A Cuban, Russian, American & an Indian met on the upper deck of a ship. As expected, they begin to show-off.
The Cuban threw his expensive Cigar after just one puff & when Q'ed said "No problem, plenty of cigars in my country"!
Not to be out done, the Russian threw his expensive Vodka after just one sip & when Q'ed said "No problem, plenty of Vodka in my country" !
The American could not think of anything to boast about &
so is at a loss, saying "Plenty of Indians in my country"
...he pushed out the Indian ;-)
Plenty of Indians !
There are Indians all over USA & today, far from being thrown out, they have actually climbed up the ladder & are now into the main stream life in America - from senators to corporate honchos to hotel owners to Hollywood stars !
In my times, we had none of that. In fact the place where I went for my freshmen year, in Iowa - I was the first Indian there. An inquisitive lady who had never seen an Indian before had Q'ed me if - I was a white guy with a great tan or a black guy with straight hair !
What has not changed though, is that I too, as an Indian teenager, had aspired to live a life like that of those "cool Americans". Sporting Nike shoes, sipping Coco Cola, playing video games, chewing Wrigley gum, dancing at the disco to pop music and off course visiting Disneyland & Hollywood ..all had taken a grip over my teenaged imagination. It was that soft power of America that attracted us to it & continues to do so even in your generation.
For India's sake, besides textbook & classroom education, that's what I want you to discover when there - how does one attract, so much & for so long ! What’s their secret sauce?
One Dr. Nye at Harvard defines soft power of a nation ( can be any entity ) as the intangibles that attracts others to it & in fact it's ability to even alter others’ behavior.
I would guess a teenager wanting to abandon his or her style of dressing and wear torn or patched American jeans, eat American food, listen to American music or even alter his or her accent to adopt an American one - just to assert a supposed superiority, are examples of soft power.
Sticks & carrots are the other ways. One can
be coerced or incentivized to change, but soft power is the cheapest
method & is as effective in the long term.
Dr. Nye observes what makes the soft power of a nation, it happens when :
1) It's dominant culture is aligned to the global majority's
trends - democracy, pursuit of open global trade, fair
judiciary, woman's empowerment, pluralism, etc are examples.
2) It's grand culture is effectively communicated - is not opaque
3) It shows results - uplifting of its citizens
Armies of the world cannot stop an idea, whose time has come. I believe India's time has come & when in USA, I want you to be an ambassador of India. When people ask you about India, I would like you to think of some of the things that matter - that are so Indian.
In an international college like University of Michigan, where students will come from all over the world, just like the Russian, Cuban, American & Indian that met on the upper decks in my joke above & began to boast - such a session of bragging is inevitable. Search for greatness of your nation & do communicate that effectively.
In fact, ask them how do they define greatness? Our past MP & former ambassador at the UN Mr.Shashi Tharoor in his book 'Pax Indica' gives us a clue. If they say that the parameters of measurement are :
Population - we are largest in the world.
GDP size - we are 3rd largest in the world in PPP terms.
GDP growth - ours is among the highest in the
world.
Army - we have the 4th largest.
Nuclear Arsenal or missile programs - we
are in the top five.
Space program - we are in the exclusive club.
IT, cell phones & knowledge sourcing or TV
channels - we are # 1
But those are tangibles. As Einstein once said - all that counts, cannot be counted and all that can be counted, need not count.
Our intangible soft power is, in spite of having so many cultures, regional languages, religions & sects that pull us in all directions, we are still able to work as a united country & thus we have often punched above our natural economic might. If we have not done so even higher, it is because we do not effectively communicate our largeness to the world. We remained a tiger, but an elusive one - not seen by the world.
Consider the foll, we are also the wise elephant :
- After independence, we did not hold any grudge against the British. We decided to make peace with our past & moved on & today we enjoy good trading ties with them. And as a reactivate measure to our neighbor Pakistan, that also became independent in parallel, we gladly did not become a Hindu nation, when they became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Even today, that nation pretty much defines itself as all things 'opposite of India'. We define ourselves for what we truly are & that is 'soverign, secular, democratic republic'. We are very accommodative & it is said that when George Bush Jr. introduced our former PM Manmohan Singh to his wife, he said "Mr. Singh comes from a land which is still free of Al-Qaeda, even when India has over 150 Million Muslims".
- Israel is a friend of India and helps us enormously in agriculture & military technology. Yet when they abuse the Palestine, we openly vote at UN against Israel. This, is in spite of the fact that many Muslim nations wish ill against India wrt the Kashmir issue. We go only by merit of the case. Speaking of Israel, ours is the only country where there is no case or history of anti-Semitism.
