"So, how are the Indians?" I was asked countless times during my recent visit to India. But how many Indians did I actually see, considering India's population of some 1.3 billion? Not enough to make a general assessment.
We were thrown into a boiling cauldron of colors, sounds, sights, flavors and scents and endless contradictions.
Who hasn't passed through this subcontinent over the last 5,000 years? It is home to an ancient, grand civilization that has melted into itself just about anyone who ever tried to leave a mark on it. The many gods and goddesses worshipped in the variety of Indian faiths reflect this inclusive approach. They are the secret to India's strength, but also to its weakness. They are all India's children.
The feelings that dominated my trip, intensifying from day to day, were awe and humility toward this place, which makes the Hollywood figures we talk about day and night seem like two-dimensional cardboard people.
As I write this column, I am sitting in front of the Gateway of India – an arch monument erected by the British before World War I to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Wellington Pier (then Apollo Bunder) on their visit to India in 1911. Colonialism is omnipresent here. It is lurking in every corner. Like in our own history, the British were the last to purport to rule over this vast territory. On Feb. 28, 1948, the last British soldier left India, passing through this very gate.
On my trip, I accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his historic state visit to India. Much will be told of the prime minister's visit – where the main accomplishment, beyond progress on free trade and restoration of a mass missile deal, was diplomatic. For the first time in 70 years, India is putting Israel at the forefront and isn't being shy about it. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went out of his way to demonstrate how highly he and his country value Israel. Netanyahu was treated like the leader of a global superpower.
I listened to Modi very carefully. He is a fascinating figure. A 21st century Gandhi of sorts, trying to break through the frustrating limitations of Indian society. Size doesn't matter, he said this week in reference to Israel. He also quoted Albert Einstein in asserting that "imagination is more important than knowledge." It is a prerequisite for creativity and innovation, he said. Without imagination, personal and national aspirations cannot thrive.
Culture is made up of symbols. What is a symbol? A symbol represents a larger concept – a tip of an iceberg, where the iceberg is a far wider and deeper cultural and historical phenomenon. What does Modi see when he looks at us, besides cutting edge technology and practical solutions for life in his country? For him, the State of Israel is the Jewish people, and the prime minister of Israel is the premier representative of the Jewish people. The common thread linking Modi and Netanyahu is that they are both political leaders who operate in an arena of living history. It is evident in every speech either one makes. A historical perspective looks at the world in at least two parallel planes: the current time, but also the now as it relates to the continuum of past events.
The current time plane is usually dominated by military, economic, political and diplomatic interests. But they are not sufficient. The deeper plane contains the culture, religion, ancient texts, language, mythology, historical milestones, watershed moments and all the events that shaped the people into what they are today. These elements are far more influential than we can see.
Think about personality: If you truly wanted to get to know someone, would you only address the aspects of their personality that are exposed? After all, our own personal biography – everything we experienced and absorbed throughout our lives as well as everything we inherited from previous generations – shapes every aspect of our current personality. It impacts our ability (or inability) to make decisions, to come up with answers to dilemmas, to build (or destroy) relationships with others, etc.
Psychoanalyst Carl Jung once likened the conscious mind to an island in the ocean of the subconscious mind. To look only at the island and ignore the ocean would be irresponsible and profoundly unwise. The same is true in diplomatic relations between countries and peoples. The deeper, cultural plane – the "subconscious" ocean – is all too often ignored in the political arena and studied only by intellectuals and folklore aficionados. When it comes to India, it would be absurd to think that the country is motivated solely by current interests, without any regard to this infinite civilization.
Here, the most modern commercial town India (the Tel Aviv of India), changed its name to Mumbai only 20 years ago. The name Mumbai is derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba – the name of the patron goddess (kuladevata) Mumbadevi – meaning "mother" in the Marathi language. (This figure in Indian culture far predates Christianity.) The locals still worship her to this day.
In Marathi, spoken in western India, Amba became Mumba, and so Mumbai means "mother Mumba." In modern day, the city changed its name from Bombay – a reminder of the Portuguese and British colonialist period – to Mumbai.
The name change was a symbolic return to the religious and mythological origin of the place. This is just one small example in a country where every street, every body of water, every hill and every forest, lives and breathes ancient traditions. So who am I to talk about this thing in a diplomatic context? Or even a journalistic context? We are dealing with missile deals and economic cooperation, are we not? It is important to keep in mind, however, that ignoring the deeper, cultural plane would be like arrogantly entering an ancient labyrinth, containing a fearsome monster, with a blindfold on.
The Western world embraced our book of books and 2,000 years of Christianity have been characterized by an obvious (though one-sided) competition for the title of "the chosen people" and disputes over how to interpret the Bible. But not in India. The Bible holds no significant presence in the history and practice of Hindu culture. They have their own sacred texts, a pantheon of gods and goddesses, their own intricate mythology, philosophy, religious faith, methods of worship and a way of looking at things that is, at times, radically different than ours.
One ancient culture that worships one god versus another ancient culture that sanctifies a vast plurality of gods. Each approach profoundly influences the way of life and character of a culture. That is why there is no anti-Semitic baggage in the history of the relations between our two peoples. The world does not distinguish between Israel and the Jewish people, contrary to what our enemies may mendaciously claim. They say that they "don't hate Jews" only "Zionists." But in India, conversely and positively, they actually don't make the distinction.
Listening to Modi speak, I often heard ancient refrains behind his iron words that echoed the sentiments expressed by our own exiled forefathers – "we were as dreamers" – when they spoke about returning to Zion.
"Then said they among the nations: 'The Lord hath done great things with these" (Psalms 126). In historical terms, "these," meaning us, were ashes and dirt just a moment ago, when we returned to Zion. Now, a nation of 1.3 billion people is actively seeking a partnership with us. Right before our eyes, Israel is turning into a world player.
In one of his speeches, Netanyahu noted our commitment not only to ourselves, but also to serve as a light unto the nations. The rest of the Psalms verse mentioned above talks about what happens to us after the nations express awe at our good fortune. "We rejoiced," the verse says. It is okay to rejoice at Israel's success in the world. For one short minute, let us set aside our well-known Israeli cynicism – the product of many disappointments – and enjoy the moment. We were as dreamers.
