Democratic traditions, values and institutions are not purely western. Our ancient epics, our diverse folk tales from one corner of the country to another are full of dialogues, discussions and contrasting positions.
The dialogue in Mahabhrata between Bhrigu and Bharadvaja relating to caste division talks about how all humans get affected by emotions of the likes of sorrow, ****, anger and still divide ourselves on the basis of caste.
Thus, social change in modern India is not just about Indian or Western ideas. It is a combination as well as reinterpretation of western and Indian ideas. We have seen the use of both modern ideas of equality and traditional ideas of justice. In colonial India the undemocratic and discriminatory administrative practice of British colonialism contrasted sharply with the vision of freedom which western theories espoused and which the western educated Indians read about. Thus, the scale of *** and intensity of social discrimination led to deeper questioning of what is democracy.
