Mark Twain had visited and explored India during his world tour of 'Following the Equator'. Here are some of his observations.
source: The Mark Twain experience
"India had the start of the whole world in the beginning of things. She had the first civilization; she had the first accumulation of material wealth; she was populous with deep thinkers and subtle intellects; she had mines, and woods, and a fruitful soul."
In Banares he evinced an inner pleasure at the many men and women kneeling prayerfully for hours "while we in America are robbing and murdering."
The poverty nearly suffocated him. He blamed the white man who, in the name of civilization and "the white man's burden," impoverished many peoples in the world. Mark Twain angrily said, 'We are obliged to believe that a nation that could look on, unmoved, and see starving or freezing women hanged for stealing twenty-six cents' worth of food or rags, and boys snatched from their mothers and men from their families and sent to the other side of the world for long terms of years for similar trifling offenses, was a nation to whom the term "civilized" could not in any large way be applied.' The result of 'civilization' was the extermination of the savages: 'There are many humorous things in the world—among them the white man's notion that he is less savage than the savages.'"
Of India itself he eloquently summed up his three months of exploration: "Nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the Sun visits on his round. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
Toward the end of his journey, tired and full, he wrote a friend, "I have been sick a good deal; the rest not so much. We have had a good time in India—we couldn't ask for better. There are lovely people here. They made us feel at home."
oops, I see it as Literature stuff. Good to read. In school, it would have added us India thoughts and essays more. How will this be practically helpful. WIth regular stressing ofcourse people s mind will be influenced.
ReplyDeleteWhat else, Ramesh?
Besides Twain being a literary genius, I saw this one as a traveller's log.
ReplyDeleteTraveller's account often comes in handy to assess the situation. More often, the traveller imprints his own conception of the situation he faces in the place. But, we can always get the underlying picture.
I did see this as good read. Twain got a lot of money from India and so he could have exaggrated a little bit about us. Neverthless it helps.
I believe the little excerpt, I posted, tells some little yet important things. Obe being, the claim of British making India poor is not just the rant of white-hating nationalists of India.