Change and Continuity

Part One:

Change and Continuity

Change and continuity define our civilization. Continuity with the past provides a strong foundation for our identity as Indians, while change opens new avenues to integrate new ideals into our civilization. As the saying goes, “change is the only constant,” and while new ideas and ideals may challenge our identity, they also offer us opportunities to express ourselves in new ways. Despite the challenges posed by new research and perspectives, our Indian identity remains intact, continuously adapting without being uprooted.

Consider the concept of caste, a fundamental aspect of our civilization. Despite new views, interpretations, and questions about its relevance in today’s globalized world, caste continues to play a significant role in our social structure. It remains a major factor in the political landscape for many groups. No matter the challenges, this aspect of our identity will likely continue to influence our civilization for centuries to come. How we will evolve as a distinct civilization is a significant question, but our connection to the past will help us maintain a firm foundation. This connection will allow us to address the needs of Indians both within the country and abroad, as well as contribute to humanity’s pursuit of a meaningful life for everyone, recognizing their legitimate identities in the postmodern era where differences are accepted and pluralism celebrated.

Dr. Amartya Sen underscores the importance of both the past and the present in understanding our identity:

“The interpretation of India’s past cannot be divorced from the concerns of today. Our identities cannot be defined independently of our traditions and past, but this does not imply a linear process where we first interpret our past and then define our identity to address contemporary issues. Instead, our understanding of the past and the present are interdependent. The criteria used to interpret the past must consider the relevance of contemporary concerns. While we cannot live without our past, we need not remain confined within it.” — Amartya Sen, On Interpreting India’s Past, Calcutta, The Asiatic Society, 1996, p. 38

Dayanand Bharati 

Gurukulam 

October 17, 2012

Part Two:

The Indian worldview of ‘change and continuity’ can be understood from different perspectives. Let me illustrate with one real example.

I know a family in Tamil Nadu. The husband is from one state, and the wife is from another. Both are highly educated but from different communities. So, as per the trend of ‘change,’ they had a love marriage. But once they started their ‘home,’ they never kept their needs and interests alone as part of their family life. The wife, realizing that she is now married to her husband’s family, quickly learned the language of her husband’s home and also cooking as per her husband’s family tradition. She did this voluntarily and never insisted upon any of her individuality. Interestingly, her husband never learned his wife’s mother tongue. His wife never insisted or expected her husband to learn her mother tongue as she found no need for it. The important thing for me is that the whole family of her husband is living in Chennai (headquarters of Tamil Nadu), and they all know Tamil very well. However, remaining sensitive to the cultural needs of her husband’s family, she quickly adapted to it.So, despite marrying against their family traditions, she understood her role now as not merely the wife of her husband but also the daughter-in-law of his entire family. Though I don’t have much knowledge about families in the West, most couples there prioritize the needs of their own home first and seldom consider the importance of their role and relationship to their parents. This doesn’t mean they completely sever their relationship with their parents’ family; however, the role and place of a wife in Indian societies is a good example of ‘change and continuity.’

Though ‘change’ is inevitable as it brings new perspectives to our views, it also brings its own inherent challenges, which continuity with our past can help balance. Forgetting the past that gave us security and identity, those who focus only on change will soon end up messing up their lives.

Another important value in our Indian society is that when a couple starts their family life—either as part of a joint family under one roof or as a new family separately—they remain part of the husband’s family. To put it another way, in all kinds of marriages, the girl, now as a wife, becomes part of the husband’s family, completely integrating herself with them. Unlike Western societies where couples can focus only on themselves, here the (new) couple, while desiring their own privacy, needs, and visions, still keep the needs and welfare of their birth family in mind and continue to serve them in all possible ways. The marriage, education, and other needs of the siblings still remain part of the husband’s responsibility, though he need not take full responsibility.

For this, the involvement and cooperation of the wife are important to the husband, which thankfully most wives do—though there are exceptions to this general rule. In our own family, my youngest sister not only encouraged but sometimes compelled her husband to support the education of his own brother’s children as much as possible. I know several families where the wife of the first son almost became like a mother to his siblings and helped and cooperated with him to settle them in life—and if needed, also got involved when any need arose in their lives.

But when the younger generation, in the name of modern (or read Western) values, begins to forget their past, they soon feel the dryness in their lives too. There are a few young couples who, in the name of ‘our own family,’ try to avoid their role and involvement with their parents’ needs and lives or refuse their parents’ (continuous) service to them. They very soon realize the ’emptiness’ in their lives. Meanwhile, their ego—based on their education and earnings—refuses to repent and reconcile with their parents’ values, and they begin to search for a life of their ‘own,’ even while remaining husband and wife. Such selfishness soon ends up in misunderstandings, finally leading to divorce.

We, the older generation, are not against change, but our only request and longing is that the younger generation should not forget the importance of continuity with the past, which will help them enjoy their lives and serve them as well. The uniqueness of Indian civilization is that while accepting changes, it never gives up its old values as meaningless and purposeless. Of course, India does not remain the same, yet it never gave up its unique identity inherited from the past.

Dayanand Bharati 

Revised on 14-8-2024 

Gurukulam, October 18, 2012