Globalization and Its Impact on Indian Culture. (2004)

People around the globe are more connected to each other today than ever before in the history of mankind. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. We live in an intensely interdependent world in which all the earth's peoples with their immense differences of culture and historical experience are compressed together in instant communication. We face today a world of almost infinite promise which is also a world of terminal danger. This phenomenon has been titled 'Globalization.'

'The Era of Globalization' is fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20's are used to describe particular periods of history; Globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today. While some people think of Globalization as primarily a synonym for global business, it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national borders did not exist also allow social activists, labour organizers, journalists, academics, international terrorists and many others to work on a global stage.

British Imperialism or Western Colonialism did not die after the end of World War II when the West gave up its colonies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, West Indies and the East Indies. Gradually it changed itself into a more subtle form which is proving to be more harmful to all non-Western cultures both in the short run and the long run. Indian culture which in effect means Hindu culture, Hindu religion, Hindu society, Hindu civilization, Hindu way of life are under the lethal threat of the ruthless forces of Globalization today. What went by the name of Colonialism in classical history textbooks produced in the days of British Raj has been replaced today by the synonym of Globalization. The unbridled expansion of western culture has continued at an accelerated rate along with the denigration and decline of Hindu culture, civilization, religion, art, literature and customs. This new Colonialism has taken on several new faces or rather put on new masks. It cleverly masquerades itself through labels and slogans like democracy, humanitarian rights, gender equality, internationalism, free trade and humanitarianism. In the name of modernization and Globalization it pretends to be uplifting peoples whom it is really exploiting. This is not very different in either kind or intent from old Western Colonialism � British Imperialism in the Indian context� which vaunted itself as the benign bringer of Civilization and culture to the uncivilized world. It was given the glorious title of 'WHITE MAN'S BURDEN'.

In the Colonial Era in India from 1700-1875, British colonial expansion worked through military, economic, and religious methods. Military force was the primary and initial method. This was little more than organized banditry, stealing the gold, jewels and other treasures of India. Economic exploitation went hand in hand with the military conquest. Later it stooped so low in its methods as to get involved even with the drug and narcotic trades. Later economic exploitation developed into a fine art resulting in the exercise of total control over the natural resources and controlling the economy of India for long term gains.

Negative and Positive Effects of Globalization on Culture Cultural Globalization

Globalization is a process of transnationalisation of production and capital and standardization of consumer tastes and their legitimization with the help of international institutions like World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), etc. Obviously, the process is a move towards a borderless regime of free trade and transactions based on competition.

Globalization has our parameters:

1. reduction of trade barriers so as to permit free flow of goods and services across national frontiers;

2. creation of an environment in which free flow of capital can take place among nation-state s;

3. creation of environment, permitting free flow of technology; and

4. creation of an environment in which free movement of labour can take place in different countries of the world. In the realm of economic life, globalization has offered an expanded and varied life for the rich and made the poor poorer.

In India, where caste occupations remain the ‘survival source for the lower caste communities, globalization killed’ many such’ trades and displaced traditional labour from the original fields and his labour displacements has created nightmarish conditions for the poor. Dalit-Bahujan movements have to grapple with this situation and resist economic globalization. In the cultural realm, globalization seems to have opened up a new channel of hope for the historically suppressed masses. Modern sociological: studies have shown that the Brahminic notion of purity and pollution in relation to ritual-culture, food habits and dress code kept a majority of
India’s mass as cultural slaves.

Productive culture was defined. as impure and the ritual-consumerist cult ire constructed as pure and great, Even the concept of know led! e was defined in relation to a consumerist culture; while the prod active knowledge was no knowledge at all. Knowledge was essentially seen as the ability to read the classical Sanskritic texts. The day-to-day activities of producing food, domesticating animals, constructing irrigation systems, building technological systems were considered unworthy in the realm of religion.

The semi-scientific experiments of people were not even allowed to become part of textual knowledge. Even Muslim rule and the cultural hegemony that Islamic thought established in the la ;e medieval and early modern periods did not change the Brahmin notions of culture. Though Islamic thought did not see religion a id productive activity as antagonistic, Muslim scholars never thought of changing the cultural relations of people as they too became Brahminised in many ways. Muslim scholarship did not try to study the productive culture of the Dalit- Bahujans. The real change carne after the Christian missionaries began interacting with India’s
productive masses.

The missionaries, instead of condemning Ling the food habits,’ dress code, ritual practices of these masses, began seeing them as part of the divine process. They lived with them, ate their food and adopted their dress code in order to give-them cultural confidence. The practices of  William Carrey and de Nobili are good examples, Scholars such as Verrier Elwin and Herman doff built integrative values among the Advises as well. A major blow to the process of the productive masses being denied the right to read and write, as these were considered divine, was the opening up of schools for all.

The missionaries opened schools for the children: of what Jyotiba Phule called Sudras and Ati Sudras. Some educated Dalit- Bahujan Youth began to understand the commonness between Western culture and their own. For the first time, the productive masses began to feel that their cult re had globally respectable aspects. During the nationalist campaign and more so in the post- Independence reconstruction of the cultural realm. Brahmanism regained the ground it lost during the colonial period. The productive musses again felt insecure in the Cultural sphere . The recent globalization process’ has re-opened channels of cultural integration of the
productive mass culture with the global culture.

