It surely gratifies me that I hear such an evaluation from you, Mr. Holmes, but it isn’t so. And I say so surely because I myself passed through all the stages: from the primary aversion of the culture, I was born in, via the recomprehension the personal stereotypes formed by this culture, and to looking for the alternative to it. I wouldn’t say it was easy. I came even here as a result of unconscious search of an alternative to the biblical culture. I found a peace of mind for some time here. But later I understood that it had been a peace of zombie, and it is more dangerous than the life in Russia I fled from.
What is the danger you see?
The fascism.
Sorry, do you want to say that fascism can appear in India?
Everything depends on what is understood under “fascism”. Today the question about a threat of “fascism” as a rule is mostly led to ideas of national or racial oneness and intolerance; to real or supposed encroachments on the rights of minority groups and diasporas; and also to symbolism and phraseology of “fascism” inherited from Germany and Italy. However, Indian Vedantic (or Vedic) culture is elder than Ancient Egyptian culture, which gave birth to the biblical culture. And in Vedantic culture the both symbols, which followers in last decades are blamed for fascism, exist: David’s star (Zionic fascism) as well as fylfot (national-socialism of Germany and neonazis from different countries who copy it).
Besides, a word-combination “little people” is typical for all crowd-“elitist” societies as an antonym to other combinations – “best people”, “noble people”. As I could make sure the Indian caste system hasn’t disappeared. It was only put into fine-looking attractive form, like slavery in the biblical civilization. I hope, Mr. Holmes, that you paid your attention to almost three million strong part of India’s population, which is called “little people”? Did you pay attention that they didn’t demand anything? During many generations they were convinced that it is determined from above, that they just were unlucky in those lives but if they were obedient they would be born in another caste. But even others, who don’t join the caste of “little people”, consider it to be quite normal. It’s interesting that when your ancestors had come to India they couldn’t find an analogical word to name the Indian “lowest caste”. They became to call them in their own way: “little people”, though higher castes of Indian society called them otherwise: “non-existing people”. And this is one of the signs showing that the Indian caste system, which has been existing de-facto for many centuries, as it is, is one of the oldest forms of fascism on the Earth.
Grisha, honestly, it is quite unexpected conclusion. As I know the word “fascism” origins from the Latin “fascia”, which meant a bunch of rods tied round a strap and having an axe in its middle. In Ancient Rome fascias were at first a symbol of Emperor’s power, then a symbol of power of supreme state officials – so-called “magistrates”. “Lictors” – servants and bodyguards of magistrates – carried fascias of their masters. In the modern history “fascism” as a social phenomenon became famous in Italy. Indeed, it was born there on the basis of protestant emotions of many “little people”, who in the society of “freedom” of personal initiative had become oppressed by the individualism of big and very big oligarchs[86] that abused different powers at their own discretion. Since such protesting movement was created in Italy, its ideologist had pretensions on the heritance of former greatness and power of Roman Empire. And they expressed those pretensions in choosing the roman fascia as a symbol of unity of “little people” for protecting their lives from oppression of “big people” – oligarchs. Thus fascia gave a name to “fascism”, which at first was a protestant movement headed by the leader of “little people”[87] against the oligarchy. But I see neither oligarchs nor leaders, and the main, nor striving of “little people” to unite against invisible or “non-existing” oligarchs.
And I firstly told the same objections to my friends from Petersburg when they had indicated on the Indian fascism, Mr. Holmes. The fascism indeed is considered to be a misanthropic ideology, but you wouldn’t find such an ideology here. Moreover all spiritual practices, there is a great many of them in India, outwardly are aimed at man’s perfection. But look at the reality, think what possibilities to become humans do these three millions have? Here they value plants and animals higher than men; they adore every bush, every tree; if the road is built and there is a tree on the way – the road will go around and nobody has a right to damage it. But at once nobody notices the “non-existing” third of population of the huge and fabulously rich country. In India the organized crime nearly doesn’t occur, though East, West and Russia are infected with it. Look at policemen: whether they wear too much weapon and armour? They have only a stick or rod, but… the order is perfect! The West cannot but envy. Why? – Because the society is strictly stratificated and so it evolves during many millennia. What can these pitiful unhappy “little people” steal one from another? – A piece of polyethylene, a stone to make a fireplace near a runoff ditch? And transfer from one caste to another is impossible.
Fascism really works for unification of a society and seek after maintenance of its stability in the succession of generations. However it is unification of a society into a system, where certain conflicts between members of the society fallen into fascism and conflicts between the fascism in whole and some people can occur; thus it possesses a certain peculiarity. The principles of fascistic unification of a crowd-“elitist” society into an entire system are directed to excluding formation and possibility to work of any off-site factor, which is able to undermine the fascistic stability: wash it out during more or less long time or immediately (to historical measure) completely ruin it. As we can see there are no condition for formation and activity of any off-site factor, which is able to undermine the fascistic stability, in Indian society. We deal with the complete fascism; with the purified fascism, refined of any ideological form; with the fascism as a peculiar system and culture, which prevent the formation of humaneness in the society.
And here one should understand that fascism doesn’t appear as a result of some coup d’Etat, when a group of extremists gets the power with force or comes to power during the democratic elections after what it created a “fascistic dictatorship”. The whole society falls into fascism slowly and unnoticeably, under certain circumstances probably specially created. Unfortunately it is so, Mr. Holmes, because the essence of fascism is not any ideology, violence or meaning to execute the power. Its essence is that “little people” actively support the system of abusing the power by “elitist” oligarchy, which presents the unrighteousness to be a “true righteousness”. And on this basis perverting people’s morality they cultivate the unrighteousness in the society and prevent people to become humans.
But look at the fascism which is known by historical experience of Nazi Germany and which became a cultic model for “neo-fascists” as well as for “anti-fascists” of different countries. Within the aforesaid understanding of the essence of fascism in spite of forms and meanings of its expression, that fascism appears to be a caricature freak-fascism. And it was artificially and intentionally grown to be surely unable to function, for attracting as much attention as possible by its horrors; and thus to divert the society’s attention and powers from the formation of much more capable fascism, which will be if not hopeless then near to the hopelessness of the global inferno.
Interesting, –Holmes noticed. – I hear this word the second time for my trip. On Latin it means something like hell, but you Russians read into it some sense that is far from theology or mysticism but very actual in life.
Ivan Antonovich Efremov’s novel “Bull’s Hour” can give rather good answer on your questions. I don’t know if there is translation in English. But you should know that in Russia for nearly thirty years the worldview of several generations is formed – if it isn’t for whole youth, then at least for its most active part. In the novel it’s told about the poem of Dante, who created the gloomy picture of multi-stage inferno and explained the terrible essence of the name “inferno” – its inescapable hopelessness. And earlier only occultists understood it.