The Golden Shackles: India's Mythic Past and the Psychology of Stagnation

The Golden Shackles: India's Mythic Past and the Psychology of Stagnation

 

In India, the enduring myth of a "Golden Age"—an era of unparalleled cultural, intellectual, and spiritual glory—clashes starkly with centuries of mass poverty, oppression, and stagnation. This narrative, rooted in selective historical memory, fosters learned helplessness, a psychological state where societies resign to systemic failures, viewing change as futile. Drawing from psychology, history, and economics, this essay explores how this delusion perpetuates political inertia, hinders revolutionary reforms, and sustains inequality, even as post-independence India marks the first sustained rise in living standards for the common people. Comparing India's evolutionary path with China's radical break from its past, it projects economic growth toward a large economy status by 2065, but warns of persistent disparities. Through examples of societies breaking free and the harsh realities of pre-modern life, it reveals the myth's role as a cultural brake on true progress.

The Illusion of Glory: Unpacking the Golden Age Myth

The human mind has a remarkable capacity for crafting comforting narratives from the fragments of history, often transforming murky realities into shimmering ideals. In India, the notion of a "Golden Age"—typically evoking the Gupta Empire (4th to 6th centuries CE) or the cultural zeniths under Mughal rule—stands as a prime example. This myth posits a time of unmatched moral rectitude, spiritual harmony, intellectual innovation, and material prosperity. Yet, as historian Romila Thapar notes in her work A History of India, such labels are "elite-driven constructs," celebrating the achievements of rulers and scholars while glossing over the grim existence of the masses. "The golden age is a retrospective creation," Thapar argues, "a myth that serves to unify and inspire, but often at the cost of historical accuracy."

To reconcile this perception with the reality of persistent poor living standards, one must dissect the myth's selective nature. Historians classify these eras as "golden" based on intellectual feats like the invention of the decimal system and zero by Aryabhata, the flourishing of Sanskrit literature through poets like Kalidasa, and architectural marvels such as intricate temples and the Taj Mahal. Geopolitically, India commanded a significant share of global GDP—estimated at 24-27% around 1700 CE under the Mughals, according to economic historian Angus Maddison in Contours of the World Economy. Yet, this prosperity was an illusion for the common citizen. The economy was extractive, with wealth funneled to elites through heavy taxation and feudal systems. Peasants, comprising the vast majority, endured scarcity, high mortality rates (life expectancy hovered around 30-35 years), and rigid social immobility enforced by the caste system. Famines were recurrent, claiming millions, and social oppression—caste-based discrimination and patriarchal norms—ensured that glory remained a privilege of the few.

This discrepancy highlights a profound psychological function: collective nostalgia, or what psychologists term "rosy retrospection." As social psychologist Constantine Sedikides explains in his research on nostalgia, "It filters out negatives, amplifying positives to provide emotional comfort and identity stability." In India's case, the myth anchors national self-esteem, especially as a counter-narrative to colonial denigration. During the British Raj, nationalists like Swami Vivekananda weaponized it, proclaiming, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech," to rebuild pride amid exploitation. Post-independence, it persists as a cultural anchor amid rapid urbanization and globalization, offering moral certainty against modern chaos. However, this comfort comes at a cost: it spiritualizes hardship, framing inequality as karmic or secondary to "higher" spiritual greatness, thus undermining demands for material revolution.

Learned Helplessness: The Psychological Underpinnings of Societal Inertia

Scaling this delusion to societal levels reveals its ties to learned helplessness (LH), a theory pioneered by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the 1960s. Through experiments on dogs exposed to inescapable shocks, they demonstrated how repeated uncontrollable stressors lead to passivity, even when escape becomes possible. Seligman, in his book Learned Optimism, extends this to humans: "Helplessness is the giving-up reaction, disengagement from a situation perceived as uncontrollable." In societies, LH manifests as political apathy, institutional cynicism, and fatalism—precisely the inertia observed in India's cultural landscape.

