The recent attacks on various churches in Orissa have shown the extent to which religious fanaticism is rising in India. Our ancient culture, which prides itself in its staunch commitment to the noble value of secularism, is under attack from the very quarters, which claim to be its protector. Organisations that claim to protect Hinduism forget that Hinduism is one of the most liberal religions in the world. Tolerance has always been a strong facet of Hinduism, but somewhere down the line, it has degenerated to what it is today.
This is indeed true of all religions; fundamentalism is on the rise, and rabid zealots brainwash people into following their own rigid version of their individual religions. Through history (from the time of the Crusades), religion has proved to be more of a divisive force than a source of strength. In today's world, where religious fanaticism have given birth to a potentially fatal brand of terrorism, there is a need to look for alternative solutions, which embrace the noble values of compassion, tolerance and togetherness. Inevitably, this would mean decreasing the role of religion in our lives. Faith is a personal issue; it need not be an emotive one. We have for too long sought to crush fundamentalism with a more narrow mined ideology, probably a by-product of the "eye for an eye" ideology which is seen to be so powerful. The results are there for all to see; the objective has not been achieved-instead the situation has grown to be more dangerous than before.
An urgent need arises to turn to liberalism, which especially in India is foolishly seen to be a western concept, to solve this problem. Liberalism is not new for us-even in times when the rest of the world acted in a caveman-type intention to stamp their authority on others, we adopted a policy of live and let live. This has resulted in the uniqueness of our country, where people of different cultures exist in mutual harmony. It is unfortunate that such noble values have now fallen by the wayside. Liberal attitudes are not only necessary to combat extremism, but also to remove the patriarchal mindset prevalent amongst a majority of our people. Such an attitude will lead to gender equality. Women have for long suffered a great injustice, even in today's age of globalisation, where patriarchal attitudes have led to a spate of incidents of violence against women. In the name of preserving our culture, a lot of our people, aided ably by rabid zealots, give a sense of legitimacy to patriarchy. Liberalism will also need to greater economic strength. India's growth story can be attributed to the liberal policies practiced by the Government post 1991. The Left, whose middle name is hypocrisy, is unfortunately blocking measures intending to bring in more economic growth. Liberalism will result in an all out win-win scenario. It is our only hope for a better future.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Socialism - Root of India's Problems
Post Independence, India followed the policy of socialism, which meant that the economy would be closed to foreign participation, the public sector would provide the impetus to development, and private participation in the economy would be heavily regulated. The economy came to be known as a mixed economy, wherein the positives of both socialism and capitalism would be amalgamated. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a keen student of Fabian Socialism, was greatly impressed by the USSR. Indeed, all of our founding fathers believed that socialism would deliver the Indian people from decades of suffering and poverty. This assertion proved terribly wrong. Instead of its stated intent to bring about all round development, it resulted in rampant corruption, inefficiency and arrogance of the bureaucrats and government agencies, which was borne of the knowledge that they wielded enormous power.
The Government and its agencies, instead of providing for the people, became the biggest roadblock to India's "tryst with destiny", to quote the great Pandit Nehru. Private individuals like the legendary Aditya Birla, left the country after being vexed at the nation's license raj policy, which would determine where the entrepreneur would build his factory, how many units he will build in the factory, the output of the factory and the price at which the entrepreneur would sell his goods in market. The result of such policies was the 3% average growth over decades and the near bankrupt economy of 1991.
It would be easy to blame our founding fathers for placing trust in idealistic policies, but those were simpler days and there was a great distrust of foreigners, given that the country tasted freedom after 200 years of bondage. Individuals in the present generation should understand that socialism is to blame for all our misfortunes, not individuals like the Mahatma, Sardar Patel or Nehru. It is because of the sacrifices of these great men that we are a free nation, something which the youth takes for granted. However, there were also a few positives. There are a few public sector companies like ONGC and BSNL, which have proved they can take on the best and come out victorious. The emphasis on industrialisation, although skewed heavily toward the public sector has led to today's scenario where reforms have resulted in rampant growth. These can best be described as a silver lining in a very gloomy setting. Liberalisation, a process initiated in 1991, has led to a scenario where India is poised to becoming one of the world's biggest economies in a few years.
