Christina's Online Interview on National Identity

I responded to an online interview by Christina Daniels on her blog. Christina is an ex-colleague and friend from my IBM days. She is doing this interview for a book she is writing on the theme of national identity.

Christina’s questions and my answers

1. Going back to the time when we had only one channel in India, how would you say that Doordarshan affected your concept of what it means to be Indian?
   Before the advent of cable television, Doordarshan was the only audio-visual medium (apart from the occasional movies), and it naturally exercised a powerful influence on my perceptions and thoughts. Doordarshan projected the image of India as a country that embodied ‘unity in diversity’, that had a glorious history, rich culture and great leaders, that had a secular, socialist and welfare state, and that, though presently impoverished and underdeveloped, was poised to develop into a great nation before long. Being an Indian was being a citizen of such a country.
   
2. In the days, when Doordarshan was the only television broadcasting body in India, which are some of the programmes that stand out in your memory?
   Quiz Time, Chitrahaar, Hum Log, Buniyaad, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Nukkad, Janvani
   
3. Did you perceive Doordarshan as attempting to create an ‘Indian’ identity? And if so, was this identity accurate?
   Doordarshan, being a government channel, did try to overlook the darker side of our lives – the hierarchical and feudal character of the Indian society, the corrupt and pseudo-democratic nature of the Indian polity, and the highly inegalitarian and monopolistic nature of the Indian economy – and projected only the brighter side. Thus the Indian identity created by Doordarshan was partly real and partly false.
   
4. Has your concept of being Indian changed since then, or does it remain the same?
   My concept of the Indian identity has definitely undergone a change, as I have access to a variety of media now.
   
5. Since the time that cable television has been introduced, what are some of the programmes that stand out on TV?
   News programs with on-the-spot, live footage; reality shows on singing competitions
   
6. Do you think that cable television has in any way changed your concept of what it means to be Indian?
   Cable TV channels are different from Doordarshan in that they exist to earn profits from advertisements. They therefore cater to those sections of the society that have purchasing power. So their programs are mostly for and about the high-class, Westernized, urban section of the Indian society. This naturally colours my perception of the Indian identity.
   
7. Moving on to the coming of the Internet, how do you use the Net?
   This question is not clear to me, yet I will give it a try. I use the Net for several hours every day, and I use it at both office and home. Does that answer the question?
   
8. Which are some of the sites that you most often frequent?
   Gmail, Google, Wikipedia, Linkedin, Orkut
   
9. Has the Internet in any way affected your perception of yourself as Indian?
   Since Indian engineers have played a big role in the IT revolution, Indians in general have a significant presence on the Net, for example, in online groups, discussion boards, blogs, etc. This makes one more confident and more proud of one’s Indian identity.
   
10. Does the Internet make you feel part of a larger global community, as against an Indian community?
    Yes, the Internet has made me much more of a global citizen. National identities are definitely blurring.