The core mechanism involves three deficits: motivational (lack of effort), cognitive (inability to see solutions), and emotional (apathy). Applied to India, systemic stressors like pervasive corruption, extreme poverty, caste oppression, and political instability foster a belief that "the system is rigged." The "Golden Age" myth exacerbates this by serving as an escape: citizens retreat into idealized history, justifying resignation with phrases like "It is our karma" or emphasizing spiritual over material superiority. As political scientist Ashutosh Varshney observes in Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life, this creates a "culture of fatalism" where low civic engagement and tolerance for inefficiency prevail, despite democratic tools.

To illustrate, consider the following table outlining the social mechanisms of LH:

Social Mechanism of LH	Manifestation in Society
Systemic Uncontrollable Stressor	Enduring realities like pervasive corruption, extreme poverty, caste-based oppression, or frequent political instability.
Institutional Futility	A persistent belief that voting, protesting, or even working hard will not change one's ultimate outcome because "the system" (or "fate") is rigged or too powerful.
The Role of Cultural Mythology	In India, the "Golden Age" myth can feed LH in two ways: 1. It can be an escape mechanism, where citizens retreat into celebrating an imaginary past because the present feels too overwhelming. 2. It creates a justification for resignation by spiritualizing hardship ("It is our karma," or "Our greatness is spiritual, not material"), thus undermining the motivation for material revolution.
Political Passivity	Low civic engagement, a tolerance for bureaucratic inefficiency, and a lack of collective action against injustice, even when democratic tools are available.

Societies most afflicted by LH include authoritarian states like North Korea, where state terror enforces silence; conflict zones like Afghanistan, plagued by violence and famine; and regions with deep corruption or caste systems, such as parts of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where meritocracy seems illusory. Conversely, low-LH societies like Nordic democracies (Iceland, Norway) boast high trust and efficacy, topping indices like the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. Data from the World Values Survey shows these nations with over 60% citizen confidence in institutions, compared to under 30% in high-LH contexts.

Yet, escape is possible. Recent breakouts demonstrate paradigm shifts: South Korea's 1980s Gwangju Uprising dismantled military rule through mass protests; Poland's Solidarity movement in the 1980s toppled communism by realizing collective power; Tunisia's 2011 Arab Spring, sparked by Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation, shattered resignation. As Seligman quotes in his work, "The antidote is learned optimism—experiences of mastery that rebuild efficacy."

Society/Movement	The Stressor (Pre-Breakout)	The Breakout/Shift in Efficacy
South Korea (1980s-1990s)	Decades of military dictatorships and brutal suppression of pro-democracy movements.	The Gwangju Uprising and subsequent mass student and labor movements proved that sustained, collective popular protest could force the government to democratize. This led to a belief that the people, not the military elite, held the ultimate political control.
Poland/Eastern Bloc (1980s-1991)	Totalitarian Communist Party control, state surveillance, and economic stagnation. The belief was that Soviet control was permanent.	The rise of the Solidarity trade union and the peaceful mass protests of the late 1980s. The collective realization that the security apparatus would not fire on millions of people (the moment of "no return") broke the national sense of political helplessness and led to the collapse of Communist regimes.
Tunisia (2010-2011)	A decades-long authoritarian state with massive corruption and police oppression, leading to widespread resignation.	The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, followed by a sudden, massive, and geographically widespread uprising. The willingness of ordinary citizens to confront the police and force the dictator to flee fundamentally broke the generational belief that the regime could never be removed by popular action.

The Brake on Revolution: India vs. China

The "Golden Age" myth acts as a political brake, legitimizing inequities and diverting energy from reform. It justifies hierarchy by glorifying ancient social orders, traps progress in "spiritual superiority," venerates uncritical historical figures, and slows modernization through conservative populism. As economist Amartya Sen warns in The Argumentative Indian, "Nostalgia for a mythical past can obscure the urgent need for social justice."

Contrast this with China, where a revolutionary break enabled rapid change. Post-1949, the Communist Party demolished the "Four Olds," viewing imperial history as oppressive. This top-down violence facilitated land reforms and ideological dominance, propelling double-digit growth. India, embracing evolutionary democracy, preserved continuity, leading to piecemeal reforms stalled by cultural debates.

