Building Bridges: The role of Culture in South Asia To understand a society by becoming a part of it is to undergo a process of self-realisation and often transformation. I spent the summer of 2014 with the Tibetan Exile community in Dharamshala. I was intrigued by the ease with which the Tibetan community had assimilated itself in the Indian society, though there were the occasional skirmishes with the local community. I was particularly fascinated by the appeal of Bollywood in the Tibetan community and I noticed how cultural familiarity had bridged the divide between the Indian and the Tibetan communities. It is not surprising to see Tibetans swaying to Bollywood music or humming the tune of a Bollywood song. Such is the power of culture. The reality of South Asia is not very different. During a discussion with friends from Nepal on the cultural similarities between India and Nepal, it was consistently stressed that in terms of religious practices and social formation the two countries have much in common. The story is not very different when we compare other South Asian countries. India and Bangladesh connect linguistically and the appeal of Tollywood (the Bengali film industry) in Bangladesh is not surprising. And as far as India and Pakistan are concerned, despite the persistent differences strong historical and cultural ties exist. Does South Asia have a common culture? Culturally the region is too complex and diverse to evoke such a claim but there are certain universal values which bind the people of the region. The popularity of the Hindi movie industry or Bollywood as it is popularly known owes largely to its successful depiction of “South Asian values”. For example, the centrality of family as depicted in Bollywood films finds an audience in the whole of South Asia. It is therefore not surprising when you hear about life coming to a standstill in Afghanistan or Nepal when the popular Hindi soap operas are being aired. Bollywood is an important source of soft power in South Asia and its depiction of the South Asian reality can contribute to the integration process in the region. While India exercises its soft power through creative mediums like films, it must be remembered -- as Joseph Nye puts it -- “soft power is a dance that requires partners.” To develop a South Asian identity and for India to be acknowledged as a credible regional and global power by its neighbours, she will have to be conscious of her neighbours as stakeholders and not as lesser mortals. The public space in South Asia is culturally dynamic and this dynamism regulates the sway the government has over it. Increasingly culture has begun to play a prominent role in shaping people’s identity and their definition of the self. Bollywood has successfully tapped on the cultural commonalities that exist in South Asia. The influence of soft power relies heavily on its ability to impact the audience and also elicit certain desired responses. Bollywood has strategically exercised soft power by focussing on themes which enjoy an appeal in the region as a whole. Bollywood movies became popular in countries like Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan because of the centrality of love, family, religion and hope as themes. Also, what is particularly appealing about Bollywood as a source of soft power is its ability to depict tradition and modernity as co-existing and complementing each other. Since South Asia today is in the grip of globalisation the exercise of soft power has to be through mediums which can capture the essence of globalisation and allow people in the region to represent their hopes and desires. The popularity of Bollywood owes a great deal to India’s internal political and social make-up. The depiction of freedom and dissent in Bollywood movies has found an audience outside India and these are values which are particularly appealing to countries still struggling to draw a balance between modernity and tradition. In South Asia, India has been particularly successful in exercising soft power. She has done it through mediums that are often beyond government control. We are presented with an interesting situation where a country which has for the longest time been characterised by a subject political culture has successfully managed to delineate a cultural space. This is not to suggest that this cultural space enjoys complete autonomy but only to stress the power of culture to define its own existence. While there is often nothing subtle about Bollywood, its role in cultural diplomacy has been played out rather subtly. While tapping on values that resonate in the whole of South Asia, it has managed to promote certain values which are uniquely Indian. It has successfully depicted an image of India that represents both modernity and tradition. While India has her own share of problems it has successfully managed to uphold the principle of pluralism and hence modernity does not always enjoy an uneasy relationship with tradition. While governments represent people politically, soft power represents everyday experiences and is a more accurate representation of lived realities. The future of South Asian integration lies in a strategic use of soft power to promote values which are beneficial for the region as a whole. For this purpose culture will become an important variable since it enables us to bypass an impersonal government and focus on values which define our very existence.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 05:09:21 +0000
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