Indic Cultural Exports: Way Forward

Cultural exports, numerous shortcomings apart, defined both US and British successes positioning them as a sort of aspirational society at different points of time. Interestingly at one point of time, French was a symbol of elitism in British society. To enhance the chances of upwards social mobility in British milieu, one had to speak and act French. It was not unlike Urdu of current Indian liberal elite described in the piece “Urdu and Anti-Establishmentarian Movement: Dominant Strategy”.

Within a century or so, Britain could turn the tables around and emerged as the cultural superpower across the world. While Britain might be in a terminal decline, its colonial hangover lies in the cultural sphere where its bouquet of creations still pervade across the world. From dress sense to cricket to hill stations to way of life, British cultural creations perhaps stood way above the rest.  

US as it expanded into a military superpower developed its own complement of cultural offerings drawn from its life often romanticized by Hollywood and other literary and artistic industries. Despite violent underpinnings, there was sought to be lent a charm to those cowboy offerings becoming a sort of role model to the rest. For instance, when Austria was liberated from German occupation post Second World War, it was jeans and Coke that embodied Austrian life into the 1950s and 60s than the British cricket or French fashion or Soviet ideology.  The failure of Soviet Union lies not in its inability to challenge US on hardware, but its inability to create a Russian culture or Russian way of life not just in its communist satellites but also in non-Russian Soviet Republics. Japan might have built on exports of process culture but the supplemented offerings seemed missing. Chinese efforts to create a Buddhist heritage and product line is in substance linked to its ability to foster a globalization of Chinese inheritance.

In an interlinked world increasingly shaped by nationalist forces, India’s core strength is obviously Hindu culture. Hinduism with polytheistic offerings has been the foundation for the survival and sustenance of the civilization for millennia. Even as civilizations fell, Bharat is one of the few which still stand tall. Talk of Bharat being a Vishwaguru etc., commands little merit until Hinduism develops into potential torch bearer of global religious power composition.  

Indic influences on global cultural milieu have existed for centuries. This premise holds true despite discounting for Out of India theory of Aryan migration. Indian socio-economic- philosophical movements have engendered significant traction abroad from Swami Vivekananda (Spiritual tradition) to Mahatma Gandhi (Social action) and to contemporary spiritual movements like ISKCON, Art of Living, Satya Sai movement, Jaggi Vasudev among others etc.  From Beatles to Steve Jobs to Hippie movement to Paul Brunton, instances abound of Westerners seeking refuge in India in search of moksha and enlightenment.  Undeniably, there exists something compelling about in India that allures people across ages to its spiritual and cultural wealth, Islamic plunders notwithstanding. It was this allure that prompted Nirad Chaudhuri to call India as Continent of Circe. What makes this allure more significant is there is little accretion to Hinduism despite the voyages of Western individual discovery of self in India.

Given an apparent enthralling appeal to inherent assets, opportunities abound for Hinduism to be global religious contender than a niche player. The contemporary demands Hinduism change the terms of interaction. While on one hand the military and economic power will have to enhanced and demonstrated, their effects might not be sustained in absence of complementary offerings of uniqueness of Hindu way of life. There is something mystique about Hinduism that has enabled it to survive despite its core activities coming under repeated threats. In the heart of capital Delhi, there is not a single functioning temple that was built before 1939. This in itself shows the kind of sword that hung over Hindu heads over 1000 odd years. The individual at the heart of the Hindu society kept it flourishing underground wherein it not just managed in terms of readapting to changing winds but further emerge triumphant. A related instance might be of Poland celebrating its culture underground during the long years of Austria-Hungarian rule and subsequent Communist rule. Therefore, it is all the more glaring to find under-utilization of its core assets.

Strategic responses manifest in copious forms. In contrast to Nirad Chaudhuri’s description of India as a militarist society, the use of the same has been more an exception than a norm.  In parallel, military and economic power necessitate adjunct construction of soft power entrenched in Indic tenets.  Chinese expansionism is described often as ‘Yellow man’s burden’ analogues to ‘White Man’s burden’, yet  its success will determine on the ability to translate globally the indigenous entrenchment of soft order rooted in Confucian ethos. Notwithstanding, as noted above, Japan exporting business process, martial arts and the Ninja to the rest of the world, it was limited in its ability to globalize its cultural prowess rooted in Shinto paradigm. It is axiomatic that Indian moves will be lacking until the triad of military, economic and soft power rooted in Indic foundations is synchronized towards a common objective

International Yoga Day was the first formal push towards entrenching Hindu foundational principles in the global mindset. Naturally, government patronage need not be formal. Time and again, covert support is likely to generate greater success.  Many Western governments are known to give subtle and at times not so subtle pushes to Christian expansion in the hitherto unconquered territories. Similarly, many regimes of the Gulf do not lag behind, when it comes to promoting /protecting Islam.

Besides Yoga, Ayurveda/Sidda merits a strong push perhaps a positioning in the realm of preventive medicine. It might be a natural complement for modern medicine and effective line of defence in Western society increasingly engulfed by lifestyle diseases. Sanskrit is the preferred language in computing with exciting possibilities in emergent technologies etc.

Candle lighting to mark auspicious occasions can be pushed to be default symbol of commencement many an activity.  Fire worship has key ingredient of rituals in many a pagan and traditional societies. It is in the pagan origins that torch lighting became significant ritual in opening ancient Olympic Games, a customary that has continued even today at the opening ceremony.

Indian dress with its rich and colorful diversity offers itself to positioning as cultural dress (analogous to British formal and American casual/semi forma)- a dress for all festivals and other celebratory occasions. Opportunities abound to position Indian saree to challenge Western women formal wear as power dress for women. Indic spirituality is potential challenger to the Church mass or Friday prayers in catering to the spiritual in the basket of needs. Anecdotal evidence seemingly is pointing towards a Western movement towards a socio-economic cycle of what W W. Rostow described as ‘beyond consumption’.

Indian music, art, textile, all has varied offerings potentially disrupting existing markets. There is an increasing interest in Indian music and dance. While folk music and dance with their modern adaptations have managed to make some breakthrough, classical music and dance could well find new areas and niches to make their presence felt.

Indian food having successfully penetrated the Western society can enhance its reputation. Abundant commentary exists on Indian culinary offerings and habits. Irrespective of likes or dislikes, Indian food is a factor that cannot be ignored in universal culinary calculus.

Hindu cultural exports, despite accounting for good traction, have remained independent of proselytization. Reasons are one too many for the same. While the survival capabilities of Hinduism are time tested, the current world order demands more than survival. There exists a moment, perhaps rarely, when a prospect manifests to go beyond the present and expand outwards. Perhaps for Hindu culture, this is the time to capitalize on global expansion.  Time, from a human generation point of view, might be small, yet from civilizational perspective, it’s plenty. It’s time we capture that.