Mechanism of Hindrance	Explanation
Justification of Hierarchy	The "Golden Age" narrative often conflates cultural glory with social stability. By glorifying periods like the Gupta Empire, it implicitly justifies the rigid social structures (like the caste system and patriarchal norms) that were deeply entrenched and often strengthened during those times. Revolutionary movements that demand radical social equality are easily branded as "Western imports" or a destruction of sacred, ancient social harmony.
"Spiritual Superiority" Trap	The narrative suggests India's past greatness was primarily spiritual, philosophical, and cultural (inventing zero, creating yoga, etc.). This subtly delegitimizes movements focused purely on material progress, class struggle, or economic revolution (like communism or radical socialism) by treating them as base and materialistic when compared to India's "higher" ancient purpose.
Historical Veneration of Figures	Nationalist narratives tend to treat historical or mythological figures (like Rama or Krishna) as faultless, moral blueprints for political action. This can discourage a critical, Marxist-style analysis of history as a dialectic of class struggle and material change, favoring an emphasis on individual virtue and moral revival over systemic structural overhaul.
Slowing Political Modernization	The impulse to "return to the golden past" provides a ready-made platform for conservative and right-wing populist movements. These movements promise national greatness not through creating a radically new future (like China did), but by restoring a perceived lost greatness, often requiring the jettisoning of liberal, secular, or modern progressive values.

 

Aspect	China (Post-1949)	India (Post-1947)
Revolutionary Stance on Past	Complete Break. The Communist Party (CCP) viewed the imperial past and Confucian traditions as the source of oppression and national humiliation ("The Century of Humiliation"). Radical movements like the Cultural Revolution sought to explicitly destroy the "Four Olds" (old customs, culture, habits, and ideas) to build a radically new society.	Evolutionary Embrace. The Indian National Congress (INC) adopted an evolutionary, pluralistic approach. The past was selectively celebrated (secular values of Ashoka, cultural achievements of the Guptas) to provide continuity and national self-respect, but the social structures were challenged gradually through democratic legislation.
Social Change	Top-down, Violent Revolution. Land reforms, social restructuring, and the abolition of the old elite were often accomplished through violence, central decree, and mass mobilization, allowing for rapid ideological shift.	Bottom-up, Legislative Reform. Change was incremental, relying on parliamentary action, court decisions (e.g., land reform laws), and the slow process of democratic pressure.
Political System	Single-Party, Centralized State. The CCP could enforce a single, new historical narrative nationwide, effectively erasing or suppressing competing "golden age" myths for decades.	Multi-Party Democracy. Competing visions of the past (secular, Hindu nationalist, Dravidian, regional, etc.) are constantly debated, ensuring that no single revolutionary narrative can achieve the absolute ideological dominance necessary to completely sweep the past away.

Globally, this pride in a "murky" past is universal—Russia's Soviet nostalgia, Turkey's neo-Ottomanism, America's "Make America Great Again"—as political tools for unity.

Historical Realities: Living Standards Over a Millennium

Over the last 1000 years, India's common people endured subsistence poverty, with no true "Golden Age." From 1000-1800 CE, despite Mughal prosperity, peasants faced heavy taxation (one-third to half of harvests), caste rigidity, and famine vulnerability. Colonial rule (1800-1947) worsened this: de-industrialization, declining wages, and famines killing tens of millions, dropping life expectancy to 25-32 years. Per-capita GDP stagnated, per Maddison's data.

Post-1947 marks the sole sustained improvement: life expectancy doubled to 70 years, extreme poverty fell from 70% to single digits (World Bank estimates), and growth accelerated post-1991 liberalization. A middle class emerged, with electricity, education, and rights accessible.

Period	Life Expectancy at Birth (Approx.)	Implication for the Common Person
Pre-1947 (Colonial Era)	~31 to 35 years	A huge percentage of the population, especially the poor, died in infancy or childhood. Survival to old age was a rare privilege, and the population was constantly vulnerable to famine and epidemic.
Post-1947 (Present)	~70 years	This near-doubling represents the single greatest improvement in the well-being of the common Indian, signifying the prevention of mass starvation, improved public health, and significantly reduced child mortality.

