How does nationalism become an exercise in narcissism through the work of Purab aur Paschim?
Purab aur Paschim firmly establishes itself as the opposition and antithesis to Katherine Mayo’s Mother India. By consistently linking Western culture and Western nationalism with symbols of ‘debauchery’, Purab aur Paschim demonises Western culture and valorises Indian nationalism. To see how the movie’s nationalism is an exercise in narcissism, we must first establish two things - the demonisation of the West, and the valorisation of India.
The beginning of the movie establishes the trope of demonising the West. Set in the fight for Independence in 1947, the initial scenes are monochrome, representative of Britain’s oppressive rule over India. This oppression is transformed into an agent of Western corruption as Harman betrays a beloved freedom fighter at the opportunity of winning reward money, concretising Britain and - metonymically - Western’s culture corruptive effects on Indians. Harman running away with Omkar to London seals the corrupt deal.
For the next one and a half hours, the viewer is subjected to the drain inspector’s report of Britain through Bharat’s eyes. The movie establishes NRIs as obvious caricatures of Indians corrupted by Western culture. Shankar and Preeti are shown as NRI’s who know nothing about Indian culture, constantly questioning Bharat as he mentions Rama, Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, the Shrimat Bhaghwat, and so on. These shows of blatant ignorance alienate all the NRIs from the Indian audience, making the viewer feel an intense hatred for these caricatures. Only Mr. Sharma - Preeti’s father - is redeemed as a ‘true Hindustani’ NRI through his constant value judgement (conveyed through facial expressions) of Preeti, Rita, and Shankar’s indulgence in Western ‘vices’.
Western ‘vices’ such as cigarette smoking, consumption of alcohol, and indulgence in the sexual contribute majorly in the demonisation of Western cultures. In every scene that a ‘corrupt’ NRI is present in, at least one caricature is smoking, holding a glass of alcohol, or enagaged in scandolous, overtly sexual acts. All of these acts serve to scandalise Bharat, who is supposedly the personification of India in this movie. Portrayed as a soft-spoken, innocent, blameless, simple man from Allahabad, his characterisation as someone who denies to indulge in these ‘vices’ is how Indian nationalism’s inherent narcissism is established.
Narcissism is defined in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary as “ a condition in which somebody is only interested in themselves and what they want, and has a strong need to be admired and a lack of understanding of other people's feelings”. Defined in the psychological context, this need to be admired comes through in the film as India’s constant need to be associated as the spiritual capital of the world, everything else notwithstanding. By constantly drawing attention to India’s secularism and religious diversity through scenes of prayer and images of places of worship, the movie wishes to establish India as a shining beacon for those seeking spiritual guidance and knowledge. Bharat, throughout his time in London, is positioned as an envoy of Indian spirituality as he teaches Shankar Hindu devotional hymns, taking on the mantle of spiritual teacher for all the lost NRIs who have lost themselves in the corrupting thrall of Western culture. Lal Chand (Mr. Sharma’s servant) in the same vein comments on how sabko akal aa jayegi (everyone will come to their senses) as they are re-introduced to their spiritual roots through Bharat’s teachings.
This is the point where Purab aur Paschim truly becomes the antithesis to Mayo’s Mother India. As it demonises Western culture and nationalism through symbols of ‘vice’ and ‘corruption’, it valourises Indian culture and nationalism through its seemingly heightened, intimate, and widespread connection with the spiritual. By constantly focusing on the ‘gutters’ of Western culture for the majority of screentime, the movie grabs the opportunity to focus only on the ‘heavens’ of India. It fails to capture the entire truth of India, and instead becomes part of a nationalist narrative of India’s constructed history, where all peoples are equal, where all faiths are given due respect, and the great socio-economic divide between classes and castes doesn’t exist. By selecting parts of a whole, the movie creates the idea of an India the nation wants to be and indulges in the narcissistic fantasy of India being the spiritual capital of the world. Through the valorisation of a selective, highly edited image of India, nationalism becomes extremely narcissistic in the way that it focuses on only the ‘good parts’ of India, and the parts which don't make it are part of the ‘gutter’ that Mayo outlines in her book.
Purab aur Paschim in that way becomes a response to Mother India. The book was claimed to be “an impartial book on India for the average American”. Yet its criticism, especially from M.K. Gandhi states the contrary. Similarly, Purab aur Paschim becomes a very partial representation of both Western and Indian nationalities - a clear example of how nationalism is an exercise in narcissism. Nationalism consists of an identity comprising a linear, constructed narrative which ‘others’ everything excluded by the same narrative. This linear narrative is not easy to believe on its own. However, because the movie spends a great deal of screen time focusing on the ‘evils’ of the West, the image of a spiritual and valorised India in opposition to the ‘evil’ becomes an image that an Indian audience wants to eagerly believe in. This opposition is what makes the story of a national identity powerful - through the creation of a powerful but lesser than other.
Works Cited:
Mayo, K. (1927). Mother India. Harcourt Brace.
Anderson, B. R. O. G. (2016). Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Revised). Verso.
Kumar, A. (2015, March 6). Outrage over India's Daughter sound familiar? In 1927, US author's book irked many ‒ even Gandhi. The Scroll.
Deb, S. (2013, June 8). Mayo drain report is still valid. IndiaToday.
Oxford University Press. (n.). Narcissism. In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/narcissism#:~:text=%2F%CB%88n%C9%91%CB%90rs%C9%AAs%C9%AAz%C9%99m%2F,too%20much%2C%20especially%20your%20appearance
Filmography:
Kumar, M. (Director). (1970). Purab Aur Paschim (पूरब और पश्चिम) [Film].
Vishal International Productions
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