Witnessed a rather interesting conversation in the bus the other day. The bus had been standing at a stop for more about 15 mins, enough to arouse the grievances of many of the people sitting around me. That somehow seeded their critical thinking and before the bus started, the discussion had shifted to India.
The people engaged in the discussion were mostly middle-aged enjoying every bit of what was being said. As I have often seen around me, ‘Corruption’ and ‘Cricket’ are two key-words in India on which anyone and everyone holds an opinion. Somehow, here too, India was being held synonymous with the former term. Usually, such instances are meant to be taken with a pinch of salt. But, it made me wonder what image the common man has of his country. The sense of pride is always given a past tense with sentences like ‘In our times’, ‘the system has degraded’, ‘the conditions have worsened’. Words are spoken without thinking, and usually the ignorant lot of the people, safely takes a popular stand and so, gets away with it.
I had always agreed with people saying that our country needs a revolution. But I also feel that it has come in a way. This is the era of the growing countries, and India in a way seems to be paving the way. We have freer trade as compared to 25 yrs ago when we followed a protectionist approach. The GDP is growing, so are the job opportunities, where are we degrading then ?
Politically, I agree the situation is still grim. But, soon, with economics dictating the terms, politics would have to follow. There’ll barely be any room for corruption. Also, with freer and more competitive media, scams and frauds are tough to keep under the carpet. In a way politics, by the sheer nature of it, could never be sanctified completely(Mahabharata wasn’t a completely clean epic either), but with everything under tough scrutiny and under the public eye, it can be confined to a tactical sphere with minimal negative effects on the country’s growth.
Even in terms of arts and culture, the country seems to be recognizing its own distinct flavor. The age of New Wave Cinema that saw a rather humble beginning in the 1980s seems to be catching pace. Sufi Kalaam and Classical music is finding new audience. Everything traditional and Indian now is considered aesthetic and has a distinct charm attached with it. As it’s said, India is suddenly in fashion!
Where we do lack is in the ignorance of the people towards the change. I feel we all see it around us, but somehow don’t acknowledge or realize it, while sticking with our prejudices. India is predicted to be the third biggest economy by the early 2030s. By those figures, we are living in the best of times. As it’s idyllic to see your country among the superpowers of the world, but its more blissful to be a part of the generation that led it there.
Monday, March 21, 2005
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1 comments:
Cant agree with u more on ur observation of how ppl hold opinions about the two C's.in the three years that i'v hung on d railings of the rather gentlemanish DTC buses,i cud never help overhearing the all charged up discussions goin between people of all creeds.9 times out of 10, the topic was either of the two C's.in them, in one moment, i heard as much frustration as i heard joy, in the other. all this, however, always gave me a kind of reassurance. i'v always treated discussions, opinions and arguments as signs of a healthy democracy. that ppl can discuss, have opinions and argue, is an evidence that they are aware. and democracy is quite about awareness.
however i sort of disagree with one clause of ur text..."where are we degrading then ?". in a few months from now, i'll turn a tax payer. but even today, when i look at the road outside my house, i think, if tax is supposed to repair it, why dont i spend my money and get this road made myself...and then dont pay my tax? because the fact that my money is goin to the govt is not helping me. its dying somewhere in the long chain of hands. and its not that i live in a rural colony. moreover, its just one small example.
i'v always thought of an economic superpower and a developed country as two different entities. the latter is actually an ideal imperative of the former. i dont say that India is not developing, but is the pace of it proportional to the rate at which India is heading towards becoming an economic superpower? my answer to this is a definite no. we still need reasons like commonwealth games to look forward to developing our capital. we still need a tsunami to make us feel the need of a warning system in place.
growth of intellectual capital is the need of the hour. i dont see our education system adequate enough to contribute. and the BPO boom is not doing any good either to the brain lying between the two earphones.
i dont like to leave topics on negative notes. i feel we need more IIMs, IITs, and most importantly schools. i cant forget those words that came out of this 50-something man from Lahore (dont remember his name): "We must ensure education of each and every child of this country at primary and secondary level, for we don't know how many might have in them engineers or doctors, those little ones that scavenge on piles and dumps of garbage...".
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