Click to play videoBritish Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is on his first visit to India, has promised many Indo-British tie-ups but the one recommendation that has generated the maximum interest is that Sachin Tendulkar be considered for traditional British honours like the knighthood.
Comparing Tendulkar to the legendary Sir Don Bradman, Brown on Monday made a “strong case” for bestowing knighthood on the master blaster.
Noting that cricket is one of the great things that bind the Commonwealth together, he said there was a time when top cricketers from the countries in the grouping would be recognised by the British people through its honoured system.
However, many feel that Tendulkar does not need this honour. Is this a matter of pride for the Indians or merely a colonial hangover? That was the topic of debate on CNN-IBN show Face the Nation.
On the panel of experts to debate the issue were senior journalist Swapan Dasgupta, historian Ramachandra Guha and author and former BBC correspondent Sam Miller.
Indian English – an accident of history
Guha began the debate by saying that Britain has got over its imperial hangover, however some Indians still suffer from a colonial hangover.
Agreeing with the historian, Dasgupta said, “Yes, there is a greater nostalgia for the colonial experience in India than there is in Britain. They have repudiated their past so completely that they have reinvented themselves.”
Towing a similar strain of thought, Miller too said that India has by and large gotten over its colonial hangover. “This is true especially when I compare the nation to when I first came to India 15-20 years ago,” he said.
So, will it make a difference if Tendulkar becomes Sir Sachin?
To which Guha said, “Well Mark Tully is Sir Mark Tully and we even gave him a Padma Shri in recognition of his services to literature and journalism in this country. So it’s a relationship of reciprocity between equals. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna was both a Bharat Ratna and a member of the Order of Merit. So, it’s absolutely fine. Two friendly nations recognising the greatness of the other.”
However, Dasgupta said a lot of people feel that Tendulkar won’t be able to call himself Sir Sachin. “I think it’s more to do with the special status that comes with the title rather than any other honour. It’s the prefix which is unique. Whether Indians agree with it or not, in the heart of hearts all Indians love to have it.”
Millar explained that there may be a lot of interest among Indians in British royalty and titles, but it goes the other way as well. “Lots of Britishers are besotted by maharajas, palaces and great lineages,” he said.
But will Indian awards like the Padma Shri or a Padma Vibhushan be as valued by the Britishers as the knighthood in Britain?
“I think there is a lot less interest,” Miller said and the added, “But to be honest there is a lot less interest in who gets a knighthood also. The fascination for awards is going down partly because they have been made more democratic in Britain. The more ‘ordinary’ people are getting these awards.”
English elitism
Considering the prevalence of the English language as a dominant language in India for discourse, is there a certain elitism in those who speak the language? Is this a colonial hangover?
To which Miller said, “It is obviously part of the colonial past.”
“Now whether it is a hangover is another matter because there are more English speakers outside Britain. So, it has become an international language. In fact, English has become an Indian language as well,” Miller added.
The debate then meandered to the position of English as an Indian language.
Explaining the situation, Guha said, “English has been owned and chutnified in India. As Rajaji once said all languages come from Saraswati and so has English. It is as Indian as any other language. It’s a neutral language unlike Hindi that can be divisive.”
Taking a practical approach to the language, Dasgupta said, “For the first 40 years after Independence we regarded it as a hangover in so far that it gave us a bad head. It had a rather debilitating after effect. Since then, far from being a hangover, it actually gives us a leg up in the world. Whether we like it or not, English has come to occupy the major slot among the languages and India finds itself in a great advantage vis-à-vis other countries. It’s an accident of history, why not celebrate it.”
While discussing the importance of English language, the panelists also debated on whether those who have studied entirely in India get the same footing with those educated abroad, say in Oxford or Cambridge or maybe in America.
“The issue probably is not about colonial hangover anymore, but it is much more about a wider Western hangover, if you want to call it that,” Miller said.
While Guha said that it is true that Indians suffer from an inferiority complex to an extent “but we should recognise that no relationship between a former empire and a former colony has been as harmonious as ours with Britain. I mean the French and the Algerians detest each other or the Japanese and the Koreans.”
Then why is it that we still persist with the club culture like the Gymkhana?
Agreeing that there are aberrations and certain obnoxious elements of colonial rule Guha believes that the larger picture is one of harmony.
“By and large both the nations have benefited. Like British cuisine has been immeasurably enriched by Indian food. Likewise in Indian dresses there has been a British influence. The larger story is one of harmonious and beneficial interaction,” he said.
“The importance of English may have begun something as colonial but today the language is linked to economic advancement and opportunity. And that is something which is very practical,” Dasgupta said and concluded the discussion.
Final results of the question of the day:
Yes – 29 per cent
No – 71 per cent
CNN-IBN Editorial:
We like things foreign, not necessarily British, and hence, colonial. We are still in many parts of India, a feudal society, quite happy with 'colonial' recognition as well. However, we are not any longer defined by things left over by the British Raj. We have transcended that. Now, India is being recognised, rather than just a few Indians. After all, how many Tendulkars will Britain knight?
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