The great Indian dream: where did things start going wrong?
The Indian Constitution is one of the greatest achievements of the human soul. For the first time perhaps, a nation was built on the principle that everyone is truly equal. Even in that other democracy, the one that ‘trusts in God’, there is a presumption that there is one ‘God’, and that one must trust in ‘Him’. But India was built on a dream far greater: that we trust our fellow man. This was a dream that did not ask for the admiration or approval of the West. But human venality and pettiness are another thing altogether. The venerable Congress Party led from the front, at least for the first decade and half. Let us not digress into whether Vallabbhai Patel would have been a better PM than Nehru, that discussion usually leads nowhere. Let me just state, as a matter of opinion that even if Nehru was not the individual he was, we would have had to create a hero to look up to. That is how things work out.
It is difficult to say when the rot started to creep in. Perhaps it started way back when Gandhiji ousted Subhas Chandra Bose from the leadership of the Congress. Perhaps it started when people assumed that Lal Bahadur Shastri was just a placeholder who was to keep things on an even keel until Indira grew up to step into her father’s shoes. Perhaps it was when the Emergency happened, and we did not have the courage to give Jay Prakash Narayan the backing he needed.
But say what we may, we Indians have brought upon ourselves this hell. And again, let us not equivocate about this: this is indeed a hell we have turned our beautiful country into. The agony of the Mandal Commission, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Godhra and everything that followed, and finally Nandigram. We take pride in our rockets whooshing into space. How many of us have spared a thought about the hovels of our ‘megacities’? Yes, we have IITs and IIMs, but what about the countless millions of children who have to work from the age of seven and will never open a book in their lives? While eating a Rs 300 pizza at some food court on the top floor of any generic posh mall in Mumbai, do our young software professionals spare a thought for Kalahandi? Hell, do they even know that Kalahandi is known as the ‘starvation capital’ of India? Hey, what are we talking about? I thought we had already had the Green Revolution, no one starves in India! Wrong.
India is not ‘Shining’. Reliance/ Tata/ Infosys or some other hotshot firm acquiring a few foreign companies does not improve things in India. Oh well, it does, for maybe the top 100 shareholders. And if you are one of them, then I am sorry; this article is not for you. Things have to change. We need a few reasonably intelligent and honest politicians. We need a few IITians to return to India after they have made a few dollars. We need to stop thinking the India that lives in the glitzy streets of Bangalore and start thinking about that other India that you will see if you ever travel along the Coromandel Express from Chennai Central to Howrah Jn. Anyone game?
The Indian Constitution is one of the greatest achievements of the human soul. For the first time perhaps, a nation was built on the principle that everyone is truly equal. Even in that other democracy, the one that ‘trusts in God’, there is a presumption that there is one ‘God’, and that one must trust in ‘Him’. But India was built on a dream far greater: that we trust our fellow man. This was a dream that did not ask for the admiration or approval of the West. But human venality and pettiness are another thing altogether. The venerable Congress Party led from the front, at least for the first decade and half. Let us not digress into whether Vallabbhai Patel would have been a better PM than Nehru, that discussion usually leads nowhere. Let me just state, as a matter of opinion that even if Nehru was not the individual he was, we would have had to create a hero to look up to. That is how things work out.
It is difficult to say when the rot started to creep in. Perhaps it started way back when Gandhiji ousted Subhas Chandra Bose from the leadership of the Congress. Perhaps it started when people assumed that Lal Bahadur Shastri was just a placeholder who was to keep things on an even keel until Indira grew up to step into her father’s shoes. Perhaps it was when the Emergency happened, and we did not have the courage to give Jay Prakash Narayan the backing he needed.
But say what we may, we Indians have brought upon ourselves this hell. And again, let us not equivocate about this: this is indeed a hell we have turned our beautiful country into. The agony of the Mandal Commission, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Godhra and everything that followed, and finally Nandigram. We take pride in our rockets whooshing into space. How many of us have spared a thought about the hovels of our ‘megacities’? Yes, we have IITs and IIMs, but what about the countless millions of children who have to work from the age of seven and will never open a book in their lives? While eating a Rs 300 pizza at some food court on the top floor of any generic posh mall in Mumbai, do our young software professionals spare a thought for Kalahandi? Hell, do they even know that Kalahandi is known as the ‘starvation capital’ of India? Hey, what are we talking about? I thought we had already had the Green Revolution, no one starves in India! Wrong.
India is not ‘Shining’. Reliance/ Tata/ Infosys or some other hotshot firm acquiring a few foreign companies does not improve things in India. Oh well, it does, for maybe the top 100 shareholders. And if you are one of them, then I am sorry; this article is not for you. Things have to change. We need a few reasonably intelligent and honest politicians. We need a few IITians to return to India after they have made a few dollars. We need to stop thinking the India that lives in the glitzy streets of Bangalore and start thinking about that other India that you will see if you ever travel along the Coromandel Express from Chennai Central to Howrah Jn. Anyone game?
3 comments:
I agree. Most of the time people forget to look at these things. When you don't see such issues in everyday life, you tend to forget or disbelieve about these.
-Kitty Khat
Bottomline: Most people, particularly city dwellers dont give a rats ass. And its not because they are busy surviving. Its because they are not affected. That is why Nandigrams still and will happen again and again.
thank you for your comments. But people do care, its is simply that what is done is way too little and sometimes comes too late.
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