A Brown Pundit Visits China

 

I spent five days in China, a first visit to the mainland.

My first visit to a country I have read about, is a mix of fact checks, search for stereotypes and surprises.

I visited two cities Shanghai and Beijing, and did not get a chance to speak to as many locals I would have liked to.

Some observations and musings from the trip.

Time to get the obvious out of the way- It is a large country and what I saw, is akin to a pothole in an ocean. None the less here goes.

The scale and quality of hard, physical infrastructure is imposing. The maglev train from Shanghai’s Pudong international airport, the orderly never-ending traffic on endless roads that crisscross Shanghai and Beijing, the extensive metro network, the omnipresent taxis- regular and via the cab hailing app and the digital ecosystem of Universal apps- WeChat and Alipay. The high-speed railway that takes you from Shanghai to Beijing- a journey of about 1300 kilometers in four and a half hours. Movement of people and information is fast. That it happens at a scale unmatched anywhere else in the world and the time in which this whole infrastructure has been built- is awe inspiring.

The state is everywhere, it is watching you from cameras in every corner but you do not see the state.  No hoardings that tell you about the Chinese communist party or of one Xi Jinping. No cops on the roads, especially true for Shanghai.  The state is unobtrusive. It knows where you are and what are you up to but all you get is the power of the state capacity- well organized and clean super cities. You live the force of state capacity but do not get to see the state.

Talking of hoardings, you do not see commercial ones nudging you to buy that new car or an apartment or the latest…. (Insert shoe/ phone/ perfume/bag). All outdoor advertising is on the facades of the stores and even there it looks understated. Miles and miles of roads without outdoor advertising takes getting use to, if one has landed from Delhi.

Labour is abundant and female participation is high. There are apps for food and groceries delivery at your doorstep. Delivery staff ride electric two wheelers, that make no sound, and sneak up on you.

Two wheelers, their riders young and old, men and women, abound. The only reckless driving seen in the cities is on two wheelers. Women work in retail and hospitality. They can be found behind immigration counters and at airport security. One place I did not see them was driving taxis. Not one, I hailed multiple taxis in both cities. Never found a woman behind the wheels. Every other job, you see them.

No overt religiosity. The Chinese have done away with the god(s). No places of worship, no congregations, no religious motifs in shops and commercial establishments. To paraphrase a local- money is our god and making money our religion. When asked how does he make peace with the uncertainties and unfairness of life, he answers- by making more money.  Make money and spend money. How do I look, what am I wearing, what am I driving and where am I living? Who needs gods.

Tech has taken care of the language barrier. Get online and use an app that translates and one can get around and engage. Even the cops posted at Tiananmen square indulge your queries.

Lots of youngsters and a few kids. From airports, railway stations to public spaces, the first line of the state machinery is young. No middle-aged potbellied cops and ticket inspectors. You can see the one child policy at work. A child with two sets of grandparents and her adoring parents. Wealth accumulated by six adults being spent on one child.

No Caucasians, no Indians and the rich of the middle east are also missing. Two of the largest cities of in the second largest economy of the world. A country whose presence is felt in every nation and the world is not visiting its cities. No sign of large expat communities. No watering joints that are popular with Americans or Europeans. The weather was not the best for tourism but who is running the Europeans factories and the American banks. Guessing they went home for the Christmas break but are the Caucasians rare or what. The Africans are invisible. Not one African face in 5 days in China’s oldest and biggest cities. Not one.

China is a great example of what state capacity can do. A densely populated country that has been around for millennia, has transformed itself within four decades without hitting the jackpot of a natural bounty. Those running the country did not seek wisdom of the crowds by holding elections/referendums. The economic transformation was forced upon its people. Economic prosperity in exchange of political choice. The state derives its legitimacy from outcomes. That it does not indulge opposition does not make it unaccountable. The nameless and faceless bureaucrats who have built China in the last 40 years- no noble prize-winning economists or Chicago University professors there, have lifted millions out of poverty and within a generation delivered a quality of life most of us will never experience. The scale of transformation is unprecedented in Human history and as an Indian, one cannot but admire and grudge it.

What I would like to know is how they got an ancient civilization to let go of its past, how did they bulldoze consumerism and materialism through societal networks that had evolved over centuries- how did they do away with God.

What did the Chinese Communist party do to retain legitimacy as it pivoted from ideas like collective farming to allowing a tech and finance led millionaire class to flourish within a generation. Perhaps another trip calls.

Is the Chinese model replicable and should we try and replicate it in India.

The Chinese model is not unique and they are not the first ones to pull it off. Sustained economic growth for long periods has always needed some kind of labour and financial repression combined with protectionist trade policies.  All the developed economies of today have indulged in both at some point in their growth trajectory.

Letting a small set of people decide the economic fate of millions is high risk strategy. If the elite are not good enough, the scale of failure is catastrophic. China from 1949 to 1979 is a good example of the magnitude of that disaster.

The result has too many variables we do not understand to give us a templet. Which brings us to the process. In India the state gets it is legitimacy through the process of its election. To forego that for a bet that the unelected elite will deliver on outcomes- think of the political party you loathe and now think of that party always being in power and is unable to deliver on outcomes. Let us stumble along I say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AI in Defense & Future of Drone Warfare with Abhijit Iyer Mitra

I spoke to Abhijit Iyer Mitra on AI in Defense & Future of Drone Warfare.

