| The
Indian intelligentsia was too big and heterogeneous even at the time
of independence in 1947 to be treated as a radical monolith. It was
nothing of the kind. The degree of alienation of Western educated
men and women from their own traditions varied greatly and so did
their commitment to the cause of revolution, of which freedom from
British rule was only one, though the most important aspect. An
overwhelming majority of them, however, shared a number of features.
They mostly came from modest
non-business, indeed anti- business, backgrounds, the priestly
Brahmin one being the most important. They could regard themselves
as members of the middle class, largely on the strength of
their educational qualifications and entitlement to white collar
jobs. Their first search was for security of employment with the
government which also happened to be the only truly big employer of
educated Indians.
|
