Superior

Why do people think they are less than other people? What makes one greater over the other? I know I would not be the only person to rejoice if the world is enlightened that after all, equality is possible. Equal in the sense that we appreciate the fact that weaknesses are complimented by some strengths, that we would see the importance of other people aligned with how we see our own importance. Equality does not only mean same in capacity and power but it would be equality on the respect and chances. Karma is a story of racism that can be corrected by such enlightenment. Pretention may be the best word to describe the main character as he tries to claim that he is one of the superior race and he rejects his younger self who once belonged to the inferior race.

Racism is a disease rooted on a selfish and a stupid view on ones self. If only everyone can devote a little background check on the biological and anthropological development of humankind, we can breakdown the hierarchy and biases of races based on erroneous assumptions. The Out of Africa theory is the simplest biological and anthropological theory that can explain clearly why racism is not founded on sound basis. Backed up by the mithochondrial DNA and hundreds of excavations, this states that the first humans originated and developed in Africa. After being fully developed into humans and organized into simple groups, they are forced to migrate to other places because of food scarcity. This suggests that we all sprouted from a single race and it would be nice to note that that race is black. When this surviving root race spread across Asia, they first populated India and the Middle East until they spread lastly to Europe and America. This is an Indian story and Sir Mohan Lal should be more proud of being an Indian because they came first before the Europeans. This fact reflects that the society and culture of India which he despises evolved and developed earlier than the European

Being proud of where you came from is still the strongest foundation of identity building. Some may pretend they are someone else because of superficial characteristics that they have acquired but these qualities are easily shaken by stronger forces like avarice and discrimination. If people are bound to the thought of one superior over the other, then pride of ones origins would be very hard. Somehow, it is social construct that dictates the people what their place in society is. It is very evident on how he treated his relatives and countrymen with disgust even to the point of setting aside his native language and the love for his wife. All the things he used to have and those that would define him, he had rated it second class or third class. It can be well understood that his mentality was acquired from his fascination and education in the European way; the Europeans who have placed themselves high and created the strata for races. In reality, we are oftentimes tempted to set aside our own identity for something new only to find out in the end that what we have left is still the best. Sir Mohan Lal is just a victim of European ethnocentrism. With all his pretensions of trying hard to impress the white men, he lost his true identity and found a hollow one masked with white mans ways.

All religions have their own version of the golden rule golden rule, even physics, even computers function this way; even if stated in various ways it is unified by the point that things happen with a cause. The term Karma may be the unifying word for these across nations may it be the nation of pagans, kingdom of Moslems, or to the realm of Christianity. On my opinion this was used as the title because; first because Hinduism is a prevailing religion in India and second because the story ended with a picture of how karma works. It is a common mistake to view karma as a punishment and rewarding system where every good or bad deed has its corresponding reward or punishment. Karma works with the sum of what you have done; if you have done more wrongs in your life than good, then bad karma would hit you and vice versa. It can be seen on the story that the treatment on him by the white soldiers is a karma on how he treated his wife, his wife’s relatives, his countrymen and his own identity.

It was all ironic because he has given up all his old self for something new. It is a wrong or rather a selfish way of escaping racism. He who was educated and a high ranking official in India should be one of those who call for equality and respect among races. It could be the most disgracing thing to be considered second or third class in your own land. It could have been brought by his cowardice, lack of strength or fear to go against this avalanche called racism that he just went with the flow but the problem was that he was completely consumed by his desire to not a part of the “inferior race”. He who should be the one to escalate their culture is one with the foreigners in stepping at it. He is in a delusion that when he is doing or acting the way these white men do, he would probably be safe from discrimination and that he would be given that respect given to them. Little did he realize that no matter how good he is, how high his position may be, a lowly white soldier is still higher than him. To the discriminating races, color is the determining factor. What hit me most is the last scene where Sir Mohan Lal was thrown out and Luchimi spat her chewed betel on the platform. I interpret it as painful end for Sir Mohan Lal who was so busy trying to impress the white people and by doing that compromising his own people. At the end when he will realize that he will never be one of those white men nor would they consider him their equal, he will find no place to return to. He will be rejected and be treated with scorn by his own people.

Karma is a story that taught me a good lesson. All the fruits of racism be it good or bad deserves a karma. All things happen with a cause. It is a story that gives hope that there is a loving God who will bring justice to everyone. The good things we do including sacrifice and love will not go wasted and those that do us harm will get what is due them. As the Bible says, “you reap what you sow”. We are deciding for our own lives thus we make our own karmas.