Here’s an entry I’ve been meaning to do for some time but have only just got round to. I’m going back to commenting on Indian society. Now the title may lead you to think that this is going to be yet another damning article against Sonia Gandhi/Maino/whatever her name is, but it really isn’t. You don’t need me to tell you she’s Italian. But that is largely irrelevant to the point I want to make.
I’m looking to compare two countries, and one person can hardly be a valid cause for such a comparison. India and Italy have many things in common, and this is a short list only. For instance both can claim broad and internationally well loved cuisines, a wealth of flavours and a real commitment to food preparation. The Italians, particularly in the south, will spend a very long time making meals and nothing will get in the way of that. It is of paramount importance to them that the appropriate amount of time and care is taken in making each meal so that it is always a winner of a dish (or dishes J ). Similarly in India nothing can be construed as a meal unless it has been cooked and has used more than 3 or 4 fresh ingredients. I remember an aunt of mine who lives there saying that, because of the way we eat in the West (i.e. cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch then a cooked dinner in the evening) we only eat once a day. And she has a point, can it really be a meal if some effort hasn’t been put into it?
Second both countries have a strong familial ethic. Families are important, and rightly so. We can argue till the cows come home about dysfunction but fact remains a family unit is, on average and on the whole, more likely to lead to development of more rounded and less damaged individuals. Having such an ethic usually extends to friends as well; both are friendly people that would do far more to help out a friend than I’ve seen in any number of other countries. It’s almost as though both the Indians and Italians took an extra swig from the cup of the milk of human kindness!
This leads me to my next point, the strong religious identity. In both nations there are strong female images of a powerful matriarch that deserves respect , giving an environment for respect for both women and elders. In the case of Italy this takes the form of Madonna, aka the Virgin Mary and in India there are a number of them such as Lakshmi, Parvati and Shakti.
Which unfortunately leads me to the more negative aspects of both countries; hypocritical undertones.
Because, whilst both countries parade these strong female icons, in practice the average female is treated in a very different manner, one that could be deemed as second class in comparison to that of males. In the case of Italy, it is a case of a female’s appearance being a very strong indication of their success in work and elsewhere (more so than other European nations). If that wasn’t enough, it is quite normal for a man to have an affair (not so much with the younger generation but it is still alive and well nonetheless) and he is considered this immensely virile hero, but the woman in the affair is thought of in a far less flattering light, to put it lightly. Also you don’t need me to tell you all about Berlusconi and his, shall we say dealings, with women.
In India, one could argue it’s a bit more sinister. Female infanticide is, as ever, the elephant in the room that no one wishes to talk about but it is a big issue regardless. Look at the sex ratio of the average Indian orphanage, it will tell you all you need to know. This of course stems from the lack of value of a girl within society, and her value decreases the more rural you go. Whilst in the big cosmopolitan centres this is starting to be addressed a lot more needs to be done. Despite this Delhi has somehow reached a legendary status within the country of how unsafe it is for women. So that’s one aspect they have in common. That’s right, this is just the beginning!
Another, slightly more well known aspect of both countries is the level of corruption, which is bordering on the endemic. This is a little more surprising in Italy, being an EU member and all but that doesn’t change the fact that it exists. And corruption is a way of life in India. There are very few things that can be done without some form of ‘persuasion’. I suppose it is more of an issue in the latter but there are countless examples of investigations that were incredibly lax in order to save someones face: Italian example: checking out the safety of the track at Imola after Ayrton Senna’s crash, Indian example: the long-winded case involving the Bofors scam. Not to mention the odd dealings at the top. With Italy it is clear; it is not possible to spend a day in Italy without lining the pockets of Berlusconi. In India, it is not so clear, but politicians have far too much clout with the media and interfere with government issues far too much. If you were to go on Wikipedia to look through the list of known government scams that have occurred in the last 50 years, the list alone would take a while to read.
Both countries have spent of lot of time being subjugated by outsiders and tried hard to maintain an identity. As a result both nations have very conservative outlooks and are not so keen on cultures/practices/most things from the outside. Anything construed as foreign is viewed with a great deal of suspicion. This primarily manifests itself in adopting new styles of management and law making, because eating different food and listening to exotic music is a poor indicator of that in my opinion. What it means is that change is unlikely to come easy as everyone is set in their ways. And so dodgy geezers at all levels are going to be hard to dislodge, because they’ve become traditions essentially.
Oh, and I suppose you could argue that both countries are run by an Italian. There. That’s the only other time I’m going to mention that…
So my brief guide into why India and Italy are the same country. I’ve tried to keep it positive – heavy, but it has to be said that there are a lot of unnverving aspects that can’t be ignored.
Regards,
The Vedic Underdog
