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In Part 1 on cultural appropriation, I shared about the colonial mindset. Again, this is a mindset and not dependent on the colour of one's skin. However, historically, when a country or race has been oppressed, the stereotypes, exploitation, belittling and biases continue through generations. Or a country and/or its people are sensationalised, exotisised and even tokenised. Many times these biases are hidden within the crevices of our brains where we do not even know why we have raga (attraction) or dwesha (repulsion) to someone or something. Like trauma, we are triggered by something from our past and, if not careful, it can skew our perception of others and the world. These coloured lenses with which we gauge people are not always based on high ideals. That is why it is important to see and shine the soft glow of awareness into crevices that hold divisive encrustations.
In this installment on cultural appropriation, we will also explore ways to reconcile.
The Privilege I Was Born With
I had the privilege of being born in post independence India, where I was loved for my being by my grandfather, my first guru. My grandfather, on the other hand, was born in British India. For him to retain his self worth he had to vehemently oppose what he had been told he was. I grew up listening to him describe how it was the meat eaters (i.e. the British) who were savage (rather than the vegetarian Indians like my grandfather). On top of that they were “unkissable” as they had “bad breath and animal carcass stuck in between their teeth.” Yet they had the arrogance and audacity to look down on vegetarians like himself and call them weak.
Through his example, my grandfather was reinforcing to me that it takes courage to open one’s heart and that the good and tender hearted are not weak. He could lecture for hours on the richness of India in health care, spiritual alignment, astronomy, music, poetry and arts. I heard comparative studies between Carl Sagan and Indian sciences. He said Indians knew about continental drifts, that the sun was the centre of our solar system and that plants could communicate much before Westerners did.
Sometimes I would chuckle under my breath, when younger, as some of his statements seemed overly dramatic.
He wanted me to be a researcher and, better yet, a researcher of life. Even after he was not in his body, he guided me to study in a particular ashram.
He was very soft hearted and one of the people who not only protected me but treated me at a very young age with utmost respect and adoration. He also told me that he needed to protect my sensitivity, that I did not fully understand at that age. It was only these specific topics that got him fired up.
The Pain Of Being Born In My Body
After my grandfather passed, by function of being a woman, I rarely felt a deep respect or power given to me from an external source. Many times the undermining was covert, especially when I was in film more than 20 years ago. Even for my admission to the BSc in Visual Communication my mom had to come and meet the principal of the university to assure him that I would work in the film or advertising industry and that she would allow me to work late hours, if needed, and not get me married. That was to assure him that a seat in the program would not be wasted as I did very well in the entrance exam they held. In 1993 that was the only such course in Chennai, so I understand why they wanted to be sure I was not joining just to get a degree on paper, which was common with women in those days.
I never drank alcohol or engaged in any of the “fun” activities. Though I never considered myself an outsider, I saw there was an unspoken bond amongst drinking and ganja buddies in the media world who got each other's backs. At that time I taught yoga for free and thought that I need not charge for my passion and my other passion would bring in the revenue. So this covert overload of work - working twice as much as some of my male peers - continued until I burnt out.
At this point I was running my own production house with a business partner. In a few instances the undermining of women was overt. Once this person told a woman whom I was supporting, “you are, after all, a woman, what can you do?” I was shocked. Not just because I was from a different generation but because I had not seen it spelt out so clearly before.
Even in yoga circles I saw this same covert patriarchy in India. “This is not the essence of yoga,” I would remind myself, “but a cultural aberration I can do without.”
Understanding And Empathy Important For Reconciliation
I now see that the fight was not just to get the British physically out of India but to get their degrading thoughts about Indians out of one's head. My grandfather needed to oppose it to assert the magnificence of Indians. He needed to oppose the viewpoints of superiority the British presented with equal or more intensity. He needed to push back with all his might, mentally, to reclaim the glory that Bharath (India) was and could be again. Even between two generations, that is myself and him, I needed to empathise with what he must have felt to voice his vehemence. This is important in the face of injustice to not quieten strong voices. However this must not be confused with those projecting or just having a lot of inner rage to spew out. By understanding and empathy we bridge the gap towards reconciliation
I also empathised with myself and attracted a business associate in India who was the opposite of the first one. That means one who had the utmost respect for me, was considerate, never shirked work and was not a drama king.
Valuing Other Cultures Through Their Story
My grandfather also made me value all civilisations, their majesty and their need for freedom. I would be enamoured by the glorious pyramids or Greek gods or the Gettysburg address. I wished many times my grandfather was my history teacher at school. I barely remember any history taught in school as we needed to memorise dates of battles and such things that were dryer than chapped skin in freezing weather. History in school hurt, and I distracted myself or spaced out to escape the pain.
My Granddad’s & The Yogic World View Embedded In Me
In my early twenties I worked on a film with a French production house. I studied visual communication in university and was excited to have worked in television and advertising. This was my first feature film. On site, we had chefs cooking both Indian and French food at Hampi where the shoot was happening. For the first time I got to taste foie gras. I was a foodie and liked trying new flavours. I remember stopping with just one bite as it had a funky taste and texture. Once the chef told me what it was I was shocked. What my grandfather said flooded back to me. Why would anyone force feed a poor goose or duck in a cage, till it literally burst and then eat its dysfunctional fatty liver as a delicacy. Why?
