We celebrated our Independence day on 15th Aug. Precisely, we celebrated our Independence from the British on 15th Aug. Yet, in a world that touts independence but flourishes on lopsided interdependence, we are far from independent.
More specifically, unless we are psychologically independent, we can never truly be free. We are still that source of cheap labour, currently for US-based MNCs. In other words, we simply have had our object of servitude shifted from the UK to the US. Prior to 1947, we were physical labourers for UK-based companies, now we are automatons for US-based companies.
From growing cotton to entering code, the situation has changed little. Prior to 47, we sold our cotton to UK companies for clothing that got sold back to us. Now, we create code for US-based companies for software that runs our infrastructure, right from refinery information management to avionics for our airplanes. The cotton-growing farmer and the call-centre operator are different but in garb,- one toiled physically, the other strives mentally. One fed British imperialism, the other feeds American capitalism.
Unless we shake ourselves free from the shackles of self-indoctrinated psychological insubordination to everything Western, we will never really achieve independence, we'll always be in dependence.
I like this blog. Very inspiring and a good reality-check.
ReplyDeleteWoah! That's comment no. 2 to my blog. Actually, if you think about it, Japan was in worse s..t (sounds like hit) after WWII, as was Germany after WWI. While we have managed well to widen the socio-economic chasm, the others have become economic powers. Having said that, as long as we don't feel defeated, we will never be.
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