Under the garb of Modernization
Raqif Makhdoomi
‘Yourap Ki Ghulami Pe Razamand Huwa Tu
Mujh Ko To Gila Tujh Se Hai, Yourap Se Nahin Hai!
‘It is you who became the willing slave of Europe:
My complaint is against you, it is not against Europe’.
The above quoted couplet is written by one of the well-known poets. Allama Iqbal (RA). He expresses his sorrow not because the West wants people to adapt to their cultural and start calling it their. But he expresses his sorrow with the people who have embraced the culture only because the West wants it to be adopted.
In each society the Western cultural has become so common that the new generation doesn’t even know that this has never been part of their cultural. “English” language is seen as a symbol of being educated. And nowadays people prefer to speak in English other than their own native language.
This “English” speaking taboo, which is a “curse”, is spreading in Kashmir rapidly. I have seen mothers scolding their children for not speaking in English. And if by chance they see their children using a word from the language, they start yelling at them.
This makes me so curious and makes me wonder “Why are we so ashamed of our identity”. We Kashmiris have a very common incurable disease known as “flaunting”. There’s absolutely no cure to this disease. Just because we want prove how “modern” we have become; we are mercilessly eradicating our “Mother Tongue”.
Kashmiri parents have made their children “victim” of flaunting. Children are being pushed to two main exams NEET and JEE even when their children want to take up something else.
To be very honest they have no problem with their children choosing something other than NEET or JEE but then they don’t get to flaunt. This flaunting has led to depression and many towards suicide. How do we forget a famous coaching Institution that made headlines for students committing suicides? And the death note they left behind clearly indicated that they were the victims of flaunting.
Somewhere the students became victims of flaunting and in Kashmir our mother tongue is becoming the victim of flaunting. I have seen mothers of kids of 4 to 10 years, even younger flaunting English speaking skills of their children.
The former Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar in Raj Sabha of which he was the chairman said a very informative and important thing. He said someone has to colonize you he first attacks your language and then the other things follow.
He rightly said it because the first thing that a child learns is the language and then the other things. When he won’t be able to learn his native tongue he won’t be able to feel connected with his other native practices, which finally leads to “cultural aggression”.
We have with time adapted to culture of West and called it modernization. The modernization and adapting to the cultural of someone else are two different things. We are seeing people in Kashmir now use dining table to have their meals. Do we call it modernization? No, that’s not modernization. That’s adopting a different culture.
Modernization means a continuous, dynamic transformation driven by rational thought, increased education, and a focus on achievement, aiming for improved living standards through scientific knowledge.
This definition clearly indicates that the modernization is linked with education and improved condition of living. One can be educated and may not have hold on English language. Will we not nullify someone’s education just because he/she isn’t well versed in English?
English isn’t our language. We often say “English is a universal language “. But have we ever got to the depth and actually ever thought why English is the universal language? It’s because the United Kingdom had turned half of the world as their colony. I often refer to English as a language of colonizers not a universal language. It has not come with genuine methods but through the means of brutality and colonization.
We are seeing people of all religions gearing up for “New year “and celebrating “New year ”. Even when this is not culturally to what we are linked to. This is what Allama Iqbal (ra) wanted to say “Yourap Ki Ghulami Pe Razamand Huwa Tu, Mujh Ko To Gila Tujh Se Hai, Yourap Se Nahin Hai!”.
My question is to my Muslim community. Why are you celebrating “New year”. Our New Year begins with “Muharram”. What has led us to adopt the cultural of West? Have we seen them being “Influenced” by our practices? No they aren’t but unfortunately we have been deeply influenced by their culture.
Our religion has categorically made it clear and asked us to practice quite opposite of what the non believers do so as to ensure clear separation between the two. Nor does our religion allow interference with their religion neither does it allow us to practice their beliefs.
There are rulings by religious scholars of all school of thoughts. Making it clear to stay away from all these practices and even call it haram.
What is needed is that we need to stop following blindfoldedly the practices of other communities especially the west so that we can promote and propagate our own centuries old culture and belief system. This is what will strengthen our identity.
(The author is a law student. The views expressed are his own)
