Before one writes on the apparent war between liberalism and conservatism, it may be wise to define what we are fighting for. Is liberalism the right to use profane language in books and expound on graphic sex, even that of the alternative kind? Does liberalism state that to denigrate your own country, whether justified or not, is defensible? Is liberalism defined by books which attack gods and religion?
Does liberalism give us the right to look down on anyone who sticks to his/her conservative morals, language, ethics and lifestyle? Is liberalism the replacement of a conservative absolutism with a liberal one? I think the answer is a little more nuanced than that.
In my mind, liberalism is best defined by a statement written by Evelyn Hall that is often incorrectly credited to Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. Let’s decode this line. What does it mean? And what kind of a world will it lead to?
Following the precepts of Evelyn Hall’s statement would mean that we should defend the right of someone who says that their regional language must be honoured, as long as they don’t commit any violence to demand that honour. It means that we should preserve Arundhati Roy’s right to refer to Naxalites as some long-lost clansmen of non-violent Gandhians, even though the skewed nature of her narrative is undeniable. It means that we should not grudge the right of a book like Day Scholar to use language that many may find objectionable. It means that I, despite being religious and patriotic, must respect the freedom of expression of someone who says things which criticise my religion and country.
What kind of a world will this attitude lead to? It will be a noisy, argumentative world. A world of apparent chaos. A world of seemingly irreconcilable differences. A world where it may appear that values are collapsing and time-tested religious laws are not honoured. But for all these apparent faults (and these “faults” can be disputed), it will also be a world that is free and intensely creative.
So why should we want this chaotic, crazy world? Is freedom really that important? Isn’t a nice, orderly, predictable conservative world much better? Not in this day and age. Because in times of intense change, like our present era, a free society is the only society which generates the creativity to continuously adapt, compete and win. And freedom cannot exist without the bedrock of liberalism.
So a liberal society has to cherish freedom. Freedom to be traditional or modern. Freedom to be religious or agnostic. Freedom to be patriotic or not. All this, of course, without the freedom to be violent (hurl an insult, not a stone!). So true liberalism does not call for a defeat of conservatism. True liberalism calls for the freedom for every thought process — from ultra-liberal to Left to heretical to conservative — to be given the opportunity to thrive.
If this is the model for success in today’s day, how is India doing? Very well, thank you very much! This may seem like a strange statement from an Indian author, considering our politicians’ trigger happy ways of banning books, even burning them. Considering the language chauvinism that appears to pervade our land today. Considering the attacks on points of view that do not conform to those of extremists who give themselves the right to be offended. Considering the negative passions that get aroused so easily.
For most of its great history, India was always amongst the liberal beacons of the world. Very rarely was there an establishment view that could not be challenged. United by culture, but divided politically into numerous kingdoms, dissenters and free-thinkers always found refuge somewhere or the other. There are at least a thousand versions of the revered epic Ramayana, each with their own unique differences. Sufism, a liberal and mystical strain of Islam, took birth and prospered in our land. And so did the strict Deobandi interpretation. Erotic art was not confined to a private, guilt-ridden attic, but sculpted on our temples. And the moralistic Manu Smriti was also remembered at the same time. India is, within its natural DNA, a deeply liberal country. And armed with the protein of economic success and confidence, the liberal DNA, after long centuries of methylation, is finally beginning to re-express itself.
Consider the evidence. Chitra Divakurni wrote The Palace of Illusions, a retelling of the Mahabharat from Draupadi’s perspective, quite different from the original view of the great epic, giving one a sympathetic insight into a character considered by traditionalists to be a “house-breaker”. Bhola’s debauchery in Upamanyu Chatterjee’s Weight Loss is radically beyond Indian sensibilities. Ramchandra Guha wrote The Makers of Modern India, without including such stalwarts as Sardar Patel and Subash Chandra Bose in it. And he has not been banned in Gujarat and Bengal (though I am sure the arguments with him would be severe). Chetan Bhagat wrote a very successful book on a cross-border marriage — well, a marriage between a Punjabi and a Tamilian is cross-border for Indians of an older generation. A graphic novel called Ramayan 3392 AD adapts Rishi Valmiki’s grand epic to a nuclear war devastated world in the future. My own book, The Immortals of Meluha, is a different take on Lord Shiva’s myth. It is based on a premise that Lord Shiva, our Mahadev, was a real historical man whose legend gave rise to the myth of the great God over the centuries. And my book chronicles the grand adventure of this charismatic tribal from Tibet.
These books are all different explorations from the “establishment view”. Some may be good. Some bad. Some may be successful. Some not. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that a different view has been proffered. That furthers the cause of liberalism. And liberalism will help India become creative and great once again.
So the motto for all liberals, dissenters and free-thinkers should be this: go forth and communicate. State your point of view. It is your patriotic duty!
Amish Tripathi, a financial
services professional, is the author of The Immortals of Meluha
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/sites/default/files/The Asian Age/amish tripsathi.jpg
