From The Hoot:
NDTV India did a random survey of members of parliament to see if they knew something about India’s history. What is the order of colours on India’s flag? What was Mahatma Gandhi’s full name? Who wrote the national anthem? Lots of blank faces around, but no red ones. Our MPs apparently think history is for the schoolbooks, and did not seem particularly embarrassed at their ignorance. Najma Heptullah referred to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as Bumkum Chottopadhya.
Gladly Beyond Any Distance :: Nothing but sound and fury? | 17-Aug-06 at 11:55 am | Permalink
[...] Granted, I think of the nation as an imagined community, courtesy Benedict Anderson, but the alleys and hyperboles of this landscape tend to reach two dead ends: one, of too much imagination (in that too many people imagine the nation in too many different ways; i.e. when do the joys of pluralism get overwhelmed by the dangers of confusion?) and the other, of too little imagination (in that too few people seem to have the power to change the nature of the nation for the greater good, and those who do, hardly seem to think about it at all). [...]
silkboard | 17-Aug-06 at 3:28 pm | Permalink
BTW, I asked 10 random young folks in my office - who wrote Jana Gana Mana. 4 of them said Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
anasuya | 18-Aug-06 at 8:08 am | Permalink
Hi, Silkboard… says a lot about our so-called ejkashun! Frightening (though a better percentage than the MPs). Perhaps we should collaborate on one of those ‘All you wanted to know and were too embarrassed to ask’ lists. What say?
silkboard | 21-Sep-06 at 6:00 am | Permalink
late reply, but yes, shall we? Mail me your list, I will mail you mine. And then we can cross-post the merged mother of all lists.