This gave enormous, confidence to the intellectuals who began organizing Brahminic campaigns. It is well-known that education is the major instrument of upgrading people’s culture. This very education was denied to the productive masses before the colonial administration opened that channel for them. In fact, the globalization, of Indian education has been done with the expansion of English medium schools. Regional language education to the poor and English to the rich had stalled the process of cultural exchange between the Indian masses un- Hindu culture and the Western cultures.

Yet, English is more available to the masses now than Sanskrit in the ancient period, and ‘Urdu and Persian in the medieval times. It appears that the first National Language with which the children of all sections came in contact was English. It came without any spirit al tags. The Dalit- Bahujan children who came in touch with the language acquired skills to learn glob a knowledge and skills. They too could communicate with a global audience. Though over a period of time even English became the social capital of the upper castes, quite a large number of people coming from the oppressed castes learnt it and came in touch with the world’s egalitarian
knowledge systems.

There is a world of difference between persons from historically educated castes learning English and historically suppressed communities learning the language and reaching out to the knowledge of the West. However, for a Brahmin scholar, for example, Western culture that came through English was a negation of his/own inward-looking culture-whether the culture of food and drink or the spiritual culture of, worship of an inward-looking nature. For a Dalit- Bahujan who learns English and adopts the Western culture, there are many’ things in it that are common with his/her own condemned culture’ back home.

Eating on a dining table with spoons and folks may appear new but there is a lot in common between Western foods and those of the Dalit-Bahujans. It can be said that the cultural globalization negates the -Brahminic myth of purity and pollution and liberates the Dalit- Bahujans in several ways. The first and fore-most liberation take place with the simple fact that what is condemned at home becomes, in a globalised culture, a positive commodity for sale.So this was an essay on Globalization.

Globalisation and Its Impact on Culture

Globalization can be defined as the removing of borders and barriers to facilitate easy exchange of ideas, resources and knowledge between countries. Communication is the essence of Globalization. Without communication, globalization is not possible. Globalization was introduced to India in 1991, when Manmohan Singh signed the New Economic Policy, when the Indian government introduced a set of reforms for the ailing
Indian economy to prevent it from going to further crisis. These reforms were the Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization reforms. Since 1991, we have seen major changes in India. Globalization has opened India to the world and has brought in the much needed exposure. Globalization has had impacts in the economic, social, cultural and political ways of India. The most significant remains the impact of globalization on the economic sector. India has seen tremendous growth since 1991. India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and that is all due to the reforms undertaken in 1991. The role of Multi-National Corporations (MNC’s) is very significant in the Indian scenario. The MNC’s were brought in by Globalization. Indian shores were attacked by the Chinese ships, and their products dominated the markets at first. But now , after Globalization , it’s a flat world , where in raw material , labour is picked up where it is cheap and all functions like marketing , manufacturing , distributing are given to those departments which are best at it .This has seen the emergence of a virtual organization , a peculiar BPO culture emerging in India , Rise in these BPO industries has led to a new consumer base , a consumer oriented market. Therefore national borders have blurred and have now become a global village. Some major virtual organizations outsourcing are – NIKE & REEBOK. Globalization has had a very profound impact on Indian culture.

Impact on Politics and Religion on Indian Psyche

Globalization means more economic inter-dependence and globalization of markets. A new thrust on international business has emerged. Commercialization has become the target of each and every firm. Hardly one has not heard the name of Pepsi or Coca-Cola. Brand names of  companies have replaced the last shred of ethics from our heart. Degeneration of humanity has become a part and parcel of everyday life. Though American economists often wonder about more transparency accompanied with globalization, but in India the period of economic reforms for globalization has coincided with the era of corruption and degeneration. There is also a link between globalization and communalization.

Our secular politics is under threat from communalism. There is a pre planned agenda to change the constitution. But what is the relation between globalization and communalism? Globalization leads to more unemployment if economic reforms are not properly implemented. According to some, globalization is a conspiracy of the West against the development of the East. It is a capitalist phenomenon and has been termed as 'neo-imperialism'. Globalization will lead to the end of sovereignty of a nation. Indian political system now seems to work under instructions given from White House.

The essence of Indian State and nationalism is eroding. Under such a situation, some political parties on one hand are too much bothered about economic reforms without thinking about its consequences, and on the other hand to pacify people's frustration and anger owing  to unemployment and inequality, they are playing with the sentiments by instigating one religion against another. The cult of Hindustan has become prevalent because public has been misguided that the cause behind their impoverishment and economic decline, is a particular community. In this way, people can be brain-washed and their intellect can be channelized into destructive activities rather than questioning the very basis of globalization.

A country with 80% of its population being Hindus does not need to be told how to be a 'Hindu'. The politics of 'Ram' has spread from USA to India, because of some NRIs (Non-Residential Indians) sending funds from USA. Some kind of vested interest always lies behind such activities. Thus religion has become politics; politics has become 'economic reforms'. Commercialization has narrowed down people's thinking horizon. Hypocrisy of being a 'modern' man is like holding a 'cell phone' without knowing about the 'enlightenment movement in Europe'. The two antagonistic forces of money-making (greed) and holding one's religious belief (orthodoxy) will
clash, only if hypocrisy is absent.

