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Verdict: India's future simply South
Published on Mon, Nov 27, 2006 at 00:08, Updated on Mon, Nov 27, 2006 at 19:14 in Money » Tax section
Tags: The Verdict, South , New Delhi
New Delhi: Over the past four weeks, CNN-IBN has been celebrating ‘Golden South’ – 50 years of the formation of India’s southern states. An exclusive opinion poll conducted by CNN-IBN in collaboration with Deccan Herald and Radio City is perhaps the first poll of its kind in the history of Indian media that measured the public mood in India’s southern states withstanding the changing perceptions across the country.
The poll covered seven states, 15 cities interviewing over 2,500 people in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Delhi.
A panel of experts lead by CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai analysed the varied results of the poll on a special weekly show, called The Verdict. The panel included Arundhati Nag, an actor and well-known theatre personality from Karnataka; Ramachandra Guha, the country’s foremost historian; Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys; Prof Sandeep Shastri, national convenor of the Lok Niti Network (organisation that put together the Golden South poll); actor Suhasini Maniratnam and actor- columnist-political-commentator Cho Ramaswamy.
Does the future of India in the next 50 years lies South of the Vindhyas?
Starting with the very first question of the survey, the CNN-IBN survey asked people if they have heard of the term South India. The survey found that 83 per cent of the South Indians living within South India and 98 per cent of those living in the rest of the country were aware of the term ‘South India’.
When asked, “are you a South Indian?” 65 per cent of those surveyed in South India said they "believe" they were South Indians while 91 per cent of those living outside South India openly confirmed that they were "South Indians".
Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani thinks otherwise. “I would call myself an Indian first and a South Indian after that,” he says.
This raises an imminent question. Do South Indians really have that sense of pride in stating their belongingness to the South or is it that today’s Indians have overcome the imminent divide between North and South?
"I think I am a women first, that’s the first thing I remember about my identity. After that I am truly a South Indian because I cannot speak Hindi. I would still accept my guilt and say that I am a South Indian and also an Indian at the same time." That's how Suhasini Maniratnam puts it.
Do you see yourself as a South Indian or an Indian first?
“Do you see yourself as a South Indian first or an Indian?”That was the next big question posed in the survey. While 26 per cent of the South Indians (living in South India) said their identity as a South Indian comes first, 53 per cent of them seemed to believe on the contrary. They said being an "Indian" is the first thing about their identity and being a South Indian comes later.
The state-wise breakup of those who put their state identity first showed the Andhrite to be the least orthodox in this regard.
> Keralites stood on top of the chart, with 43 per cent of them saying they are Keralites first and South Indians or Indians later.
> Tamilians came second in this order as 28 per cent of those polled said they would like to call themselves Tamilians first.
> Karnataka stood third at 20 per cent
> Andhra Pradesh ended at the rock bottom with 12 per cent.
What does that tell us? Are we all proud to be Indians?
According to Nandan Nilekani, “It all depends on one's upbringing and education."
"For instance, Arundhati and I were born in Bangalore, educated in Dharvad, went to IIT-Mumbai for studies, lived abroad for many years. So, I think the Indian psyche or the Indian consciousness is really prevailing in our consciousness,” he explains.
Interestingly, the survey also revealed that as more and more South Indians are exploring the world beyond South India, their perceptions have also undergone a change. But had the poll been conducted 50 years ago, the results would have possibly been different.
"The results would have been different for sure. In the last 50 years, a lot of migration has taken place. The more distant you are from your native place, the more likely you are to have a larger view about having a national identity," Prof Sandeep Shastri says.
Pride and Prejudice
Does a South Indian feel he or she is more intelligent than people in the rest of the country? When the question was posed to South Indians living in South India, a majority of them (47 per cent) said ‘yes, they are more intelligent than the people in the rest of the states'. Only 23 per cent of those polled believed that North Indians are more intelligent.
When the same question was posed to South Indians living outside South India, 37 per cent of them said 'yes' and an equal number of them said 'no'.
North-South Divide: Whose lifestyle is simpler?
As many as 54 per cent of South Indians living in South India say they think South Indians have a simpler lifestyle. Only 20 per cent said North Indians have a simpler lifestyle.
Responding to the poll results, Nandan Nilekani says the notion about South Indians being more intelligent is completely wrong. "Intelligent people are present in all parts of our country. We take people from all parts of the country and they all are equally bright and intelligent," he argues.
However, historian Ram Chandra Guha looks at it differently. "A historical writing by Sir Walter Crocker in 1966 says South is superior to North India in its relative lack of violence, its lack of anti-Muslim intolerance, its better educational standards, its cleanliness and its little taste for Hindu revivalism,” Guha says referring to the historical extract.
"We are not necessarily more intelligent, but we are more tolerant and more cosmopolitan," Guha claims, adding that "Sir Walter Crocker had further said if the English language is saved to India as a living language, it is the South that will save it.” Citing historical facts, Guha said South Indians have the most progressive affirmative action policy. In terms of tolerance, inclusiveness and pluralism, they have the edge above others in the country.
"We may be less or more intelligent than others, but we are certainly more plural and tolerant and that is where we are superior to others," Guha reasons.
North-South Divide: Where is it easier to bribe?
Close to 38 per cent of South Indians living in South India say it is easier to give bribes in South India while 18 per cent of them say it would be lot easier to bribe people in North India. When the same question was put to South Indians living outside South India, only 20 per cent said it's easier to bribe in South India while a majority (30 per cent) of them said giving bribes is much easier in North India.
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i love india. india is democratic and in a democracy nobody should be forced to learn any language. it is
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FOR ALL:Many think that HINDI is our national language! Which is absolutely WRONG!The constitution on INDIA clearly states that there
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Useless discussion ... is IBN now trying to divide india in south and north?also what Nandan is doing in this
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guess there are more issues to deal with rather than discussing whos intelligent that too with in india
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I would admit that there are some questions that this article raises that are valid and possibly useful. Suhasini and
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