The problem

INDIA has always beckoned the outsider, the infinite magic of the subcontinent attracting explorers, traders, travellers, philosophers, artists, chroniclers, missionaries and, of course, conquerors. Armed with curiosity and often greed, these men of yore braved the sea and land routes to get here, dealt with the extreme climates and the accompanying assault of disease and illness. They heroically entered the unknown, documented what they experienced, absorbed what they could of the many cultures and living patterns, tried to engage with some of the philosophies, were intrigued by the myriad skills and, more often than not, became ‘hooked’ to an incredible India!

When the great Mughal, Babur, crossed into Hindustan he made a rather perceptive remark – here there is room for wonder. And, even today, that statement holds. Centuries later, A.L. Basham wrote The Wonder That Was India. ‘Wonder’ is the right word to describe the intrinsic sense that envelops all those who have ventured into this rather extraordinary peninsula. You can love it, dislike it, be forever bound to it, but whatever the emotion, you cannot but wonder about its complexities, its layered history, its multitudes of diverse people and distinct cultural traditions and, most important, its collective ‘mind’. The fine and valuable historical repository of past centuries and the energy of this new age continue to create ‘room for wonder’.

The ability of India to absorb and assimilate alien influences that came with conquest and benign interaction over the centuries is what makes the country special and like no other. We embraced what we could integrate into our social and economic frameworks, over time making those interventions our own. That has been the strength of our multi culture. It is what has kept us whole and intact, giving strength to the idea of akhand bharat, which in modern parlance is better translated as united and federal India. Unlike what much of our elite believes, it is these diverse links that bind us together and do not allow for polarisation. They have, in fact, protected us from disintegration.

Unfortunately, post independent India has rarely recognised and nurtured these many strong attributes and the practice of politics has played havoc with the ethos of our plural society. Divisions have been forged for short-lived political ends, cultures and faiths have been torn apart for narrow gains, and our layered history, represented through the spectacular manmade landscape and via the skills of the hands of our people, has been mutilated and left unprotected by the ‘authorities’ that govern this land. Put on a back burner, our cities, both past and present, lie neglected and uncared for. The grand architectural statements of long gone dynasties that could have influenced and energised modern India are not nurtured but instead, vandalised.

Our modern towns and cities represent our times – confused, chaotic, anarchic. City planning today is dependent on the political whims of the personal agendas of those who rule. In the past, the people were important to the king. Today the king and his courtiers have isolated themselves from the people and the proof rests in the broken-down towns and cities of contemporary India that have little going for them. Badly planned, these cities and towns just do not work, and most importantly, they do not work for the people.

But move away from the depredations of our recent endeavours and you will experience another India – one where beauty and grace in buildings, settlements and people still survive, albeit with some effort. They remind us not just of a past that was but the possibilities inherent in a culture and civilization of vitality. It is this legacy that we need to recognize, nurture and build on. And there is no better way to renew this urge than to travel and soak into the multi culture of eternal India. This issue of Seminar attempts to capture some fragments of this living legacy, one which continues to beckon and amaze.