- Before you were born, the world was divided between the USSR & America. One had to define themselves as to which side were they aligned in the warring giants' "cold war". We remained neutral & as a leader of sorts of the non alignment movement, we sought security from the Soviet and business from USA. It is only after Pakistan attacked us & simultaneously embraced USA, we were compelled to show a mild shift towards the Soviets. Nevertheless, we remained very sovereign in most of our post independence adaptations, so while our politicians went to Moscow, our business community went to New York!
- Unlike Pakistan, we largely remained a self-reliant ( non-dependant ) and thus no sanctions will ever work on India. The same has come to be tested in the past; when we exploded our nuclear devices at Pokhran, the Americans were quick to impose sanctions on us. Soon they realized that they had more to lose than India & unilaterally removed the imposed sanctions on India. Amazing then became astounding, when even without our signing the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, we still got the Americans on board & their nuclear suppliers group to accept our nuclear program and eventually work with us. Even a right wing president like Bush Jr had to sign the nuclear deal with us. We on our own, asserted & declared that our program was for self defense only & we adopted the "No First Use" doctrine.
- That too was severely tested. Even when provoked by Pakistan in what later was known as the "Kargil misadventure" by Pakistan - we remained maturely restrained and postured defensively only, pushing them out of our occupied territory. FYI, Kargil war was choreographed by their military chief Musharraf as Indian PM Vajpayee waz engaging with their PM Nawaz Sharif for friendship & same was not digestible to the military establishment of Pakistan. Post Kargil, in a coup, Musharraf deposed Nawaz Sharif & took over. Musharraf later was still invited to visit India at the "Agra Summit", offering him a 2nd chance to redeem himself. Peace is in our psyche.
- In the American led "coalition army" against Iraq called "Operation Desert Storm" the world's powerful nations fought against Iraq. India showed independent foreign policy and did not join that but instead boldly pushed for talks. It remained out of the entanglement as Iraq had been a friend that had supported India on Kashmir. Today Iraq is in shambles as an out come of that war & American economy badly bruised.
- We did not ever annex or attack any nation. Bhutan is a landlocked tiny Himalayan kingdom in our neighborhood & very dependant on India. We could have easily absorbed it by force at any time. PM Modi, in fact made it the first nation to visit after his coming to power, to pledge even more support to it. In fact, we have stood by it at all times, including recently, when China showed aggression in it’s Doklam region.
- It is Sikkim that on its own become part of India in the 70s, as it was afraid that Nepal or China may swallow it. Such a volunteerism has almost never happened. And when the monks of Tibet faced a Chinese threat, they saw India as a natural refuge. We support them for the cause of spirituality even when there is no political or economic mileage. It is a gesture that is enshrined only in kindness. After takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, our assistance to Afghan refugees in the past & recent gesture of assistance in rebuilding that ravaged nation is also not out of any imminent economic considerations.
- Even recently, in our vote at the WTO, we found ourselves opposing almost the entire world's view on need for food security. Well, we know that for our tragedy, we must adopt only our own strategy. Not withstanding the the wise words dispensed by those seated at the head table, we asserted & prevailed to have the right to stockpile food, as a back-up to a possible failed monsoon. Alas, Ethiopia once learned through drought & famine that surely the kind world does wake up to help, but not before she become completely helpless. On the other hand, only strength respects strength & so even after the unpopular vote by us, there is a huge India centric investment rush !
- Prime Minister Modi travelled to Washington & Moscow, to Tehran & Riyadh, to Jerusalem & Ramallah – all warring each other in hot or cold, but warmly welcomed him to an open armed embrace, making Modi the most unique leader in the world. He could do that because even when some call India a "soft state" & others "politically un-savvy" one for not taking the sides for immediate national gains; to me India represents a country that is truly sovereign, one that decides for itself, very independently & for the long term. Further, even when India has achieved much in terms of hard strength, it regularly finds itself on the side of humanity & fairness without fear or favor.
It is
only after going there, I realized what India meant to me.
When I went there, the things that I took for granted here, became very dear - the masala chai & masaledar nashta - how I missed them. From long distance, I started to appreciate India - it's warm climate & people. Don't get me wrong, America was comfortable - like a great 5 star hotel, but it was not home.
I recall vividly, I used to phone India & in the background I would hear the street vendor lady screaming "Bolo limbu, methi, palak, bhajiii...iiiye". I had once actually told my mom to keep the phone receiver facing the window for better clarity. The sounds coming in from the window was music to me. America had become a standardized super market, my India is a wonderfully chaotic bubbling bazaar !
It is said that education must be rooted in ones culture but wedded to one's growth. This country has nourished your roots, do not forget them as you pursue higher education to secure your future growth. As you spread your branches, do note that in the long run - deeper the roots, sweeter will be the fruits. While there, you will be America's student but remain a soldier of India.
Son - be an unabashed admirer of America, but always remain truly in romance with India.
All the very best.
Love
Dadzi Pop
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