Abstract
Pankaj Mishra’s A Great Clamour: Encounters with China and its Neighbours is yet another book from his side, which challenges the burden of western influence on the Asians, for historical inquiries or precisely on looking themselves. Earlier Mishra’s From the Ruins of Empire made perfect analysis of the western model and aptly presented the reasons, why Asia has a better chance in the new world—set to free from the complex construct of colonial past.
During the course of writing these two books, the author has followed the journeys and ideas, which made efforts for Asian solidarity—first, through the intellectual engagements and later by trade collaborations. But in the wake of decolonisation and emergence of modern states, based on western political ideas, they made the Asian solidarity incoherent. Consequently, the reach to the past of Asian countries remains limited.
Pankaj Mishra, who calls Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh his home—has intermittently, spent over two decades there. Not alien with the local wisdom, he lived close to mountains—whose other side is Tibet, technically a part of China. So, China became the part of his serious research—this was something like, to investigate another country as complex and with civilisational attributes as India.
The other common factor between India and China is their being part of global capitalism. So, the upward mobilisation from rural areas to big cities is the trend on run in both these countries. Internally, it has varied effects—so the new kind of politics has acceptance, which focus on the issues related to unequal access to the resources and massive lack of accountability in governance.
But beyond borders, as Mishra puts, the common experience of the capitalist modernity offers a new ground for fraternity. Though his concern is reasonable towards the impediments, on way of ‘the idea of Asia’—as in the case of China and India, their respective political system and economic interests have visible contradictions. Hence, solemnising the rigorous epistemological hypothesis for a broader framework of ‘Asian solidarity’ will not be easy.
So, the book in its frontal attack on capitalism and western notion of modernity falls short to offer any alternative set of system. The last part of the book takes into account five other Asian countries—Japan, Taiwan, Mangolia, Malaysia and Indonesia—as sufferers of modernity. While doing so, the book appears in this part as ‘report card’ on these countries, with tag lines like: ‘Japan’s aged modernity’, ‘Shanghai’s garish newness’. These are interesting, however, a bit detrimental in finding, what should be the replacement of the western model?
In deep objective leaning, the book does not wear the confining specialities; hence, typically, it can’t be taken as a complete work on ‘Chinese history’ or merely a ‘travel book’. Precisely, this is a significant commentary on contemporary China, supported with fine observations on crucial antecedents. Though briefly, the book also comes out well on the issues of Tibet and pathetic state of Nepalese migrants in the booming towns of ‘very aggressive China’.
On Nepal, Pankaj Mishra’s Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India has a detailed chapter—which is as relevant today as when it was written in the last decade. He had captured the sense of disillusionment in masses from both Monarchy and Maoism—when things were still in fog. Years later, Nepal is witnessing an unforeseen phenomenon, with no major say of ‘royal or radicals’ in national politics.
Noticeably, these are unresolved issues but alarmingly under-covered in the mainstream press or by the scholars, tasteful for writing the books. Few works in sight—like those of Patrick French’s Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land—live more with the ‘personal judgement’ than the chosen subject. Though on mainland China there is no dearth of the books or commentaries in western press, many of them are, however, engrossed in personalising the current of history, thus leaving no proper inside views.
Pankaj Mishra, who emerged as a major thinker—more through his reliance on ‘sentimental education’ rather embodying any pre-constructed path—appears enough competent with this book. In recent years, he has spent considerable time in the west side of the world—yet, he stood challenging the ‘western wisdom’ in circulation. His much celebrated spat with Niall Ferguson and Patrick French confirms his forthright position on the ‘divided line of east and west’.
The last two books of Pankaj aim to highlight the apathy of Asians for their history. He argues within the reasons, why the western model, ridden with the crisis of idea and direction, is still being religiously followed in Asia? Most likely, this is because the world has now more or less an undivided economic vision—beyond symbolism, even a country like China is terribly afflicted with the ‘consumerist agenda’.
The weakening of radical political ideologies and failure of existing leftists’ to find an alternate route of the ‘intelligent economics’ has made the scene dangerously idle. A Great Clamour: Encounters with China and Its Neighbours shows the double-wheeling of the Chinese regime, sans democratic provisions like, ‘fundamental rights and transparency’.
The surging cities, unprecedented aggression on Tibet and calmness of citizens best reflect the scenario in modern day’s China. This country is growing with countless contradictions within its belly—some are too much ridiculous to be trusted. But the China is a world in itself—another world, which is real outside, has no clear access to this land. Over the decades, China has made itself uniquely positioned to play ‘hide and seek game’ with entities within and beyond its physical fort.
India has a rich tradition of wandering scholars/Yatri—Pankaj Mishra is next in line of Rahul Sankrityayan, Nagarjun and Nirmal Verma—to travel and write on alien foreign lands. The man, who loves isolation and working outside of public glare, fits well to unravel the realities of unexplored terrains. Throughout the book, he has been promising with his chosen themes—this new book too possesses superlative qualities to be read and liked widely.