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Although this keeps happening all the time and all around the world, it is not something to be taken lightly, overlooked or condoned. Every piece of the creation is a sacrosanct testimony of someone’s creative impulses, whether it is poetry, song, music, dance, drama, sculptor or painting. To take elements of a culture, using it to reinforce cultural stereotypes and not giving credits to its origin and disrespecting its meaning intentionally or unintentionally, is a flagrant infringement of creative freedom.
Most of us have trouble understanding other people’s culture. And sometimes, though unknowingly, of course, we tend to borrow from other cultures because they may be appealing in an eclectic sort of a way. In the sixties and seventies when the hippie culture and the “Hare Krishna” movement were peaking in America as a revolt against the Vietnam War, it was fashionable to indulge in this kind of cultural borrowing, without giving a thought to its roots or origins.
A radical, anti-establishment US poet of the time, Alan Ginsberg, gave the Hippies the concept of “Global Village”, where everything belongs to everybody. Yet, this is all ‘maya’, so in reality, nothing belongs to anybody. At that time, disenchanted with their own culture, the Western world had turned its eyes eastwards, to India especially, looking for instant nirvana in our eastern mysticism, yoga, Indian classical music, tantric paintings, the mysteries of the Kama Sutra and drugs.
Perhaps this cultural upheaval prompted The Beatles at the height of their fame to come to Rishikesh, India, and take to transcendental meditation as disciples of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi learn sitar from Pandit Ravi Shankar.
One area where plagiarism takes place all the time most blatantly is in the Bollywood music industry. Indian music directors have been found plagiarising songs from around the world. There are examples of plagiarism in Bollywood songs from Spanish, Italian, Russian, Arabic or American songs and shamelessly pass it off as their own.
Indian music directors have been found plagiarising songs from around the world. There are examples of plagiarism in Bollywood songs from Spanish, Italian, Russian, Arabic or American songs and shamelessly pass it off as their own
Cultural appropriation has become a part of the music and art industry as well as the fashion industry. For example, big brands have been known to take the Arabic male headgear, the ‘Keffiyeh’ and turn it into a fashion accessory and sell it at very high prices. In the past, the ‘Keffiyeh’ became a symbol of solidarity and resistance of the people of Palestine, especially of its iconic leader, the late Yasser Arafat.
We can always learn about cultures and appreciate them. If we take something from culture, we should first give credit and involve people from the concerned culture. And before you do, ask yourself whether it is all right or whether it will hurt people’s sentiments. Understand the significance of the thing you intend to borrow. Most importantly, educate yourself about different cultures and learn to honour those values.
But within this open and unabashed plagiarism scenario, there is another kind of plagiarism prevalent in the world of art. Art students worldwide go into art galleries around the world to copy world-famous works of past masters like Leonardo D Vinci, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Monet, Renoir or Van Gogh. Some of these copied works of art are as good as the original. In such cases, the museum /gallery authorities put an official seal or stamp behind the painting, declaring the painting to be a ‘Genuine Fake’. This is a precaution to avoid such copies being passed off as the original.
Culture doesn’t need the validation of the dominant group, especially when the minority has been exploited and belittled for embracing their own culture. Anyone can appropriate culture, for example, using a bindi as a fashion accessory. Here in India, we don’t wear a bindi to make a fashion statement. The word bindi comes from a Sanskrit word “bindu” which translates to dot or a point. Traditionally a red bindi symbolises marriage. It also has a spiritual meaning; the bindi is worn between the eyebrows, which is considered the place of the third eye.
Although plagiarism is rampant globally, there are certain legal processes to keep matters under control to some extent. These include the Intellectual Property Rights and the Copyright Act. Violations of these acts are punishable by law.