The big brother syndrome: Should India Avoid? - Instablogs
The big brother syndrome: Should India Avoid?
Deepti Khakurel , Kathmandu: Jul 29 2008
Made Popular Jul 29 2008
Nepal :

“ Our big brother was Big. He was really big in size, knowledge, resources and was kind of independent. Though, he reassures occasionally that he really cared for us but in reality he wanted us to be dependent on him. He wants us to speak his language, see the world through his lens and yes encourage and invest us to do many things that we might never do in our own.....and slowly we were paralyzing...not knowing that our brother so near and dear to us was planning it from years unknown.....

The big brother syndrome: Should India Avoid?
Source: http://safeer.info

Everyone hates to be inferior or we can say that has desire to be supreme.....but ‘in what cost?’ is important rather than the status of being weak or powerful. Identity has always been the prime factor over any conflict or dignity. And identity always comes with the geographical power. The South Asian region featured by its unique identity bears many diversification as well as commonalities. Among the South Asian countries, India is the most powerful and superior country. The extended country is more powerful than Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and others too. Even countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan are far behind India’s global trade or local development but they have always been skeptical about it progress or the gap in between India and their respective countries.

India is growing stronger day by day though it is neither rich nor poor but it has become very powerful. With its growing economy and drive to develop it is building strong foundation and command over the region. This might be one of the many reasons that India tends to have a Big Brother Syndrome as it bullies to other of its neighbours. A big brother syndrome is a complex illusive superiority complex which advances into patronizing, aggressive, pompous behaviors and resulted by bulling or interfering others who are small or weak. India is becoming another America which gets it rightful to poke to other’s politics, business, society and other lots of areas. Whether it is politics of Nepal or Sri Lanka, any changes within the sphere, there are suspicion rambling on peoples mind holding India responsible.

The 1950 Treaty of Peace and friendship between India and Nepal has ruined Nepal in many ways due to its unequal stipulations and agreements. Many villages and agricultural lands of Nepal have submerged due to the ignorance of India by building high dams nearby the border. There are issues of trade and economy which has paralyzed Nepal over and over which has created scarcity and suppression. There are issues of land encroachment at border side called Susta village in Nawalparasi district which is 175 km southwest of Kathmandu. According to a field survey report presented at the parliament, India has encroached on 14,000 out of the total 21,000 hectares of land and taken hold of seven of the total nine village development committees in Susta, according to the report. The encroachment started in 1984, the report said.

These days, standing up of India on Madeshi issue is very controversial. There are investments and politics by India for autonomous Madesh in Nepal. If India is not behind this tumult, why do Madeshi leaders speak or act the way India wants? Why India is protecting offenders? Why everything happens and get decided when our politicians meet Indian leaders or why people like Sitaram Yachury and his troop visit to Nepal before every important political milestones? And why decisions made in Delhi is always so important?

Nepalese people are very skeptical and have prejudice about India. There are people who think being anti-Indian is the way to be nationalist. Even the investment done by India in building bridges and schools especially in borders of terai are seen as cultivation of conflict. Though India might have its interest in Nepali politics or national issues, it is the responsibility of Nepalese to grow up and break the dependent chain rather than discerning other people or country. In the same line, India’s interest to lead the region should be based on the mutual cooperation rather than by dominating other nation. It should respect sovereignty of other countries and promote peace and harmony, as we share and live in similar spheres of life.

“But then we realized that…..we have our unique strength and potentiality to be developed and prosperous. We can be friends to our Big Brother…real friends. He even can support and cooperate us and will pray that one day we will be healthy and independent. All we need was to stop complaining against him and our Big brother should stop dominating us, then we do no harm to each other. We are so related and alike…and we need each other….”

This is my personal view, not to hurt anyone’s feeling. No offence please!!!

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2 Stars
Yash
Gwalior, India
India never acted as a big brother against any of her neighbouring country. The old treaties that required of many things that Nepal should first get India's permission to buy arms is linked to the communist Chinese threat. China did invade India in 1962 and India didn't want China to fight a proxy war through Nepal or the Nepalese.

