We discussed the degradation of Indian culture to a point that internal self discipline is deficient. Minus the external "order" and controls, there is tendency towards irresponsibility, anarchy, corruption, escapism, etc. Solution: Leadership training.
Here is what the Australian former coach of Indian cricket said in this regard (concerning Indians' lack of taking responsibility) and he blames it on colonialism. (I find many of Chappell's remarks biased, but this one makes one ponder...):
http://www.samachar.com/Greg-Chappell-attacks-Indian-culture-and-cricket-team-mdhuLUbgicj.html
"The (Indian) culture is very different, it's not a team culture. They lack leaders in the team because they are not trained to be leaders. From an early age, their parents make all the decisions, their schoolteachers make their decisions, their cricket coaches make the decisions," Chappell said. "The culture of India is such that, if you put your head above the parapet someone will shoot it. Knock your head off. So they learn to keep their head down and not take responsibility."
"The Poms (British) taught them really well to keep their head down. For if someone was deemed to be responsible, they'd get punished. So the Indians have learned to avoid responsibility. So before taking responsibility for any decisions, they prefer not to," Chappell was quoted as saying during a promotional event for his book 'Fierce Focus'.
Chappell said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was an exception to that rule but even he seems to have lost to the system. "Dhoni is one of the most impressive young men that I have ever worked with. When he came into that Indian team, you just knew that he was a leader in the making. He was definitely someone who could make decisions, and he didn't mind putting his head above the parapet, and didn't mind putting the bigger players in their place. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket in recent times," he said."
Rajiv comment: What Chappell is describing about Indians' character flaw is just the tip of the iceberg of a deeper flaw.
I am reminded of the following. Some Western academics attacked me for saying the same things about bias which many Westerners had also said. It was not necessarily "what" I said, but that I was the one saying it. The criticism was ok for white scholars to say. But I had to be taught to live under the glass ceiling. Black scholars gave me this insight years earlier - that it was fashionable for liberal whites to be very critical of white supremacy but when blacks said the same thing they were discouraged or even condemned. (In other words, self criticism is fashionable, even a sign of being so open minded; but when the gaze gets reversed by the other side then its intolerable.) Naturally, this nonsense is precisely what I decided to challenge. I got much inspiration from Gandhi to challenge the hegemony - what was Anglo supremacy then has become Anglo-American supremacy now. Unfortunately, the academy was able to rope in many Indians to attack me, bypass me, ignore me, brand me - and for this they got rewarded like the Gunga Dins described by Kipling. This goes on even today. I know many such Indians, some with double faces, one in private with me and the other in public to impress the whites. Except now the game has been so widely exposed that there are literally thousands of voices who will speak up against what I have termed Hinduphobia. Such defiance is required to change the playing field.
Cricket and other team sports are a place where Westerners teach young boys courage, team work, audacity, etc as part of character building. I find this kind of character utterly lacking among so many so-called "activists" who approach me to help, but when the arrows come back they run for their lives.
Here is what the Australian former coach of Indian cricket said in this regard (concerning Indians' lack of taking responsibility) and he blames it on colonialism. (I find many of Chappell's remarks biased, but this one makes one ponder...):
http://www.samachar.com/Greg-Chappell-attacks-Indian-culture-and-cricket-team-mdhuLUbgicj.html
"The (Indian) culture is very different, it's not a team culture. They lack leaders in the team because they are not trained to be leaders. From an early age, their parents make all the decisions, their schoolteachers make their decisions, their cricket coaches make the decisions," Chappell said. "The culture of India is such that, if you put your head above the parapet someone will shoot it. Knock your head off. So they learn to keep their head down and not take responsibility."
"The Poms (British) taught them really well to keep their head down. For if someone was deemed to be responsible, they'd get punished. So the Indians have learned to avoid responsibility. So before taking responsibility for any decisions, they prefer not to," Chappell was quoted as saying during a promotional event for his book 'Fierce Focus'.
Chappell said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was an exception to that rule but even he seems to have lost to the system. "Dhoni is one of the most impressive young men that I have ever worked with. When he came into that Indian team, you just knew that he was a leader in the making. He was definitely someone who could make decisions, and he didn't mind putting his head above the parapet, and didn't mind putting the bigger players in their place. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket in recent times," he said."
Rajiv comment: What Chappell is describing about Indians' character flaw is just the tip of the iceberg of a deeper flaw.
I am reminded of the following. Some Western academics attacked me for saying the same things about bias which many Westerners had also said. It was not necessarily "what" I said, but that I was the one saying it. The criticism was ok for white scholars to say. But I had to be taught to live under the glass ceiling. Black scholars gave me this insight years earlier - that it was fashionable for liberal whites to be very critical of white supremacy but when blacks said the same thing they were discouraged or even condemned. (In other words, self criticism is fashionable, even a sign of being so open minded; but when the gaze gets reversed by the other side then its intolerable.) Naturally, this nonsense is precisely what I decided to challenge. I got much inspiration from Gandhi to challenge the hegemony - what was Anglo supremacy then has become Anglo-American supremacy now. Unfortunately, the academy was able to rope in many Indians to attack me, bypass me, ignore me, brand me - and for this they got rewarded like the Gunga Dins described by Kipling. This goes on even today. I know many such Indians, some with double faces, one in private with me and the other in public to impress the whites. Except now the game has been so widely exposed that there are literally thousands of voices who will speak up against what I have termed Hinduphobia. Such defiance is required to change the playing field.
Cricket and other team sports are a place where Westerners teach young boys courage, team work, audacity, etc as part of character building. I find this kind of character utterly lacking among so many so-called "activists" who approach me to help, but when the arrows come back they run for their lives.
-RM
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