Alienation

uncritical mind. It promises to usher in modernity and affluence, but actually

promotes social obscurantism and cultural backwardness.
An agenda for cultural action - I
By K. N. Panikkar
Cultural action is an intervention in daily life, directed to the transformation of
social consciousness... Its main agenda is to bring the individual, who is
increasingly being alienated, into the social fold.
INDIAN SCIA! reality is fast changing" changing for the worse. #he hopes of a
social transformation, not bridled by e$ternal constraints, which the national
liberation movement had raised, seem to be dwindling everyday. As Antonio
Negri and %ichael &art, authors of a widely discussed work on globalisation,
have recently observed, imperialism is dead, but the empire is forming before our
eyes. #he name of the 'empire( is globalisation, which seeks to sub)ugate the
world for the interest of transnational capital. #he 'virtues( of the new 'empire(
and the paradigm of development they proffer form the hegemonic public
discourse in India today. The message of the `empire' is the market
transmitted through the cultural netork! of hich the implicit purpose is
the creation of a modern! read capitalist! taste and the making of an
uncritical mind. It promises to usher in modernity and affluence! "ut
actually promotes social o"scurantism and cultural "ackardness.

No other phenomenon is a stronger statement of obscurantism and
backwardness than communalism, reinforced in recent times by the cultural crisis
that the 'empire( has generated. Communalism #mvc`vwqKZv) and
globalisation have thus become mutually complementary with commonly shared
interests. #he recent developments in the wake of the Afghan war have
established beyond doubt the uncritical acceptance of the dictates of the 'empire(
by the Indian ruling classes. Any attempt at social engineering is, therefore, a
multi*pronged effort * cultural, ideological and political * which should aim initially
to change the nature of the hegemonic public discourse. Cultural action is at the
centre of this effort.
#o begin with, the nature and meaning of cultural action needs some
elaboration and clarification, as definitions and interpretations of culture are
unmanageably large. Culture, being embedded in all human engagements, is a
domain in which social power is both e$ercised and contested. It is also the
means for the articulation of dominance and resistance. +iven the materiality of
culture, as emphasised by ,aymond -illiams, culture is not an epiphenomenon,
but has an all*embracing character. #he scope of cultural action therefore
e$tends to the entire social e$perience.
Cultural action is an intervention in daily life, directed to the transformation of
social consciousness. It is not a cultural performance or spectacle based on
various art forms, though they are not ruled out as a means of communication.
Instead, it is concei$ed as a continuous social acti$ity capa"le of acti$ating
the `cultural' in e$eryday life. It is a form of inter$ention directed toards
the radicalisation of ci$il society. #he purpose of cultural action, therefore, is
to foreground the human agency for what Antonio +ramsci has described as
'unsettling the e$isting e.uilibrium( in order to create conditions of life free from
domination.
Such a notion of cultural action is not entirely alien to the e$perience of social
movements in India, even if most organisations work through different art forms
to reach out to their audience. -hile the /eople(s Science %ovement and the
0erala Sastra Sahitya /arishad have tried to create cultural consciousness
through intervention in .uotidian life practices, the Safdar &ashmi %emorial #rust
1SA&%A#2 and %anaveeyam have preferred the power of performance to
confront and change the e$isting social consciousness. #he positive contribution
of such organisations notwithstanding, a rearticulation of cultural action, both in
form and content, is called for, to effectively interrogate the e$isting social
conditions. %uch a rearticulation should "ring culture to the centre stage as
an instrument of social change through an intense and continuous
inter$ention in daily life practices.
&owever, the contemporary social and ideological conditions are beset with
se$eral factors! hich impede such a cultural action. #hree of them, which
are of particular importance, deserve some elaboration" #&' the changing
relationship of the indi$idual ith the outside orld! #(' the influence of the
market and the related culture of consumerism and #)' the rise of religiosity
and communalism. All the three contribute towards a myopic vision insensitive
to the social reality.
#he social problems are increasingly becoming alien to the concern of the
individual * society is no more in the mind of the individual, possibly because of
the competiti$e spirit fostered "y capitalism. #he personal has replaced the
public and as a conse.uence the pro"lem of the self has "ecome the most
serious concern. #he individual is more and more involved in seeking
solutions to his on crisis that he has "ecome insensiti$e to the social
good. #his is in contrast to the past when during the ,enaissance and
Nationalism movements, the individual surrendered the self for common public
interest. #he presence of socially sensitive individuals who could promote cultural
action in the public sphere is therefore becoming scarce.