Of course India doesn't have any problems now if the treaties between Nepal and India are revised. The geopolitical scene has changed a lot.
1 Stars
Sukhbahar
Ludhiana, India
India's neighbours including Nepal and Bangladesh had been India's soft under belly. Bangladesh continues to provide safe haven for wanted terrorists in India who operate from their soil. The Indo-Nepal border is non-existent and ISI-trained terrorists found it to set up borders just across the Nepal border. India never initiated any military action crossing the border. Many anti-India Maoists were trained in Nepal and sent to India to cause mayhem. India had been a role model for big and powerful countries with weaker neighbours. Just see what is Russia doing to Georgia and Ukraine.
1 Stars
Shameem
Aligarh, India
India's stand towards the Nepalese monarchy and the anti-monarchy front was pragmatic and extremely balanced despite tremendous pressure. Though the Maoists have been hand-in-glove with Indian Maoists and Naxalites, Prachanda was given safe shelter by the government covertly to hide in many Indian cities from south to north. No wonder Prachanda is thankful to Indians. The Nepalese must thank their lucky starts that India interferes with its affairs (if at all it does) and not the inhuman and bloodthirsty Chinese.
1 Stars
Prabhunarayan
Pondicherry, India
I remember once India imposed a crippling trade embargo for about a year in 1989-90 (that it lifted on July 1, 1990) against Nepal when it refused to withdraw some of the most unfair of conditions on Indians like mandatory work permit for Indians working in Nepal when millions of Nepalese are working freely in India. That was just one incident when India had to show what it meant for Nepal.

Nepalese must not forget that India always advocated for democracy in Nepal that includes imposing an arms embargo on Nepal when the Nepalese king Gyanendra dismissed the elected multi-party government in 2005.
1 Stars
As far as I know the blockade during 1989/90s was not because of the unfair conditions in Nepal but was done by Rajiv Gandhi as Ms. Sonia Gandhi was not allowed to enter Pashupatinath for not being a Hindu. And to what extent it is fair for doing the blockade on a landlocked country by the Prime Minister on the basis of his personal grudges
1 Stars
Grace Calderon
Quezon City, Philippines
I firmly believe that India can never be another Big White Brother. It isn’t in the construct of India’s moral fiber to be such.
1 Stars
Shameem
Aligarh, India
India a big brother bully? If that was so then puny countries like Bangladesh would not have dared to kidnap Indian Border Security Force soldiers and tortured them to death. They did this many times and the last time the victim was an officer. If India acted as a big bully it would have carried out air attacks against the Bangladesh Rifles.
0 Stars
Nitesh
Chennai, India
Nepalese people are very skeptical and have prejudice about India. There are people who think being anti-Indian is the way to be nationalist.


They are plain stupid people. They are brainwashed by Maoist and other political propaganda. They forget that if India was hostile towards Nepal, many Nepalese would have starved. If they sought refuge in China, they would not have been celebrating long cherished democratic victory as they are now.
1 Stars
”They are plain stupid people. They are brainwashed by Maoist and other political propaganda”

Isn’t this something being arrogant, dude, by passing your own judgment on people you hardly know.....this is just the other side of coin…you don’t need to accept at least you can know its existence. Every individual has brain to work on their own....
2 Stars
@ Nitish

Nepalese are one of the most trustworthy people who are honest and brave.

Somehow the feudalistic polity has failed to empower this Himalayan country and Maoism only took root because of the deep poverty that engulfs much of the rural landscape.

@ Deepti

Possibly by its sheer size India has behaved as a big brother, but the problem does not lie across the border.

It is within.

To make a strong nation, one needs to toil in sweat.

Even Japan is a small nation but the influence it commands globally cannot be matched by many countries that are much larger in size.

