The country shall go to the dogs

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.