A Brief Visit to India: Observations and Psychoanalytic Implications

The vast complexity of the problems presented by the Indian subcontinent and the short time I spent there preclude a deeper study. Yet, the impact of an intense though brief visit by an observer with a particular mental preparation may outweigh the disadvantage of a rapid survey. Since I am a psychoanalyst with interest in anthropology, a comparison of my reflections with the impact and the relative value of a few intense psychiatric interviews may be relevant. I will limit my impressions and reflections to a few points: The peasant and the urban civilization; the archaic and the modern ways of thinking; the power of magic and religion; the ascetic ideal and the joys of Maya; the impact of poverty and the function of the mendicant; the role of history and economic deprivation on the ego and the super-ego; the dangers of dependence and the forces of reconstruction.

Among the first facts which confront the observer is the immense gap between the almost primeval way of life of the peasant and the city dweller. To be sure, a great deal is done even in remote rural areas to introduce some new technology to alert the peasants to benefits of modern civilization such as a birth control clinic and a dispensary for children and young mothers, to build new schools, etc. Yet, in view of the immensity of the land, the limitations of economic resources and last but not least, as a result of the conservative archaic way of thinking and obstinate clinging to the old ways, these changes do not seem to affect markedly the way of life of vast territories of the interior. Thus, even where large electrical works are in operation, the peasant still resorts to having his ox pull the rope from his well to water his piece of land. There is, to be sure, a beauty in this picture and a touch of dignity in the father of a large family going about his daily chores