Holding others responsible for ones troubles is not a negotiable argument in international relations.
(Global Perspectives)
2 Stars
Mr. Nitesh...Ms Deepti is here not commenting on ”people” of India...So i dont think you should have written what u wrote that Nepalese are ”plain stupid people”. How much do you know about Nepalese.And why do you Indians always think that Nepal is nobody without the presence of India....Its a give and take business..if India is helping Nepal in any way,it is because it has some benefits....How self-centered you people are...sometimes it is Ms.Madhuri Dixit who claims that Nepal is a part of India and sometime Mr Hritik Roshan thinks that he can comment anything about our people...and now of course you....Wow!!!Great people you are....
2 Stars
Bal Krishna Jha
Kathmandu, Nepal
I agree to Mr. Ravinder on this that:

”Possibly by its sheer size India has behaved as a big brother, but the problem does not lie across the border. It is within. To make a strong nation, one needs to toil in sweat.”

Japan and Israel are comparable in size to Nepal. Japan is also almost immediate neighbour to the world’s biggest power - USA. But it has never let itself down. It has a strong foreign policy backed by strong economic growth, which is backed by strong will of people. Similar is the story with Israel. Even being surrounded by countries having completely different ideologies, she has certainly, through her tact, proved that Israel can defend itself.

However, miss Deepti is right in her analysis that India has a Big Brother Syndrome towards the smaller south asian countries, probably because it takes these geographies within its security umbrella. However, in the changed geo-political equations, its time India revise its foreign policy.

Same revision is needed with other south asian countries, including Nepal, when so much intra power equations have changed and power structures collapsed and emerged!
1 Stars
Nitesh
Chennai, India
Comparing Japan and Nepal is ridiculous. Japan was a kind of superpower before the World War II and during it as well like Britain. Such a small country invaded and colonised many countries including the huge China. The problem with Nepalese people is that they are gullible to the extreme. So they had been brainwashed by the Maoists and before them the autocratic kings and opportunistic politicians.

And if some one thinks that an Indian doesn't know about Nepal or its people is utter nonsense.

And...
by passing your own judgment on people you hardly know...

Arrogance smacks from the author and not me. Perhaps she thinks that the fact I come from Chennai has something to do with it. Would she answer how many Nepalese students study in the south and how many Nepalese work in Chinese fast food stalls, malls and private houses?

There are 7 Gorkha infantry regiments serving in the Indian Army making the largest combined fighting force in India with a single ethnic identity.

Any Nepalese who see India as an enemy or an adversary is basically an ungrateful human being whose cause is even anti-Nepal by his sheer thoughts.

We are not big brothers, nor we would tolerate any one to back stab us. As an Indian I have never ever for a single moment thought a Nepalese to be any different from an Indian. This post has saddened me no end. If this is the attitude of the Nepalese then they are doing a great disservice to their own country.
1 Stars
Thanks Nitish for your perspective, for the countries in South Asia, India is a big country among us and neither the people are enemies to each other. And one more thing...as we (Nepal) are close to Bihar...we don’t judge the whole India to be like Bihar. Things are different that what we are used to see...and we can not judge everyone to be like that. And comments from people like you have never cherished us...which we are used to it as usual. Look, we are never into people...political party and any community. You should understand that none is accusing people.

The whole idea is to be a regional leader in SA, India must encourage mutual cooperation. Thanks again for letting us know as a true Indian.
1 Stars
Bal Krishna Jha
Kathmandu, Nepal
Sorry, but I couldnt understand the line - ”as we (Nepal) are close to Bihar...we don’t judge the whole India to be like Bihar”.

I didnt understand if you are praising the biharis or the opposite.

Though this forum is not meant for discussion on bihar/biharis, but due to its mention in this forum, I would be obliged if we discuss a bit on it too.

If you mean that the people of Bihar in India are ’bad people’ or ’superior’, please educate us what facts let u to zero in on your perception.
1 Stars
Yes, Ravindra, I agree with you. thanks for the comment.
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