#he crisis of the individual has been further deepened by the changes in the
material life during the last few years. #he character of the market has changed
dramatically and glo"alistion has opened up the possi"ility of
unprecedented access to consumer goods. #he transnational capital has
created a new market and along with that a new culture which the individual
imbibes not by his choice" it is forced upon him. As in advanced capitalist
societies, the market is "ecoming so irresisti"ly poerful that consumerism
tends to "e the ideology and culture of the masses! creating material
aspirations not commensurate ith their real situation. #he an$ieties
generated by this contradiction form the ground in which religiosity and
communalism thrive. #hat many see a solution to their personal crises in
spirituality is also part of this syndrome.
#he main agenda of cultural action is to bring the individual, who is increasingly
being alienated, into the social fold through two possible areas of activity. #he
first, the creative realm and, second, the constructive realm. 3sing art forms for
social and political campaigns has been a long tried method, going back to the
period of the anti*colonial struggle. In contemporary India, several organisations
have innovatively employed several art forms in their public campaigns.
SA&%A#, for instance, has conducted its campaign against communalism very
effectively during the last several years by using painting, music, street plays and
so on as means of communication. Considerable work by several organisations
though uncoordinated, is taking place in this field, which over the years has made
some impact on social consciousness. A drawback of these efforts is that they
are sporadic in nature and do not constantly engage the attention of the masses.
In contrast, the constructive realm has the potential to provide for continuous
activity and thus make cultural action an integral part of everyday life. +andhi)i
had set an admirable and effective e$ample through spinning, 0hadi and the
organisation of life in the ashrams and turning them into symbols of mass
mobilisation.
#he main feature of cultural action through the constructive realm is the creation
of cultural communities. #wo types of communities are possible4 imagined
communities and local communities. #he imagined communities internalise
certain common values and interests and their members relate themselves to a
common source of origin.
#he educational intervention of 5kalavya in %adhya /radesh is a good e$ample,
as through an educational e$periment it has created a cultural community
sharing certain common ideas, even if the members do not act together or
communicate with each other in a formal manner. 5kalavya has brought into
being an abiding but invisible cultural community drawn from the influence of an
organisation working in a selected field.
An agenda for cultural action - II
By K. N. Panikkar
-hat is re.uired is the creation of a counter culture through constructive
undertakings, which would alter the e$isting public discourse generated by
globalisation and communalism.
#&5 !CA! communities function at an entirely different level. Not because they
address local issues, but because of the manner in which they function. -hat
they do is to localise for action those issues which are universally valid.
5nvironmental issues which underline man*nature relationship, for instance.
5nvironmental degradation is a problem that has already assumed alarming
dimensions and is likely to worsen in countries like India in the conditions of
globalisation. 6oth at the level of social sensitisation and for evolving alternative
strategies local communities can be constructed around environmental issues.
#he local is likely to generate greater interest to people rather than something
distant. 7et, environmentalism being a common problem present in almost every
part of the country, the local becomes part of a larger whole. #he local
community, however, is not an organisation, but a collectivity, of which the
participation is not through membership but through activity, which is limited to
the intervention at the local level. Innumerable such areas can be identified
according to the specificities of each locality. #he local communities, however,
are not isolated communities, but are to be located within the larger cultural,
social and political ambience.
#he significance of local communities is the possibilities they offer for continuous
engagement, a necessary condition for the creation of social consciousness. #he
agit-prop methods that are generally adopted by the political parties and their
front organisations are limited to sporadic or spontaneous action, which does not
have an abiding impact. %oreover, their reach is generally limited to their own
followers and in most cases they do not even generate sympathy among others.
Although demonstrative actions are necessary part of democratic struggles it is
time to reconsider their effectiveness in the prevailing social situation. In contrast,
the work of the local communities is silent and unobtrusive, providing a platform
for people to forge bonds of solidarity around chosen issues.
The main purpose of cultural action is to radicalise ci$il society. #owards
that end, the preliminary step is to de-ideologise ci$il society from the
influence of glo"alisation and the logic of communalism. A poerful and
influential pu"lic discourse in fa$our of "oth is current in Indian society.