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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Swetha Warrier – India’s Dancing Star talks about Bharatnatyam Fusion

I spoke to Swetha Warrier on her journey as the finalist in two of the premier dancing talent hunt TV shows in India namely – India’s Best Dancer & Dance India Dance. She also spoke about her passion for Bharatnatyam Fusion

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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Women In Vedas | Aryaa – An Anthology of Vedic Women | Shivakumar GV

I spoke to Shivakumar GV on The Indic Explorer Show who curated an anthology collection of multiple writers on different stories representing the women in the Vedas and other Hindu classical Literature.

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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The Indic Explorer Show Ep 35 – State of Modern English Theatre in Chennai

On the 35th Episode of The Indic Explorer Show, I spoke to Theatre Director Ajit Chitturi on the status of Contemporary English Theatre in Chennai.

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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The Indic Explorer Show Ep 34 – History of Goa & The Horrors of Goa Inquisition- with Archeologist Sawani Shetye

On the 34th Episode of The Indic Explorer Show, I spoke to Archeologist Sawani Shetye from Goa. She spoke the history and culture of the state, its portrayal in the media & popular cinema and most importantly we had a detailed discussion on the Portuguese Inquisition of Goa.

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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Unraveling an Unequal Night in Boston

In a charming North End Italian café, DLV and I encountered an odd closing time scenario. The white presenting waitress told us that the cafe was closing in 10 minutes on our arrival, but when a white couple entered roughly 6 or 7 minutes later, she mentioned that the cafe would be closing in 15 minutes within our clear earshot.

Amid Boston’s historic charm, I noted the waitress, seemingly “ethnic white,” spoke Spanish (until that moment I hadn’t assumed Hispanic but rather Italian), which somehow dissuaded me from leaving a review as this lent an additional complexity to the matter.

Upon deeper reflection on the encounter, it became apparent that the white adjacent waitress was navigating her internalized racial preferences, manifested in a slightly delayed service (though I did not skimp on the tip). In the diverse context of Boston, where overall demographics show 44% white, certain historic neighborhoods like the North End and Beacon Hill exceed 90% white, revealing profound and unspoken hierarchies.

This incident sparks an intriguing discussion on privilege and its intersection with race. I chose not to make a fuss or challenge the matter, a decision that might have differed in a high-end restaurant in central London, where such disparities would have been much more conspicuous. I observe that the restaurant and hospitality industry in the United States resembles a glass of beer, with white supervisors overseeing teams predominantly comprised of black and brown individuals, so it’s not as straightforward to challenge.

Racial microaggressions (immediately post the pandemic was terrible as hospitality staff were just annoyed to be back at work) within the British restaurant industry have notably diminished as South Asian students are becoming a large part of the workforce. These individuals demonstrate an immediate understanding of how to navigate Desi clientele, although I cannot speak to their interactions with other demographic groups of customers.

New England’s terrible Desi Food scene

As I prepare to return to the Old World later tonight, I find myself reflecting on one of the most challenging aspects of my time in New England this past month—the notably subpar quality of Indian cuisine in the area (I also tried Desi Pizza).

With the exception of Madras Dosa Company in Harvard Square, the local culinary landscape is disappointingly lackluster. While some restaurants may boast high Google ratings, they fall short of meeting the standards I’m accustomed to in the UK.

London, in contrast, offers an exquisitely diverse Indian food scene that allows enthusiasts to explore various regional cooking styles, with places like Fat Pundit leading the way in innovating Indo-Chinese fare.

In any case, I’ve encountered difficulties with the flavors in the USA. Ingredients seem oversized, yet their flavors often appear muted. I’ve come across information suggesting that chicken in the 1960s was smaller but possessed more distinctive flavor (as evidenced by Julia Child’s recipes, which apparently assumed chicken to be inherently flavorful).

I’ve also observed that white Americans, or those not of Indian descent, don’t seem to embrace Indian cuisine in the same way that the British do. In the United Kingdom, Indian food is almost a culinary religion, even if the takeaway options may not meet the standards of native Desis. This fervor has created an environment for Indian food giants like Dishoom to flourish. On the other hand, Americans appear to have a stronger affinity for Chinese and Mexican cuisines as their primary choices of ethnic fare.

I’ve heard that Manhattan and the West Coast offer a more diverse and satisfying array of Indian food options, likely due to the critical mass of desi communities. I also suspect (Dr. Lalchand smirks at this last residue of ethnic chauvinism) that Pakistani restaurants might offer more tantalizing experiences in the US, which is the opposite of the situation in the UK, where Indian-owned and run establishments tend to excel as a rule.

Browncast: Professor C Christine Fair on Lashkar, Khalistan, Palestine, etc

 

Another Browncast is up. You can listen on LibsynAppleSpotify (and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don’t have a regular schedule is to subscribe to one of the links above!

In this episode Mukunda and I talk to Professor Christine Fair, Professor in the Security Studies Program within Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. We talked about her upcoming book “Literature of the Lashkar e Tayyaba” , jihadist propaganda in general, and whatever else comes up. We also touch on Khalistan and Canada and even spend a few minutes on the Israel-Palestine conflict to round things off.

C. Christine Fair

Kaivalyadham- 100 Yr Institution in the field of Yoga & Scientific Research | Subodh Tiwari on The Indic Explorer Show

On the 57th Episode of The Indic Explorer Show, I spoke to Subodh Tiwari CEO of Kaivalyadham- A 100 Yr old Institution in the field of Yoga & Scientific Research.

We spoke about Yoga, the role of this institution especially in producing academic papers and also some interesting stories of prominent leader of the Indian Freedom movement who visited the institution including MK Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar & Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

The Indic Explorer YouTube channel focusses on the interplay of Indic culture with modernity explored through different facets in the socio-cultural sphere.

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Brown Pundits