The mirage of national pride

As we celebrate 51 years of formation of the Indian Republic, I am transported several years back to memories of my childhood days. I wasn't there to experience that rare moment of exultation when India gained independence. But that spirit of joy did last till several years later well into the early sixties for me to recall vivid moments of those times.

It's rather risky talking of old times. I remember tales that my grandfather and even father would tell me about how much money could buy in their days. It all sounded unbelievable. But it also probably made them appear old and from a different world. I definitely do not intend to create such impressions.

So even though Coke (Coca Cola) in those days sold for quarter of a Rupee and 'Gol Gappas' at two for a paisa, this is not what I intend talking about. What I recall on this republic day is the spirit and enthusiasm with which republic days and independence days were celebrated in those days. It was almost the same as any other major festival. Streets were decorated with the tricolor and streamers, and loud speakers would belch out highly emotional and arousing patriotic songs. The enthusiasm was infectious.

I will not delve into a soliloquy on national pride in the past and present. As a child I do not think I understood such 'high gravity' expressions, nor do I think I was capable of assimilating such feelings. It is rather easy to condemn, but praise comes seldom. And so it is that the good things of life and our achievements pass us by. Is it that generations of slavery have left us mauled and bitter? And the initial years of euphoria were misplaced. Or is it that we as a nation have not learnt the art of finding happiness in the small things around us? Perhaps, as a people, as a team, as a nation, we have not clicked well together.

Seemingly disjointed thoughts, but may be somewhere in there, lies the answer to questions on national pride. I was watching Hard Talk on BBC the other day and what cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said kind of struck me. We've had great cricketers who have outstanding individual performances. But as a team, our performance has been rather poor!

Is the same true in other areas too? Surely, we do seem to have had world class individual performances in several areas-be it sports, science, the arts-you name it. But together?

Is that the reason why our national pride too is at such low levels. Come to think of it, this may be a radically different way of looking at it. It has nothing to do with our achievements or lack of it. It may just be that as a people, we are simply incapable of excelling in collective endeavor! And national pride is definitely something that is a massive collective feeling.

Are we caught in a vicious cycle? Is it that in an environment of scarcity, we just can't think beyond ourselves? As Stephen Coney would have said, how can we give away that we do not possess? One needs to go through the joy of possessing, before one will venture out to seek the joy of sharing. So it is that we end up competing as individuals in our desire to carve out recognition for ourselves. And when you compete as individuals you are unlikely to take others along.

That in itself would not have been bad. But when competition gets murky, you also want to ensure that the other guy does not do as well as you. In that frame of mind, for every single person trying to achieve greatness for himself, there will be several others trying to pull him down. The odds are heavily stacked against the individual.

Are we then saying that what the developed western world has achieved is a result of a collective process. That may well not be, as Indians are more social than their western counterparts. For all you know, not being social may be at the root of countries like US doing so well!

Each individual in that country may be focussing on what he or she needs to do to excell. And not being social, they are hardly bothered about what the other guy is doing or not doing, so the negative element of competition is actually absent! This in itself is a great improvement over the previous scenario. No wonder, you have more number of people who end up doing well. And when you have so many people doing well, it appears to be a collective effort! What a mirage!

So what about the Japanese? Aren't they a social lot with strong family and community ties. Why have they done well? (I have a feeling that I've now gone into unchartered waters! But having ventured out, let me go ahead anyway). Well, maybe they do not have very strong individualistic instincts and therefore take their colleagues along. Excellence here comes out of sharing with each other --both success as well as failures. (In fact, I would tend to believe that sharing of failures may actually be playing a crucial role in preventing multiple repeats of the same mistake.)

It all comes back to some very basic stuff. Excell at whatever you do and do not fall between two stools. May be there is no such thing as national pride. One can probably never work towards that. Pride is a very personal feeling. It has to be felt at an individual's level. Pride in excelling as an individual. Pride in helping fellow beings and taking them along.

On this 51st year of our republic, it pains me to see so much of negative energy around that keeps us away from reaching greater heights as a nation. As a marketing professional, I have always exhorted people to look outwards. But this is one area, I sincerely wish we focussed inwards and built pride in ourselves as individuals.

Sumit Sharma is Associate VP, Microland and the author of the book titled 'The Corporate Circus.'