India Shining?
The largest democracy in the world is a month or so away from elections. And the last few weeks have seen aggressive campaigning in mass media centered around the theme of "India Shining". The government in power wants us all to believe that the country is really shining. But is it?
In September of 1999, I penned some thoughts in a small essay entitled "The Republic" :
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As far back as 400 BC, the Greek philosopher Plato shared with his friends his thoughts on the ideal Republic. He was convinced that society could be saved only by the union of philosophy and politics. He was convinced that, "The human race would never see the end of trouble until true lovers of wisdom should come to hold political power, or the holders of political power should, by some divine appointment, become true lovers of wisdom."
It is surprising…almost shocking…to note how much relevance it has even today – just 100 days short of the 21st century! I suppose some things never change. Or do they?
Not so long ago, our very own Pritish Nandy also addressed this issue in an article called "The Great Betrayal". He spoke of how 900 million Indians are united on the stance that half a century of freedom and democracy has only resulted in a nation of rampant corruption, nepotism, rising crime, violence against women, economic backwardness, and a terrible record of human rights violations. He pointed out, however, that our politicians are our creations. It is we who bribe our teachers to pass our children. It is we who corrupt the cops when we pay them to look the other way on breaking a minor traffic law. It is we who don’t go to vote when we should. It is we who…ignore what is right for what is expedient.
India saw its third public elections in a span of four years. And once more, many didn’t go to cast their vote. It’s not as if we didn’t want to. We really did. But who could we vote for?
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Five years have passed since then, and the situation has not changed much. Our leadership is still left wanting. And the few educated and literate and able among us who can make a difference, simply don’t care.
My economist friend – Atanu – takes an example of the present government’s view on Education:
India is poor by choice. The policy of subsidizing higher education and neglecting primary education is one such policy choice that has condemned India to being a poor third-world irrelevant nation which has the highest number of impoverished illiterates in the universe.
We are poor by choice. We don’t need adverse external shocks to keep us illiterate and poor; India’s leaders and its courts will do the job of keeping India a chronically ailing over-populated collective of starving illiterates without any help from abroad.
The importance of primary education cannot be overstated — ever. No amount of India Shining campaigns can paper over the fact that India is doomed unless it focuses on primary education.
How long it will be before the billion plus people of India find within them enlightened leaders is hard to tell. If ever there was a time for good leadership to emerge, now it is.
I couldn’t agree more.
India is indeed shining only for a thin slice of the population.For the rest India is burning. Reams of newsprint have been spent to disabuse us of the purported glory of our nation.I recommend the latest issue of Frontline for some definitive arguments that clearly point to a nation that cannot shine in the present crircumstances even with any burnishing by media
Some people prefer to look at the “other side” or things only. It is really easy to grab attention by talking about the negative. So when India Shining is told there would be a crowd telling loudly that India is not shining. There will be arguments pro and con. If you ask me I would say, Yes India is shining. We dont need any numbers to prove this or that. We have to get developed in the mind first. All the people who spend time writing should come forward and start doing something. It is time that “I” do something that complain that “they” are not doing, “they” should have done this or done that. The world is coming to reality that what ever is done in west is not the best. India is shining because the mindset of our people is slowly changing. We are coming to realize that we are much more strong and powerful and intelligent and creative to take on the world in our own way. But there will be negative thinkers all the way, who can be safely ignored.
many of us who are informed do not deny that india has seen much change in the last decade and this process continues to happen irrespective of the political wrangling over the method to be adopted to usher in change.we are happy for this change and welcome it.To put this brouhaha in perspective, “India shining” is a slogan meant to showcase the achievements of the government of the day.it presents the positive side of the country under the rule of the National Democratic Alliance.India is a populous country with the majority in her villages and towns.their problems and plight cannot be ignored under any circumstances.true development of our country cannot be said to have accomplished until all have access to the basic needs of life.the innumerable and deep-rooted problems that afflict them cannot be underestimated nor dismissed as the fate of the poor.India is not just about the urban masses for whom life has become better in some ways they never imagined earlier.i speak not with a negative mindset but with a firm grip on reality.By claiming that india is shining we are pushing the problems we face under the carpet.Optimism cannot be replaced by misplaced glory.Grandiose statements are easy to make and are par for the course in the run-up to the elections but we run the risk of deceiving ourselves when we imagine that all is well and we are on the high road to prosperity.Detonating a nuclear bomb was supposed to catapult us into the exclusive league of mighty powers but that was not to be.The media plays a part in propagating this hyperbole by giving short-shrift to the large rural india as if they are not meant to be in the party.This is a good time as any to read the criticisms levelled against the government for their campaign because you at least get to know the serious problems that need to be addressed and become sensitive.
* Editor’s Reply *This is in reply to Suresh Ranga’s post on “doing” versus just “talking about it”.This blog was based on the premise that the day we become silent about things that matter is the day we begin to die. I feel that strongly about my views and my opinions. So, while I completely agree that “talking about it” is not enough, I also see great merit in “the other perspective” and in bringing it to the fore.All the publicity done 2 months prior to election cannot change the fact that it is 2 months prior to election. If the present government was so keen on communicating the alleged benefits of their governing to the masses, they could have done so all through their term, instead of waiting for elections. Not to mention, blowing up all that money in mass media like the Times of India could have been put to so much better use.Yes, we are progressing as a nation. But that is in spite of the politicians that govern us, not *because* of them. Yes, the mindset of the world towards India is also changing, but we as a nation still want to position ourselves as ‘cheap labour’, not as the intellectuals of the world! While politicians like Murli Manohar Joshi are busy trying to subsidise the post-graduate degrees of those who go on to earn 6-figure salaries, millions of children still lack access to reading and writing skills. There are a number of things that are wrong with this country, and talking about it is not going to solve all the problems. I’m all for doing something about it. And I do. While I may not have given up my career in the pursuit of national service, I do my bit each time I can. I use public transport to work, in spite of the appalling conditions they are in. I write to the Times of India to complain about the lack of appropriate traffic signals and poor road infrastructure in the locality in which I reside; never mind that they take 2 months to publish it. When I find myself in a tight spot, I do not bribe officials but insist on a receipt… The purpose of my writings is to voice my opinion – to which I am entitled – and to try and bring about an awareness in the minds of others about the various challenges that affect us as Indians… as human beings.This is not just ‘negative thinking’ at play. Ignore it if you must, but know that you will do so at your own peril.
Hmmm.I ask myself how often have we sheltered under the lee of ‘don’t complain, start with yourself’ defences? The answer deafens my ears.A lot of people do, but do not advertise. Here is a classic case of where nothing is done and advertised.Everybody who is really concerned about progress does try and effect a change in his/her own way, but you seldom see it happen or even read about it. Why? Because the other billion outnumber with a contrasting behaviour. So if you can’t see one good guy insisting on a receipt, it’s because a thousand other are still relying on the ‘traditional’ methods.Some time back, I was amused while learning the concept behind an album called ‘Peasants, pigs andastronauts’ by a band called Kula Shaker.According to Crispian Mills (the most charismatic of the band, whose vocals are a treat to listen to), the meaning of the new album is more or less with reference to India. The title according to him might have different interpretations (which was his objective primarily), but hear this one and you’ll have to agree. The ‘peasant’ signifies the majority of India’s population that live below the poverty line, ‘pigs’ signify the atmosphere / a reflection of the environment in which we live in, and ‘astronauts’ signify the ambitious plans, we as a nation harbour, to attain nuclear power status and be one among the develpoed nations, never mind the lack of basic infrastructure.Well, I’ll subscribe to this view anyday.Even Budapest has better roads, right?