On the contrary, except for a few companies, the public sector represents a very sick patient, only that they are being denied medication (privatisation) by organisations which claim to protect them (the Left). The communists still stick to their ineffective dogma, which will succeed only in Utopia. The economic disintegration of Russia after the fall of the USSR has shown that it is only on the surface that communist countries appear rich. China, one of the few communist countries, follows communism only for political means whilst for all practical purposes it is capitalist. It's amazing growth today can be attributed to the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping in the seventies. In India, the communists still pose a threat, and the unfortunate thing is that some people follow them without realising that they are responsible for the sorry state a majority of our countrymen are in. Naxalism is an example. Socialism is hypocrisy. Whilst claiming to deliver salvation, it will heap more misery of the people. It is time to turn to all out capitalism. That will make Vision 2020 a reality.
The Government and its agencies, instead of providing for the people, became the biggest roadblock to India's "tryst with destiny", to quote the great Pandit Nehru. Private individuals like the legendary Aditya Birla, left the country after being vexed at the nation's license raj policy, which would determine where the entrepreneur would build his factory, how many units he will build in the factory, the output of the factory and the price at which the entrepreneur would sell his goods in market. The result of such policies was the 3% average growth over decades and the near bankrupt economy of 1991.
It would be easy to blame our founding fathers for placing trust in idealistic policies, but those were simpler days and there was a great distrust of foreigners, given that the country tasted freedom after 200 years of bondage. Individuals in the present generation should understand that socialism is to blame for all our misfortunes, not individuals like the Mahatma, Sardar Patel or Nehru. It is because of the sacrifices of these great men that we are a free nation, something which the youth takes for granted. However, there were also a few positives. There are a few public sector companies like ONGC and BSNL, which have proved they can take on the best and come out victorious. The emphasis on industrialisation, although skewed heavily toward the public sector has led to today's scenario where reforms have resulted in rampant growth. These can best be described as a silver lining in a very gloomy setting. Liberalisation, a process initiated in 1991, has led to a scenario where India is poised to becoming one of the world's biggest economies in a few years.
On the contrary, except for a few companies, the public sector represents a very sick patient, only that they are being denied medication (privatisation) by organisations which claim to protect them (the Left). The communists still stick to their ineffective dogma, which will succeed only in Utopia. The economic disintegration of Russia after the fall of the USSR has shown that it is only on the surface that communist countries appear rich. China, one of the few communist countries, follows communism only for political means whilst for all practical purposes it is capitalist. It's amazing growth today can be attributed to the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping in the seventies. In India, the communists still pose a threat, and the unfortunate thing is that some people follow them without realising that they are responsible for the sorry state a majority of our countrymen are in. Naxalism is an example. Socialism is hypocrisy. Whilst claiming to deliver salvation, it will heap more misery of the people. It is time to turn to all out capitalism. That will make Vision 2020 a reality.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the biggest challenge of our times. No nation can claim to be free from this menace. India, for a major part of the past two decades, been fighting terrorism- be it the insurgencies in Kashmir and the Northeast or Naxalism. State sponsored terrorism has hurt our country to the maximum extent. It is therefore a pity that the West has come to terms with the magnitude of the problem only after 9/11 and 7/7.
