Well…this
is my first article on this blog. Would like to take the opportunity to thanks
Shashi bhai for inspiring me to take this on me and try to get back in touch
with my left brainJ.
It’s a menial attempt to express my hearty reverence to Japan and its people
who have been an inspiration for me.
Well,
Japan and Sparta – One a country and the other a city. Both located at the extremes
of the monstrous land mass called Asia. Both are known for more than one
reasons, the name of Sparta stands the test of time since the mighty-heart King
Leonidas(I) fought the Persians, from the day the beautiful Helen of Sparta was
abducted which led to the Trojan war and defeat of Troy till the day you read
this, the other being a culturally, traditionally, linguistically and scholarly
rich race. One being famous from the mighty roar of the “300” and the other
being a real life example of the Phoenix rising from ashes.
Why I compare them, what they
have in common, you might ask. Behold as the only word that describes their
commonality with each other is: “National Character”. Ancient Greece was one of
the first civilizations to develop a colony. Man is a social animal, and we
might attribute this to the early civilizations, a prominent one of which was
Greece. We only owe so much to the Greeks as without them, we’d not have: half
the worlds in the English dictionary, different styles of theatre (drama,
comedy, tragedy, etc), the Hippocratic Oath, the Olympic Games and (wait for
it…) DEMOCRACY!!! The other is no less a warrior state, Japan’s contributions
to the world range from the art of self defense (Martial Arts), Instant
Noodles, Video Games, Karaoke, Robots to Electronics which are ever abundant in
any market of the world and almost an integral part of a majority of people
across the globe today.
Why do we need to compare the
two, aren't the two milestones in their own rights?
Yes and No.

I am not comparing Japan with
Sparta here. I mean to bow and respect the Japanese men and women and just add
a feather to their already accomplished hat by comparing a few characteristics
of the Japanese with those of the Spartans. The Spartans were fierce, brave
soldiers who feared nothing but infamy. Death was their cape and fear bowed in
front of the glaze of their swords. All in all, tactical people who lived for Pride and Freedom long before it was known to the world. The then society of Spartans
was divided into many categories. Majority stake holders in the community were:
soldiers, senators, thespians, potters, farmers and helots (a section of
society which comprised neither slaves nor free men). The Spartan youth and
upbringing was one of the crudest and unfathomable ones ever heard of. As young
men and women, the Spartans had to EARN their citizenship. No one but no one
was granted a citizenship on the merit of birth to Spartan parents (except for
the king’s first son – the heir to the throne). As a high-born Spartan, the
welfare of the state is the motivation behind everything you do. If you are
male, you will be trained to become a warrior. If you are female, you will
produce many healthy children and be an exemplary mother to future warriors and
good citizens. The ephorate (an elected body of 5 wise men - ephors) controlled
the military and education system. From the ages of 7 to about 18, noble
Spartan boys were trained to be soldiers and were taught to survive in harsh
conditions.

As much as it saddens me that even
though my own country was freed from the British almost at the same time when
Japan had faced the heat from WWII Allied Forces, Japan is today the third
largest economy (overtook by the People's Republic of China only in 2010) and
we're still dealing with poverty, rampant corruption, wide-spread hunger and
education system crises, I owe them for the inspiration they've been for the
whole world. Japan's education system played a central part in Japan's recovery
and rapid economic growth in the decades following the end of World War II.
Education is compulsory at the elementary and lower secondary levels. Most
students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private
education is popular at the upper secondary and university levels. The Japanese
society, like the Spartans, witnesses a well formed divide, a demarcation of
duties of men and women. A man's primary focus is the workplace and a woman's
primary focus is her home and family, with particular attention to the proper rearing
of children. Though there is a demarcation of labor force within the family, women
nevertheless make up almost 40 percent of the labor force. The Japanese tend to accommodate others' opinions rather than speak up all the time. They attach much importance to "harmony". So much so, even the Japanese Corporate policies teach harmony and act to maintain it in workplaces.
The result? - Japan is the
world's 2nd largest automobile manufacturing country, has the largest
electronics goods industry, and is often ranked among the world's most
innovative countries leading several measures of global patent filings (e.g.:
Toyota Innovation Model, Kaizen Model, Taguchi methods, Fishikawa). Japan is
the world's largest crediting nation, generally running an annual trade surplus
and having a considerable net international investment surplus. As of 2010,
Japan possessed 13.7% of the world's private financial assets (the 2nd largest
in the world) at an estimated $14.6 trillion. As of 2011, 68 of the Fortune 500
companies are based in Japan. The economy of Tokyo is the largest metropolitan
economy in the world.
Facing increasing competition
from China and South Korea, the manufacturing industry in Japan today focuses
primarily on high-tech and precision goods, such as optical equipment, hybrid
cars, and robotics. You might as well
put a tag of “evolution” on them, 'coz that's what they do. One has to be
amazed when an Archipelago near burnt to ashes, hit by frequent earthquakes,
flooded by the oceans, devastated by
tsunamis can harbor humans whose life teaches us how to live, where modesty is
the prevailing attitude, where honesty and integrity have not lost their
meaning. If I could borrow Rabindranath Tagore's lines and place them here saying
“Into that heaven of freedom, let my
country awake…” , I’m sure I wouldn't be wrong.
---------x---------
I’d be posting soon with more anecdotes
and views, till then…please keep reading and commenting…
May I enjoy life and art, be
respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter…
(- excerpt
from the Hippocratic Oath).