“Small wonder our national spirit is husk empty. We have more information but less knowledge. More communication but less community. More goods but less goodwill. More of virtually everything saves that which the human spirit requires. So distracted have we become sating this new need or that material appetite, we hardly noticed the departure of happiness”
Indian Culture is time tested and represented the progressively refined way of life that had unfortunately suffered a setback, a sub culture process as it were, drifting from its salutary ways of living.
Did not Lord Macaulay say in the UK parliament how the Indians had such a perfect social harmony and faith in their way of life, that they cannot be subdued unless they were weaned from their prestige and made to adore the alien way of life, to feel subordinated to a ''superior culture'', wherefore they could be easily subdued and dominated for the best advantage of the colonial rule! That was perfectly achieved and Indians forgot their own merits in a strange infatuation with alien culture!
Foreign culture was best for them, unique to them, deserved respect, but not fit for absorption into our own way of life! Apart from an initiation into new unfolding findings of secular science and technology - which was absent in our nation under colonial subjugation - we had gained least in other spheres, particularly in the social and ethical qualities. We became divided, in the names of religion and castes losing the force of harmony that united us under the princely states!
The increasing divorce culture, night clubs and pub culture, promiscuity and desertions etc. among youth, the divide and rule policy among the politicians, the aggressive conversions (against more benign missionary activities a century ago) are the only major impacts in the social domain.
So except the technological inputs, even economic exploitations under free trade or repressive regimentation under socialist govts that came from the west have least served the society to achieve equality. Social impacts have been worse.
The breakdown of joint family system due to new life styles, uncontrolled deviancies0 in the name of liberty etc. have made youth defy control of society and family in a big way. In a chapter on ''Consequences of Innovations'' in the book by Rogers and Shoemaker entitled, ''Diffusion and Adoption of Innovations'', it is discussed how any change made in any aspect of social sphere - agriculture or medicine or arts or whatever - may end up in unexpected ''side effects'' as well. The chaos in the aborigines of Australia after replacement of traditional stone tool etc. make interesting reading!
People these days are so hungry for modernization that they have completely forgotten about their moral duties towards the society. Kids these days have no respect for their elders, they snap at little things, greeting elders by a NAMASTE has been replaced by the unplugging of earphones, and why would it not be, they haven’t been taught any morals by their parents in the first place.
In India itself, the introduction of rural TV programme for education of people in modern agriculture, health care etc. was studied in UP state when Indira was Minister of Broadcasting, in 1000 villages. The study revealed significant increase in knowledge and attitude of people in modern techniques and the project was cleared for large scale introduction across the country. After govt project was ended, many behavioral scientists took up studies in change of life pattern in the villages. They came across many critical adverse changes traceable to exposure of untreated ''entertainment'' programs given by TV apart from the educational inputs!
Like that our adoration for the modern knowledge gained from the west, had made us adopt their other life styles as well to the detriment of society. So the demerits have been devastating as we see from the increase of family courts to deal with increasing divorce cases, the skewed development of trade and industry at the cost of other primary enterprises, policy of social divide by politicians for vote bank advantage etc.!
Modernization and morality should go hand in hand but if we keep on modernizing and leaving our moral values behind us, then that day is not far away when we will be lost in the forest of chaos and there will be no escape….when we will be no better than SATAN!