‘Freedom is a compass to orient oneself with’
Founder and head, Godrej India Culture Lab, Parmesh Shahani, 40, is editor-at-large, Verve; author, Gay Bombay: Globalisation, Love and (Be)Longing in Contemporary India; the Godrej India Culture Lab is a space where Indianness is examined through a cross
As Indians, if there’s one thing we can agree on, it is that we’re all argumentative. As Amartya Sen says, it is the essence of being Indian. I love living in a country where fierce debate is possible. Having differences in opinion is never the problem; the challenge would be if the debates were to stop. At the Godrej India Culture Lab, we provide a space where one can share perspectives, offer opportunities for negotiation and conversation. I am a hyper-generalist and, apart from being a dot connector and cross-pollinator at the Culture Lab, I am also a writer, editor, an academic, and if there’s a theme to all that I’ve been working on through my life, it is really that great ideas cannot be contained. What excites me about India is that each day I get to present my version of the truth. Of course, every day is a challenge in terms of defining India and Indianness. Can it be so narrow that you can define it only by what you exclude? Can we not have an inclusive, plural India?
I have always been very acutely aware of difference. Growing up gay made me pretty conscious of a difference of one kind, but that sensitised me to differences of other kinds. I recognise that even to be able to think about the concept of freedom is a luxury and a privilege. I was an only child and I was fortunate that my parents did not impose their views on me, but enabled me to form my own. In a country where so many people don’t have access to really basic opportunities, this freedom has been a luxury.
Freedom is also an orientation. Just like happiness, I believe freedom is linked to choice. Jonathan Haidt’s book The Happiness Hypothesis, through intensive scientific research, analyses why happy people are happy. They found that it was linked to orientation. In the same way, I believe freedom can be a choice even when your circumstances are dire. There is enough anecdotal evidence to prove this, whether you look at Nazi concentration camps or stories of Nelson Mandela at Robben Island. These people were able to imagine a better future, they were oriented towards positivity. For me, freedom is a compass, a direction that I always orient myself towards.