Pride hiding prejudice

Jan 25 2025

“How many of you are actually proud of being Indian?”

Dutifully, me and a few others raised our hands to this pointed question by our social sciences teacher. I believe we were in ninth or tenth standard, so in our mid-teens. Her reply to the handful of raised hands was just as biting — I don’t believe you.

She was right; at least, about us not being truly proud. We raised our hands because we knew it was the right thing to do, not because we were truly proud of our country. I couldn’t have described with any words what ‘being proud of your country’ meant at that time. There were empty quotes and calls to duty, but duty to whom? My recollection was that we were taught to serve our country by not questioning authority or tradition. Pride in one’s country, as my social science teacher (and most adults around me at the time) understood it, precludes questions, criticisms and introspection of cultural practices. But pride that requires conformance, fear or unquestioning respect of authority is not worth having. Considering the strict, authoritarian and traditional environment of school where our teacher was an active participant, I’ve no doubt this was the pride she sought. I know now that I want no part of this pride.

She wouldn’t believe me today if I said I was proud of my country, because we diverge on what pride means. I take pride in the people in India and around the world who question authority, injustice and fight for freedom from suffocating power structures. I’m proud of people who try to interrogate their privilege and try to unlearn their indifference to suffering. One day, I hope to be truly proud of my country and myself, as I do the necessary, hard work that is required of anyone walking down this path.