Every cell in my body revolted at the injustice, yet I said but one sentence. Why would anyone do “that” for something that tastes like “this?” And I laughed. I did not want them to think I disapproved of them or disliked them or their acquired tastes. They were human too. So many thoughts ran in my head as I said that and did not want an overshare of my grandfather's voice waiting to burst out of my mouth. Thankfully I was raised with much restraint.
I read that 16 countries have banned it as they saw how cruel and horrifyingly savage force feeding was. I felt grateful I was raised in a culture that not only valued humans but animals, plants and nature as well.
The Culture Of Yoga
In Tamil Nadu where I come from, culture is called kalacharam. Kalai means “art” and acharam is “behaviour” or “ways of acting”. So culture is the enactment of refinement and art. In Sanskrit this art of life or living, is called sanskrithi. The opposite of sanskrithi is vikrithi or over use of the senses where the elements and systems go out of balance. Those who have studied ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, will be familiar with this term. Sanskrithi not only implies a natural way - as with prakrithi or “nature” - but a refinement where one cultivates humane qualities and becomes more human. This requires a refining of the senses which yoga helps us to address. Many practice control and in the beginning that might be needed. Though, long term control is not the best as it can lead to repression. Thus refinement and sensitisation are a better way to go. This is true yogic culture.
As people practice yoga many have mentioned that they cannot eat as much sugar or they become sensitised to certain substances that may be detrimental. Unhealthy habits and consumption naturally start to fall away through the process of refinement and sensitisation.
Cultivate Culture For Reconciliation
A cultured person will not run to the front of the buffet table just because he is hungry nor try to force himself on a woman who is not interested. This capacity to not overstep despite being hungry is what culture teaches us. However, as obvious as this is, I have had to see that what some mean by “corporate culture” may not be cultured and can actually be detrimental and exploitative.
Some of the companies I have trained make a genuine effort to create real culture from a holistic perspective and help their teams to understand its value. The culture of yoga, through yama and yama - the foundations - makes us contemplate and act in ways that do not just feed our or another’s hunger but truly nourishes us.
Pancha yama = five principles of restraint
Pancha Niyama = five principles to cultivate
However, we do not use the term “culture’ nowadays to indicate refinement. It simply means the systems we live in, like modern culture. Some cultures have passed on genital mutilation in the name of culture. That, in the true yogic sense, will not qualify as culture but vikrithi or fear based patterns embedded in self or in a group. This derangement, or vikrithi can be confused for sanskrithi. Prakrithi is “nature” or “a natural order.” When prakrithi is further refined, it becomes sanskrithi. When nature or natural order (prakrithi) degenerates or devolves, it becomes vikrithi.
Embracing The World Is Important For Reconciliation
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam means “the world is one family” and this is engraved in the Indian parliament. This was the inclusive yogic culture. We say that we arre all interconnected. In the Tamil language, there is a saying: “Yaadhum Oore, Yaavarum Kelir.” This is also made into a nursery rhyme. This means, “all towns are our own and all people our family.”
We even have the saying, “Athithi Devo Bhava,” which means, “ the guest is god.” This concept has also inspired a comedy movie where a distant uncle comes over to a young couples house and then overstays. Because of this cultural conditioning, it becomes increasingly difficult to ask him to leave which forms the basis of the comedy.
This understanding that upholding honour was important was ingrained in the yogic ethos. This does not mean India did not have its share of diabolic people. However it was frowned upon and all festivals celebrate the victory of good over evil.
One such Indian king in British India took in Polish refugee children even as India was fighting for its independence. He built churches and called in priests, so they would not miss their culture. Many of the kids were orphaned and he asked them to call him bapu (father) and assured them that they would not want for anything. When I first heard the story, I remember tearing up at the beauty of the ethos of vasudhaiva kutumbakam. India was not rich at that time as by then it had been ravaged by colonialism. Yet the King opened his palace grounds, gardens, squash courts and swimming pool to the children. He also converted his second palace to a school. He brought in Polish books, so the now orphaned children did not forget their language. He is quoted as saying that they must build their strength and be ready when a free Poland awaits them. When Poland was free both the maharaja and the children were teary eyed to leave each other.
This is true culture and its essence is needed for reconciliation.
Resources
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji - Wikipedia
The Maharaja Who Saved Hundreds of Polish Orphans | Article | Culture.pl
When an Indian King of Jamnagar, helped Poland | Dibhu: Divya Bhumi
Raja Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar, who had heard of the plight of the refugees, sought to help them and pressurized the British government to allow the refugees to disembark. Frustrated by the lack of empathy and the unwillingness of the government to act, the Maharaja ordered the ship to dock at Rosi port in his province.
When India provided refuge to the Polish (diplomaticsquare.com)