India’s declining culture

I recently got an email (a forward) from one of my friends (Devettan). This made me realise how great our culture ‘was’.  

 

 

Lord Macaulay’s address to the British Parliament 1835

 Let me quote Lord Macaulay’s address to the British Parliament in 1835 regarding the greatness of our motherland. 

 “I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such  wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not  think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very  backbone this nation, which is her  spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I  propose  that we  replace her old  and ancient  education system, her culture, for if the  Indians think  that  all that is foreign and  English is good and greater than their own , they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly a dominated nation.”

This was India in 1835 – the most prosperous, happy and peaceful country just before the British adopted this strategy and destroyed India. India was looted – not only her wealth but also the moral values, self-esteem which were more valuable (Indians were renowned for these).

 

As Macaulay said, our culture is our backbone – which is at stake now. Indian history shows that we have embraced the culture of all the invaders who ruled us. All cultures have both good and bad aspects, and it is up to us to adopt the good and ignore the bad. We Indians right now are aping the West. It is high time we realise the greatness of our culture and stop following the West blindly – instead take the good ones from them and improve our already great culture. In order to make India great again we have to bring back those lost values somehow. It may take time but we must do it.

 

We can! We Must!

 

Good Day!