In the 17th century under Mughals, wealth concentration was extreme: elites amassed fortunes while peasants suffered depressed wages (lower than Europe's, per economic historian Prasannan Parthasarathi). Oppression via taxation, feudalism, caste, and imperfect labor markets prevailed. This distress eased colonial enlistment of Indian workers, offering regular pay amid instability.

Prolonged poverty breeds psychological scars: learned helplessness fosters fatalism; internalized oppression erodes solidarity; distress links to high suicide rates (e.g., farmers); survival focus reinforces rigid ties.

Economic Projections: Growth Amid Inertia

India's current GDP per capita (~$2,880, 2025 est.) is 19% of the global average (~$13,000-14,000). To hit high-income status ($13,845 GNI per capita) by 2047 requires 7.8% annual growth; by 2065, ~7%. Optimism stems from catch-up dynamics, demographic dividend (world's largest young workforce), and scale attracting FDI. PwC projects India rivaling Spain's per capita by 2047 optimistically.

Yet, the myth constrains: slowing reforms, preserving disparities, diverting politics. By 2065, high-income status is plausible, surpassing global averages, but inequality persists—a "two-speed" economy.

Dimension	Constraint Imposed by Golden Age Myth	Outcome by 2065
Pace of Reform	Slows necessary radical reforms (labor laws, judicial efficiency, education overhaul) that would truly accelerate growth.	Growth is sustained, but productivity lags true potential (e.g., 6%−7% instead of the necessary 8%+).
Social Justice	Preserves caste, gender, and regional disparities by sanctifying the idea of ancient social order.	India becomes a two-speed economy: the high-skilled, high-wage urban elite rivaling Western living standards, while the rural and marginalized majority remains structurally locked in lower-middle-income status.
Political Focus	Maintains a constant state of political and cultural contestation over history and identity.	Political energy is diverted from the material challenges of infrastructure, health, and climate change adaptation, making the overall quality of life lower than in true developed economies, despite the high GDP per capita.

Reflection

Reflecting on India's entanglement with its mythic past, one cannot escape the irony: a nation that birthed profound philosophies of liberation clings to chains forged from nostalgia. The "Golden Age" narrative, while a balm for colonial wounds and modern dislocations, emerges as a double-edged sword—fostering pride yet perpetuating stagnation through learned helplessness and political inertia. As we've seen, this delusion spiritualizes suffering, justifies hierarchies, and tempers the revolutionary fire that propelled peers like China to radical transformation. Historical data underscores the tragedy: centuries of elite opulence masked mass misery, with post-independence gains marking the true dawn of decency, albeit uneven. Economically, the horizon beckons with high-income potential by 2065, driven by demographics and convergence, but the myth's shadow ensures inequality's endurance—a wealthy nation fractured by caste, gender, and regional divides.

Yet, hope lies in breakouts elsewhere: from Korea's uprisings to Tunisia's spark, collective action shatters helplessness. For India, transcending this requires demystifying history, embracing critical education, and channeling cultural energy toward inclusive reforms. As Sen eloquently puts it, "The past is not a prison; it is a conversation." By reframing the "Golden Age" not as a lost paradise but a selective lesson, India could forge a future where prosperity is democratized, not mythologized. Ultimately, this essay illuminates a universal human frailty: our propensity for self-delusion as a shield against harsh truths. Breaking free demands courage—not to erase the past, but to evolve beyond its shackles, ensuring that tomorrow's glory belongs to all.

References

1. Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned Optimism. Knopf.
2. Thapar, R. (1966). A History of India. Penguin.
3. Maddison, A. (2007). Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD. Oxford University Press.
4. Sen, A. (2005). The Argumentative Indian. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
5. Varshney, A. (2002). Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life. Yale University Press.
6. Parthasarathi, P. (2011). Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not. Cambridge University Press.
7. World Bank Data (2025 est.). GDP per capita and poverty rates.
8. PwC Global Economy Watch (projections to 2047).
9. Transparency International. Corruption Perceptions Index.
10. World Values Survey. Institutional trust data.