Emergence of states has downsized spiritual influences of families and local communities, and frequently the latter ones are encouraged, even forced, to abandon their traditional views and make room for what the rulers prescribe. This is how less-influential nationalities within big countries are losing their identity.
In absolute terms, and from the perspectives of feelingless outsiders, a culture may seem a serendipitous stuff replaceable with anything handy. The truth is all cultures are formed through millennia-long man-nature interactions. Practiced by large or small populations, disregarding their cosmetics, all cultures are fittest hitherto to the practicing lands and peoples. To any person, the culture of his community is an inseparable part of civilized life. Use of the term ‘uncultured’ to express disapproval of someone’s behavior shows the gravity any community gives to the cultural aspects.
While advances in modern technology has brought incalculable benefits, its uneven distribution has created divisions: rich-poor, advanced-backward, strong-weak, superior-inferior, expanding-shrinking, dominant-submissive, free-constrained, ultimately upholding the expression ‘might is right’. Alex Haley’s 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family best describes how the strong ones impose their values, as seen in the denial of Kunta Kunte’s very name, and renaming him Toby. Obviously, one can emerge from slavery but cannot reclaim lost language, culture, religion and identity.
Of all age groups, elderly are considered wisest; children, most innocent. The elderly are approached either in a gesture of respect or with an intent of cropping their rich experiences; the minors, for their cheerfulness, joyfulness, vigour, fun, enthusiasm. Whether they smile, play, tell stories, yawn or cry, or be they happy, angry, clean or dirty, children win our admiration. With small efforts, their mood and response can be changed.
Children understand our problems; they slowly give up their proto-language, and adapt to the words, signs and body languages adults use. In place of simple instincts-guided situational responses, they accept complicated orchestrated systems of law and justice, enforced by institutional provisions of punishments, should one fail to obey. By the time they knowingly start learning from adults, they also begin to realise their limits and helplessness; nay, inferiority. The young minds begin to surrender their dreams, and own what seniors feed.
Impressed with success, seniors continue training a minor, through different categories of commands; some planned, others impromptu. The higher the kid achieves, as measured by yardsticks of grown-ups, the more he is praised. Undoubtedly, extended families and native communities are sincere in their part.
Children are not foolproof. Sweets, games, celebrations and praises easily win their hearts. They care about music and rhythm over words and implications. They find nothing alien in anything as long as it serves their taste buds and other senses. Wisemen are aware of the dangers such weakness can invite if not guided properly, and thus prescribe ‘appropriate’ measures. Disregarding these warnings, some schools, business firms and leaders involve the young minds in cultural programmes aimed at pleasing VIPs and guests.
We have an age-old culture of hospitality, as expressed in ‘atithi devo bhava’ (the guest is god), and the concept of universal friendship, as expressed in 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam' (the world is one family). The practice of assigning panchakanya or five virgin girls offering fresh flowers as a gesture of welcome to venerable guests was widespread until the recent past. Thanks to cheap use of the practice and gender movements, now mostly adults and males perform the job.
New forms of exploitation
The Constitution of Nepal has made education up to elementary mandatory, and the government is obliged to provide it free to all school-age children. This means local governments have to ensure the children are attending schools. If pupils are unable to pursue elementary education for their personal physical disability or financial poverty, the government should provide special support, including schools appropriate for physical and teaching-learning activities, and financial support to students and their guardians. Utilized optimally, Nepal has enough resources available to carry out these reforms. What our governments need badly are willpower and good management.
It is precisely here, ‘helping hands’ creep in. Some offer parentships to a few kids, others distribute food or clothes, still others make monetary donations, most of them carried out in lavish ceremonies crowded with hundreds if not thousands of audiences, in front of mass media. More often than not, the expenditures of hand-over celebrations far exceed the support the beneficiaries receive.
Sadly, schools teach playgroup children a foreign language, oblivious of the fact the fate of 124 mother tongues currently spoken in the country depends on whether our kids learn and practice them. Our governments should provide primary education in mother tongues. It is time to act. Campaigning in the media for the conservation of mother tongues is useless if we miss it in classrooms.
Nepal is one of the richest countries in native festivals. But our schools are training to celebrate alien festivals, at the cost of local festivals. Blind imitation of influential foreign cultures is exactly the opposite of what our educational institutions are supposed to deliver.
Under survival threats, anything can be acceptable. Pushed to extremities, people show extreme behavior. Demarcations between just and unjust, legal and illegal, acceptable and unacceptable, beneficial and harmful, all get blurred, or simply erased. At the moment, our economic situation is not that bad. Unfortunately, contemptible trends have appeared in Nepali society. Government-funded schools are seen begging foreigners for snacks which the government has already provided to all students in need. Politicians, social workers and school management committee members are seen more than eager to spread hands for alms, on behalf of the local poor. The leaders do so mainly to get close to foreign donors. In the give and take, they forget the identity and interests of the land and people they represent. Such a mindset needs to change.
Cultural exchanges can be a positive way to foster harmony among diverse communities. However, it is important to approach such exchanges with respect, sensitivity and ethical considerations. We need to ensure that such exchanges are based on our needs rather than exploiters’ stereotypes. Make sure we do not fall prey to someone’s soft-power dream. Make sure we are not taking sides, especially against the poor, oppressed and underrepresented.
To safeguard the interests of our children, it should be ensured that they are not used for commercial purposes, that they are not put in a position of disadvantage to benefit others.
Final point. Remember, listen intently, most of the stories and dramas sound interesting. If others need an audience to their cultures, we also need so. Cultures make an impact only when they reach the audience. We want our cultures to also make an impact. Thus, unless it is two-way, say no to whoever wants a one-direction audience in our children. It is our duty.
