Re: India Has An Inferiority Complex Vis A Vis Pakistan: Stephen P Cohen
I think there is more obsession at the moment because the ordinary Indian person living in India does not have as much interaction with the ordinary Pakistan. So the gaps of curiosity are filled in by the media. If you look at Indian media in western countries they usually have more positive stories and are less one sided. Chances they have friends or know people who are Pakistani. This makes a big differences. Pakistani movies such as Bol are shown in India but Pakistani dramas are not as available as they used to be in the 70s and 80s when lots of Indians had easier access. Now there is access on yt. Recently there was talk of allowing pakistani dramas on tv. Pakistani music is more accessible and freely available. Recently, Pakistan has also stopped ban on bollywood movies which helps. Sony Tv showed a Pakistan serial There are massive fan bases for many Pakistani singers and humsafar has lot of popularity in India.https://www.facebook.com/HumsafarHumTV/posts/128790337225354. I think thats the good type of obsession. More people to people interaction is needed then the governments will stop baiting people of other countries. Although i think they try to make it clear it’s not the people but the government. I think inferiority complex is a strong word. There are things Indians admire about Pakistanis and I am sure same is also vice versa. I think biases still exist in both country’s media and if you want to read what the ordinary person in either country thinks you can’t rely on mainstream media.