I recently came across an article titled "Museum should leave bodies to rest in peace" on IrishTimes.com, December 2008. The article was about archaeologists having dug up over 460 bodies at a burial site called Scaruppa and the tug of war between the people who want these bodies to be returned to consecrated ground and the museum which wanted to hold on to the bodies for possible future research. What I found interesting was how important it was to these people that the bodies be laid to rest. It seemed as if it was their close relative whose body was being besmirched and not allowed to be sanctified.
In Indian, I feel that we are far less emotionally invested in own dead ancestors. Why are we so indifferent towards our dead forefathers. Why is it that the Irish feel so religiously and or superstitiously concerned about their ancestor while we feel nothing, after all there is just as much chance of me being related to a megalithic man as the Irish have to be related to those buried at Scaruppa burial ground.
Two thoughts that occurred to me were that maybe poverty and other social issues is the reason for our antipathy. In which case how do other countries with similar causes for antipathy react towards their own ancestor?!! And secondly it may be that it is mostly the more recent social history that actually makes our hearts beat faster.... We want to know how Hitler died or we feel horrified at the mass burials of the world war.. Which is when it struck me that this is not about dead bodies, religion or social history, to me its about why do we not care about our own past ie our archaeology??
So I googled the CMDA (Chennai Metrapolital Development Authority) and realised that there is no mention of archaeological sites in the website at all let alone assessing, preserving or conserving them. I know for a fact that there are many many archaeological sites around Chennai which are being replaced on a daily basis by IT companies!! So then I (being suddenly in a very Sherlock Holmes mood) googled to check out the Bristol (the first city outside India that came to mind)local planning information, there was a specific clause for archaeological site, its assessment, preservation etc.
Next I googled Uganda (again the first African and hence "Developing Country" which I could think of) and found an article on allAfrica.com about lack of money in planning the city. There was no thought of archaeological sites since bigger issues like slum control was taking precedence. Understandable.... and thus we come a whole circle, we have slums, we are a developing country....so therefore is it totally understandable why we need not think about our archaeological sites and concentrate instead on trying to feed, clothe and educate every Indian if at all we are trying to do that at all.
Even I, who am blinded by my love of our archaeological sites cannot dispute this, the people of the present come first before the old buildings, broken pottery and bones of the dead... Yes but does this mean we should not feel connected to out past?? We are running at lightning speed towards our future, full of It companies and a shining India. And in this world wind of coping with the present and preparing for our glorious future we have no time and energy to remember our past?? Yet we do have the time, MONEY and energy to watch Jodha Akbar and debate on the name Jodha! Should I be satisfied to know that we Indians spare a couple of hours to think about our ancestors even if it is through a bollywood flick?
However something that keeps intruding my thoughts is the inextinguishable suspicion that however rich we may be we just do not care about the past, be it the bodies of our dead ancestors or their mud houses the way some other countries may...the body is not what is important it is the soul...similarly to us its not the physical remains of our ancestors that are important but their souls...which is not something we can conserve and preserve so why worry?!!!! After all we still do have mud houses so the soul of my ancestor lives on in every mud house??!
4 comments:
We are the past. We are past caring perhaps because we really aren't so distant from our past.
It's interesting that you bring this up because I was just reading the Naipaul Indian trilogy where he suggests that Indians have never had an appreciation of their past glory other than what the Europeans have inculcated in us. He seems to think that this might be because we've never been disconnected enough with our past to find any pleasure in rediscovering it. If that makes sense. I could bring the books back with me if you'd like (but Naipaul is an extremely infuriating commentator on India and it'd probably raise your BP :P)
Interesting point.Not just the city folks have seen people in my native village clearing off structures which belong to the past and using the space.We don't have a tradition of respecting our past-the graffiti found in historical places is a testimony.Got to think some way out and find solution of how to increase the sense of pride in our history,tough task I'd say.
@ Swathambari
hmmm :D
@Flaffy
ya would love to read will try getting hold of it :D
@Nautankey
thats what confuses me, is it lack of pride, indifference??? and if it is indifference is it justifiable?
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