Chapter 26

Why Britain remains great?

People tell me that Britain is nothing, possibly only a shadow (of what, I do not know?). Certain Indians, on a regular diet of vernacular newspapers, believe that in comparison to India, Britain is very insignificant. I don't know on what measurements they make all these claims. Yet, it is my contention that Britain is still great, and will remain so.

Once, in a Middle East nation, where I had gone for a publishing project, I had to call the British High Commission/Embassy office a bit after office hours. An automated message came on the phone. The message was somewhat to the effect that: this is after office hour. If you are a British passport holder, and there is any emergency, -repeat emergency-, you may call any of the following persons at any time of the night. The numbers were then given.

What I have written here may seem a trivial thing. Yet, I asked an Indian connected with the world of journalism, of higher level, what is the level of communication that Indians have with their embassy personnel. He then recounted an incident, wherein one of his fellow countrymen needed immediate consular help. There was no way for him to access the required embassy staff. Not because the phone number was not available, but for two other reasons. One, he himself couldn't call from a level of equal dignity; his only way would be to sort of beg for help, in which case, he would be treated with disdain. Second, any Indian with no formal position or recommendation, would not be seriously entertained, even in the face of the utmost emergency.

So, the man approached this man from the journalistic world. He, being with formal and formidable credentials, phoned the concerned official, and the help came. And he remarked to me, that had he been not available, he wonder what would have been the plight of this fellow countryman.

This is what makes Britain great. And the understanding that any Briton, even as a single individual, can go forth into the world with a demeanour of not being a lesser person to any other guy who puts on a pose of feudal arrogance. As long as the British nation continues to get imbibed with this mental program, Britain remains great. The moment British start talking in Urdu, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam etc., then Britain would imbibe the social paranoia that these languages extrude.

One may remember the English merchants, all of whom invariably refused to perform the Kowtow in front of the Chinese feudal lords. The same spirit should carry them, so that they remain as the symbol of hope to the millions who remain doomed to feudal tutelage.

When there is any thought that the might of the English mind is lost, in the maze of people of all other languages making a mighty din and bustle, let it be remembered that even in the colonial times, Britain was not as powerful as many Asian Empires. For example, the Mogul Empire was definitely more powerful than Britain; even small Travancore would have been statistically stronger than Britain; for at the time of independence of India, the population there, was bigger than that of New Zealand. And when Clive defeated the forces of Siraj Ul Daullah in the battle of Plassey, he had only a minor force of only 2000 personnel, of which the overwhelming majority was Indian. He defeated a force, which was at least 10 times his strength.

This is the power of English, and naturally that of Britain; and in times to come, if they retain their superiority in this sense, then they remain unassailable. But, if any one leader with a shallow understanding of what Britain stands for, tries to lower this nation to the level of all the other appalling nations and groups, then Britain stands lost. Otherwise, never.

At the same time, let nations and people strive to understand why Britain has so much positive qualities, that it has become the starting point of all modern systems, and sciences, and also of human liberty, and humane jurisprudence. And instead of competing with the English, let them emulate them, so that what is positive in the English, can be imbibed for the benefit and excellence of mankind.

The Significance of Britain: In this world, and in all places mankind may chance to migrate to, Britain and British institutions do have a singular significance. Innumerable nations are in a mess. Many like India, are rich, yet condone poverty, privation, exploitation and also corruption, as an essential element of social and political living.  Yet, it need not be so. Many of the so-called free and independent nations are, in their present form, a burden to the earth. Nothing they received as a legacy from the benevolent nature is safe in their hands. Trees and forests that are the real machinery that replenishes the constantly depleting oxygen, the animals in the forests like Elephants etc., the dolphins, whales etc. of the oceans, the ozone layer, good quality drinking water, the migratory birds and also the societies living in primitive levels, all need protection from the new administrators and their officials in all the newly independent nations.

Here I would just interject and digress to a theme, that happened in a certain state, some years ago. There was a tribal development department to improve the lot of the tribal.  The officials posted there used this posting mainly for entertainment. They fed the males with cheap country liquor, and seduced the women.  When children started being born with non-tribal features, there was a big outcry. One official later told me with a sly smile, that the department was formed to develop the tribal. What better way to do that than by hybridisation?

Another story: Many years ago, after my graduation, I was called by one of my acquaintances, to accompany a group youngsters who were also from my college, but not of my immediate acquaintance, to go on a hitchhiking tour to a jungle filled mountain, where there was an ancient temple of a mystic muni. After a long trek through the thick growth, we suddenly reached a clearing, where we found a hut. As is natural, among most youngsters in India, most of the youngsters in the group started yelling out terrible, and dirty expletives. There was no harm actually meant, in this action, only just an exhibition of the natural, empty-headedness of the adolescents. Suddenly, two women ran into the dense growth, from inside the hut. One lean man stood outside trying to hide his obvious fear. We talked to him; he provided us with good drinking water, and showed us the route. In between, one of us asked him: Why did the women ran? He gave a chilling reply: We thought it was the forest department officials.

Britain can be a nation of world trainers. They have to first take a stance and belief in the superiority of their systems.  There is need to remould the whole social understanding in many nations. In this issue, there is no place for a contention of Our systems are good; but yours may also be good. If it is good, then accept it. But, one may see that most feudal language social conditions do have severe negativity, which naturally the proponents of these conditions would not accept as a fact.

Advertise Britain as a nation of international trainers. Not the type of training one may get in a college or institution, but the type of training that can change the whole society, deleting the whole negative programs in it. And build a world with an English level of social living standards; and, I can claim with full conviction, there would come to be a community of nations, with the least of mutual distrust, and only mutual benevolence in the mind.

Actually what I have proposed here is a very big theme that cannot be pursued in this book, for it needs another book, to go into the various intimate themes in this regard. Yet believe me when I say that any society or group of people trained in the British systems as per the dictates of the English language, would display an instinctive, spontaneous, and also automatic inclination for creating and maintaining neat townships, civilised looks, healthy social attitudes, enduring political systems and many other very visible positive factors in a society.