TWO VIEWS ABOU EAST AND
WEST
It was Rudyard Kipling ,the English poet,
journalist and novelist (1865-1936) who
wrote in his 1889 poem ‘The Ballad of East and West’, that ----
Oh, East is East and
West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
The Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s
great Judgment Seat;-----
But there is neither
East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men
stand Face to face, though they
Come from the ends of
the Earth!”
According
to Kipling Eastern and Western cultures are so fundamentally different that
they can never truly understand each other or come together.
Now
look at the views of the Indian academic, philosopher and statesman who served
as the President of India.
Whereas
Rudyard Kipling won the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1907 , Dr. S, Radhakrishnan was honoured with The Bharat Ratna , the
highest civilian award of the Republic of India in 1954.
Disagreeing
with Mr. Kipling Dr. S. Radhakrishnan said there was no reason to believe that there
are fundamental differences between the East and the West.
Human
beings are everywhere human and hold the
same deepest values. The differences which are, no doubt, significant, are
related to external, temporary social conditions and are alterable with them.
East
and West are relative terms. They are geographical expressions and not cultural types. The differences among countries
like China, Japan and India are quite as significant as those among European or
American countries.
Specific
cultural patterns with distinctive beliefs and habits developed in different
regions in relative isolation from one another.
The
world has now reached a stage of inter-communication. All societies are fast
becoming industrialized and new sets of values are springing up. We are called
upon to participate in the painful birth of new civilization. If we are to live
together in peace we must develop international co-operation and understanding.
********
G.R.Kanwal
9 September 2026
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