E-Paper
Indian cities losing uniqueness: John Keay
Indian cities are simply trying to ape the west, noted historian John Keay tells Sudeshna B Baruah.
His works on Indian history such as India Rediscovered, The Great Arc and The Spice Route are considered to be amongst the seminal studies of the country.
Meet one of UK’s most respected historians and Indologist, John Keay, in conversation with Sudeshna B Baruah.
How long have you been associated with India?
It was my passion for angling (chuckles) which brought me to Kashmir in 1965. A six-month sojourn, it was also my first trip to the subcontinent. Most of my time was spent in the joy of catching fishes in the lakes and ponds of the town.
Your repertoire has many writings on Indian history. What actually led you to study about the subcontinent in depth?
During my academic years as a student of History at Oxford University, I came upon the writings of DD Kosambi. A great Sanskrit and Buddhist Scholar, Kosambi’s idea of analysing culture and cult through observation, appealed to me. It drove me to delve deep into the subcontinent’s archaeology, architecture and dynasties, which I had always been intrigued by. Observation was the key to most of my writings on India, thanks to Kosambi.
You have been to this country many times. What in your eyes has changed in India?
It goes without saying that India has opened up a lot since its pre-Independence days. It is hence much easer to live here today. But the country still needs to be more visitor-friendly. Train journeys in India, for instance, were much enjoyable 30 years ago.
I feel there has been a degradation in the food and hospitality proffered on trains these days. Similarly, I feel the cities here are losing some of their distinct characters of yore, in their attempt to ape the West.
There are surveys and reports galore of India being a big player on the global horizon. Does India stand a chance of turning a superpower some day?
I often come across the reference to India as the China of the 21st century, but there was a time when it was referred to as the Japan of the 1980s.
That was the time when Japan economy was on a slump. I do not approve of either of the connotations. Because India still lags behind to toe the administrative efficiency of China. Likewise, neither was India’s economy so weak as that of Japan in the 70s.
Exchange of technology compounded with nuclear capabilities, has unarguably, given India a better place on the global map. But given that change takes a long time to occur in India, I do not think it will become a superpower in my lifetime.
What would you say keeps the land of diversity cohesive despite its varied elements?
The country had underwent the pangs of imperial rule for a long time. The colonial rule had provided a focus of discontent and resentment among the erstwhile princely states. That can be called as the very root of an indescribable integration that prevails in the country till now.