#he former is generated by institutions sponsored by global forces and the latter
by the social and cultural organisations set up by the Sangh /arivar. 6oth are
directly supported by the Indian state. #he impact of globalisation on the Indian
economy has been debilitating, yet it has created an artificial sense of affluence
through a market which does not reflect the needs of a ma)ority of the population.
#he abundance of motor vehicles to the stock of Australian apples testifies to the
irrelevance of the market to the common man. &owever, supported and
welcomed by the middle class the global forces are engaged in manufacturing at
the grassroots level a new cultural taste, lending support to the spread of
consumerist ethos.
In a country like India with a fairly large section of society deprived even of basic
necessities of life, consumerism forced upon it is self*contradictory. 8or, it
arouses e$pectations, aspirations and possibilities which many realise are
beyond their reach, thus deepening their sense of frustration and deprivation that
they already live out. *onsumerism impacts on the mem"ers of the middle
class in an entirely different manner. The material modernity they ha$e
em"raced through consumerism creates a cultural crisis! hich they fail to
resol$e ithin the am"it of a "orroed lifestyle. They are! therefore! forced
to seek their roots! hich they seem to locate in a cultural past defined in
religious terms. The politicisation of this cultural crisis has led to their
uncritical support to communalism and hat has come to "e termed
cultural nationalism! hich seeks to pri$ilege a cultural identity different
from the estern. #herefore, there is an inherent contradiction between the
interests of globalisation and the ideology of cultural nationalism. Although the
ruling classes and their ideologues have tried to mask this contradiction by
inventing a human face for globalisation and raising the slogan of swadeshi, the
contradiction is becoming sharper with the increasing intrusion of the market.
#his contradiction enables the local communities to identify the necessary space
for initiating counter cultural action.
So far, the response to both globalisation and communalism has not gone much
beyond political opposition. !ed by the !eft forces the political opposition has
been well articulated through demonstrations, strikes, hartals and so on. #he
social resistance, however, has not developed in a manner to confront and
counter these forces. #here have been some attempts at physical confrontation
with the market outlets of multinationals in areas like 0arnataka, which have
proved to be unsustainable due to the intervention of the state and counter*
productive, as such acts of denial do not elicit the sympathy of the public. An
alternative suggested by many is the boycott of multinationals and their products
which given the penetration and the hold of the market as well as the tacit
support of the state is an unrealisa"le utopian dream.
#he resistance against communalism also suffers from a similar impasse,
although considerable ideological work has gone into the construction of anti*
communal consciousness. &indu communalism has managed to come to power,
not because of political mobilisation alone, but more due to sustained work in the
social and cultural fields, which has considerably contributed to a heightened
sense of religiosity all over the country. #he communalisation of civil society
draws upon the groundswell provided by organised religiosity. #he public
e$hibition of religiosity in an organised and spectacular manner has considerably
increased during the last few years. As a conse.uence, the distinction between
religious and communal discourse is steadily disappearing from society.
#he purpose of cultural action is, therefore, to influence and change the
character of the public discourse in civil society. It cannot be achieved through
re)ection, resistance and opposition alone. All the three are necessary, but not
sufficient. -hat is re.uired is the creation of a counter culture through
constructive undertakings, which would alter the e$isting public discourse
generated by globalisation and communalism. This can "e achie$ed only
through the re$italisation of indigenous cultural resources! remoulding
them to face the contemporary challenges! at the same time ithout "eing
o"scurantist and re$i$alist. The formation of local communities ith the
a"ility to intimately inter$ene in the cultural life of the people is the
necessary "eginning for the creation of a counter culture.
Implicit in the counter culture is the inevitable conflict with the dominant social
and political power. Such a conflict has both local and national dimensions.
!ocally, the engagement of the communities will be in a variety of cultural issues,
ranging from access to water and firewood to claims over shared history and
tradition. #he local also e$tends to the national as it impinges upon the way the
national is constructed. #he culture the local communities invoke draws upon the
plural tradition variously articulated in different localities. Such emphasis on the
local, without being localised, is likely to be a ma)or challenge to the emerging
tendencies of homogenisation which both communalism and globalisation,
though in entirely different ways, seek to realise. Cultural action with such a
perspective transgresses the cultural to comprehend the social and the political.
6ut then the cultural is political.
1Concluded2