India is unique in its diversity. There exist many different cultures, religions, languages and traditions. The sentiments of those in one part of the country can vary vastly from those in another part of the country. For long we have been praised for our unity, a common desire running through every Indian- to take the country forward; to eliminate poverty and to see that there is not a single person who has to suffer from want of basic needs. It is this unity, which is danger of being destroyed. Kashmir, the Northeast and the naxal-affected areas are a pointer. Differences among people on trivial accounts are being exploited accounts are being exploited by selfish individuals to serve their selfish needs. Naxalism, to quote the Prime Minister, is a socio- economic issue. Globalisation and liberalisation post-1991 hast left in its wake a section of distressed who are hurt by competition. The naxalites claim to protect to protect these distressed, dismissing the obvious fact that poverty can only be eliminated by faster growth, and growth can be attained only by the reforms practiced by various Governments, post- 1991. The irony is that these distressed, exploited by an ineffective bureaucracy and hypocoristic politicians are most vulnerable to naxalite activities. Then, we have Kashmir and the Northeast, where the militancy is supported across the border, by de facto failed states like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Instead of setting their own problems right, these countries seek to destroy the fabric of our country. The basis for their hate campaign against our great country is a mentality stuck in the middle ages, where religions fought each other in their quest for dominance. These countries cannot conduct free and fair elections, talk of a democracy where the Chief of Army Staff is more important than the Prime Minister, cannot provide adequate security to leading politicians, and yet they talk of “delivering freedom”. It is unfortunate that our brethren have fallen prey to this vitriolic propaganda. This tells us that mistakes have been made, for the logical reason that a huge section of people will not harbour extensive hatred against their countrymen an the whim of a few.
So what is the solution to this problem? The quagmire in Iraq has proved that only military means will not give us a permanent solution. A multi pronged strategy is needed to fight terrorism. Whilst keeping the military option open, we need to strike where it hurts the most- the support base of these terrorists. We need to convince our people that in our unity lies our greatest strength; we can solve all our problems if we stay united. A hawkish approach, as advocated by L.K. Advani and other sections of the right, will not work. Most importantly, we need to accept and apoligize for past mistakes and act keeping in mind the sentiments of the local populace. The trust of the people has to be earned in this fight against terrorism. The growth story seen of late proves that India is in for great things. We cannot allow a heartless band of murderers and those who seek solace in a failed ideology spoil our tryst with destiny. The Elephant is here to shine. It is ours to make or break.
India is unique in its diversity. There exist many different cultures, religions, languages and traditions. The sentiments of those in one part of the country can vary vastly from those in another part of the country. For long we have been praised for our unity, a common desire running through every Indian- to take the country forward; to eliminate poverty and to see that there is not a single person who has to suffer from want of basic needs. It is this unity, which is danger of being destroyed. Kashmir, the Northeast and the naxal-affected areas are a pointer. Differences among people on trivial accounts are being exploited accounts are being exploited by selfish individuals to serve their selfish needs. Naxalism, to quote the Prime Minister, is a socio- economic issue. Globalisation and liberalisation post-1991 hast left in its wake a section of distressed who are hurt by competition. The naxalites claim to protect to protect these distressed, dismissing the obvious fact that poverty can only be eliminated by faster growth, and growth can be attained only by the reforms practiced by various Governments, post- 1991. The irony is that these distressed, exploited by an ineffective bureaucracy and hypocoristic politicians are most vulnerable to naxalite activities. Then, we have Kashmir and the Northeast, where the militancy is supported across the border, by de facto failed states like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Instead of setting their own problems right, these countries seek to destroy the fabric of our country. The basis for their hate campaign against our great country is a mentality stuck in the middle ages, where religions fought each other in their quest for dominance. These countries cannot conduct free and fair elections, talk of a democracy where the Chief of Army Staff is more important than the Prime Minister, cannot provide adequate security to leading politicians, and yet they talk of “delivering freedom”. It is unfortunate that our brethren have fallen prey to this vitriolic propaganda. This tells us that mistakes have been made, for the logical reason that a huge section of people will not harbour extensive hatred against their countrymen an the whim of a few.
So what is the solution to this problem? The quagmire in Iraq has proved that only military means will not give us a permanent solution. A multi pronged strategy is needed to fight terrorism. Whilst keeping the military option open, we need to strike where it hurts the most- the support base of these terrorists. We need to convince our people that in our unity lies our greatest strength; we can solve all our problems if we stay united. A hawkish approach, as advocated by L.K. Advani and other sections of the right, will not work. Most importantly, we need to accept and apoligize for past mistakes and act keeping in mind the sentiments of the local populace. The trust of the people has to be earned in this fight against terrorism. The growth story seen of late proves that India is in for great things. We cannot allow a heartless band of murderers and those who seek solace in a failed ideology spoil our tryst with destiny. The Elephant is here to shine. It is ours to make or break.
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