Otherwise it can be said Indians have stopped becoming conscious (at mental state), or they don't think or know about their own culture, which says that maximum welfare means welfare to the maximum number of people. India being a land of Buddha and Veda, is now teaching the world how to kill thousands of people through a single nuclear device. Thus globalization has not spread the message of peace and tranquility; it has taught us how to be powerful. India has become a small shark among big sharks.

Religion provided the needed rationale for this cruel plunder. All native Hindus were dismissed as heathens or pagans � despicable creatures who don't have to be treated like human beings till they take their fateful decision to embrace Christianity. According to the missionaries who came to India to play second fiddle to the British Imperial rulers, Christianity was the only true religion. Jesus Christ was the only true God. All other religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and many other traditional faiths and religions in India had to be eliminated to save the souls of India and Indians. All facets and all aspects of Hindu religion and Hindu society were dismissed as idolatry and superstition, in order to advance the noble Christian pursuit of salvation for the barbarous heathens of India. Along with Christian religion came the rest of British or Western culture, thought and customs and the gradual end of traditional ways of life. Thus our traditional religions and cultures were gradually subverted or eliminated. The new Indian converts to Christianity were encouraged not only to give up their religion but their culture, which often had religious or spiritual implications as well. A good Indian Christian convert would dress like an Englishman and emulate English manners in all things. Thus in India the Hindus converted by the British to Christianity were encouraged to think, behave and live like Englishmen. This is what I call Macaulayism. This term derives from Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800 - 1859) who was a Member of the Governor General's Council in Calcutta in the 1830s. He introduces the English system of education to produce Brown Sahibs who were to be English in taste and temperament. This expectation was more than fulfilled even by 1900 and after our independence thanks to our Anglo-Saxon Prime Minister Nehru this process has been completed with consummate ruthlessness.

After the outward display and establishment of the forces of Colonialism, came an intellectual form that was less overt but more dangerous and explosively insidious. The British rulers attempted to colonize our minds by eliminating all our traditional schools and education systems through a progressive system of Western education. This they did in a country like India where Christianity failed to gain many converts. This gave British Colonialism in India the aura of a civilizing influence. Educated Indians having higher education in the colleges opened by the alien rulers in the latter half of the 19th century were made to believe that it was not colonial exploitation that the Englishmen were bringing to India but progressive Western values� training our people in science, art and technology and teaching them better and more equitable forms of government. Native Indian people were helped to learn the skills of veneer of English civilization by becoming modern and rational.

Though all forms of Colonial Empire in the geographical sense came to an end after the II World War, yet the same forms of colonial exploitation continue even today in all parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America under the banner of that all-embracing umbrella called Globalization. Western Civilization in spite of its tall claims to support diversity is only promoting a worldwide monoculture� the same basic values, institutions and points of view for everyone� which it calls 'Globalization.' The brutal and stark truth is that western culture, with its declared pursuit of markets and commodities eliminates all true culture, which is based on quality and not quantity. It creates a culture of filthy lucre and lust for money all the way that submerges any true culture of refinement or spirituality� a dismal culture in which everything can be bought and sold, possessed or capitalized on. All our capitalists and businessmen in India today are gloating and bloating about the ever rising tide of consumerism and consumer culture brought about by the ruthless march of Globalization. This in my view constitutes the greatest assault on Hindu culture and Hindu society by the draconian dragon of gargantuan Globalization.

Macaulayism of British India has become in letter and spirit the Globalization of today. Pound Sterling has been replaced by the US Dollar. To the people of India in general and educated Indians in particular, Globalization seems to be rather mild and well meaning, more like an imperceptible breeze, which blows in silently, fills up the psychological atmosphere, creates a mental mood, inspires an intellectual attitude and finally settles down as a cultural climate � pervasive, protein and ubiquitous. It is not out to use a specified section of Indian society as a vehicle of its virulence. It is not like Islamism which wants to destroy the body of a culture in one fell sweep. It is not subtle like Christianism which subverts a society surreptitiously. Yet at the same time, it is a creeping toxaemia which corrodes the soul of our Hindu culture and corrupts our time- honoured social systems in slow stages. And its target is every section of Indian society. What has been its impact on culture in India? Every educated Indian seems to believe that nothing in Hindu India, past or present, is to be approved unless recognized and recommended by an appropriate authority in the West. There is an all-pervading presence of a positive, if not worshipful, attitude towards everything in Western society and culture, past as well as present in the name of progress, reason and science. Nothing from the West is to be rejected unless it has first been weighed and found wanting by a Western evaluation.

Swamy Vivekananda foresaw the dangers of Globalization as early as in 1893 when he spoke at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. To quote his soul-stirring words: 'Shall India die? Then, from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct ; and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force, and competition its ceremonies, and human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be'. Precisely such a terrible thing is taking place in India today on account of the inexorable and immutable process of Globalization.

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