Incredible (Shining) India!

Sitting alone in my room, in the dead of night, (Yes I can hear the crickets chirping) brooding over the fate of my nation, which is set to celebrate her 61st anniversary of our Independence Day on August 15, a train of thoughts runs through my mind.

With my table lamp switched on, I feel like scribbling my random thoughts. Even though a lay person’s writings do not matter much to the so-called cultural icons and present day political leaders, again I say I feel like put in my thoughts in the white sheet on the table . On second thoughts, to be a lay person is a blessing in disguise. He is infact free to express his convictions and opinions more courageously unlike those in the higher echelons in our society. Actually they are bound by chains that I need not explain here. An AmarSingh-ManMohan-ShibuSoren-Ambani nexus speaks to us more eloquently. Here I am reminded of a short article penned by the irrepressible Hindi film maker Mahesh Bhatt. Frankly speaking I was very much impressed by the very headline “See things as they are” in the Sunday Magazine of last week’s The Hindu (10th August 2008). I don’t want to go into the contents of his thoughts mentioned in his article.

Much water has flowed down the Ganges since August 15, 1947.

Pondering over the developments that our country underwent and is still in that process, since 1947, if I can’t find any happiness I implore my readers if there are any who are willing to go through it. If a spark of thought could ignites their minds, I would be of much gratitude to them.

In the early morning of August15, our respected Prime Minister, Sardar ManMohan Singh will be hoisting the tri-colour flag from the ramparts of Delhi and will deliver an inspiring speech to those who are eager to hear him and applaud him clapping their hands. Among them will be dignitaries, leaders of all political parties of various hues, bureaucrats, other Delhi-Wallahs and also those who watch him and listen to him sitting in their homes in front of television sets. Those who can’t afford to have TV sets may glue their ears to the radio sets to listen to his terrifying speech and the ever-inspiring commentaries, from an invisible place, reminiscent of an oracle, and can bask in the glory of Independence Day celebrations with thumping hearts brimming with patriotism.

I am sure our beloved Prime Minister will spread out a long list of developments that our nation has achieved in various fields such as fabulous economic growth, higher GDP, sky-rocketting sensex (even though with occasional bearish phases), Science, Technology, our ever-vigilant and self-reliant defence sector prepared to meet challenges ahead from any quarter, infrastructure developments (pot-holed dilapidated streets and the vehicles dancing through the streets across the various parts of our country bear testimony to all these claims) all these high talks might inspire even our late national leaders and freedom fighters, turn in their graves with pride. He might even remind us about the challenges and exhort us the need to meet them and tackle them with vigour and agility. He might remind us the famous lines of the late poet Robert Frost-

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And Miles to go before I sleep,
And Miles to go before I sleep.”
(The lines always cherished by our late Panditji)

Deep down in our hearts,( the “Am Admi”), the honour we are endowed with-thanks to our political leaders-are unhappy.

The alarming rise of economic disparities among the rich and poor or the haves and have-nots is a tragic fact confronting our country.

Here also I am reminded of the Hiren Mukherji lecture, undertaken by the world famous and Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, in the parliament house in the presence of our economist Prime Minister and all other Parliament Members, the other day. Dr.Amartya Sen minced no words in squarely blaming all political leaders (the right and left alike) over their criminal negligence of the social deprivation, still consistent in our nation and their eagerness to throw mud against each other on the immediate problems like Civil Nuclear Deal and hike in fuel prices. Dr.Sen has always stressed the necessity to attend to the social aspects of our economy like poverty and illiteracy plaguing our society.

This Bengali gentleman economist in his childhood days in Bengal, was a sad witness to deaths of lakhs and lakhs of poor people in the dreaded Bengal famine. The nightmares of those dark days still haunt him, I am sure.

It is worthwhile to note here that Dr.Sen is still supportive of Globalisation. In his famous book “The Argumentative Indian”-his lines I quote here-“Globalisation is neither new, nor in general a folly. Through persistent movements of goods, people, techniques and the ideas it has shaped the history of the world. That acknowledgement doesn’t ofcourse undermine the overwhelming need to pay particular attention to the predicament of vulnerable and disadvantaged and this is indeed an important consideration in the determination of good economic policies for the contemporary world”.

A few days ago, I got an opportunity to go through the writings of the famous independent journalist Kalpana Sharma, settled in Mumbai, in her weekly column “The Other Half” in The Hindu, about the pathetic sanitary conditions prevailing in our nation. Here I quote her words -“One out of every two persons in the world compelled to defecate in the open is an Indian.”

About 667 millions of Indians are pulling on their lives without any sanitary facilities. She puts the entire blame on our past and present rulers for their criminal neglect of this basic necessity. In the late 70s, even though for a short duration I had to face this condition while I was residing in a small dingy room in Labour Camp-a part of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. Appalling, nauseating and pathetic. Even now, the situation remains the same.

A long chain of problems still haunts us.
Mounting agrarian problems and thousands and thousands of farmers commit suicide on daily basis-the exact data- I don’t have now - on account of their inability to repay their mounting debts to local money lenders which the former borrowed at exorbitant rates from the latter. A debt waiver of Rs 75,000 crore won’t be of much benefit at the eleventh hour and the rulers may kindly be reminded that the politically conscious citizens of our country are very well aware that these late hour doles handed out to them are to entice them to vote for these leaders at a time when elections are round the corner. Lying prostrate before the electorate and begging for votes at the election time won’t do much good to the ruling elite. Similar is the case with National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP). These positive steps should have been started at the very outset of their taking over the reins of power at the centre.

The deteriorating communal harmony in our country and also the recent unfortunate happenings in Kashmir over the allocation and subsequent revocation of the orders relating to Amarnath land shrine board issue to two communities resulting to a severe law and order situation and a few unfortunate deaths. Kashmir is till simmering.

Intermittent terrorist attacks at various parts of our nation killing thousands of innocent citizens are also a matter of great concern to all of us. Recent terrorist attacks in Bangalore and Ahmedabad aimed at disturbing our communal harmony and also to blow up the economic nerve centers of our country are pointers to a bleak future threatening our beloved India. Hitherto our Government have proved to be helpless in containing these frequent attacks and also in nabbing the real culprits involved in all of these dastardly attacks. Praising the resilience of our citizens even after these violent attacks, assurance to nab the culprits at the earliest and also the affirmation not to cow down under pressure from the foreign militant organizations won’t carry much conviction.

Whither our country leading to? Why can’t our rulers find solutions even after repeated bitter experiences? Urgent measures are ought to be taken and implemented expeditiously.
Really an occasion for the 61st Independence Day celebrations with pomp and pageantry! Incredible (and also Shining) India of course. Long Live India. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.