Our Indian epics are filled with a world of wisdom, brought to colorful life by inventive folk traditions. And yes, they are filled with wise holy men and "ideal" leaders. They are full of stories where such beings answered our prayers with miracles.
The days of praying for miracles is long over.
Modern India is slowly but surely moving away from it's imaginative, colorful history. Day by day, one brick at a time, young India is writing its own saga, its own epic.
And what an epic!
In the space of the last 20-odd years, sheer hard work and entrepreneurship has taken a protected economy and turned it into a lean, hungry economic powerhouse.
The path has not been easy -- crippling corruption, social inertia, and morally-ambiguous land acquisition are major hurdles -- but we Indians have done it. Again and again, against the odds.
When I say "we Indians", let me be more clear:
- I do not speak of any politicians; it is their job to pass legislation that provides us with effective economic conditions.
- I speak to some extent of business leaders; they certainly provide a million opportunities, even if individuals are sometimes little more than figureheads.
- I speak of the so-called 'common Indian'; the person who works, oils the economy, pays taxes to nourish this Democracy, and sometimes even dies doing his duty -- his dharma, if you will -- whether it be an office peon or an Army Brigadier.
After a long winter, the trees of India's economy began to produce the sweetest fruits: today, India has one of the world's highest growth rates, a stable economy that survived global problems, and a brilliant future.
However, when an orchard blooms, so do the pests, parasites, and scavengers.
In the last few days, we have seen a stark example of this: Baba Ramdev.
A populist yoga instructor and 'holy man', Baba Ramdev claims his 'unique breathing asanas' can cure asthma, AIDS, cancer, and most other diseases.
At some point, this millionaire (over 30 businesses) also began to discourse on India's social ills. As bizarre as his medical claims, his ideas on Indian Society include:
- Curing homosexual Indians using "yoga"
- Executing people for financial crimes
- Rolling back industrialization
- Promoting "Indian" languages over English - crippling KPOs and BPOs
- Withdrawing high-den currency notes - destabilizing India's economy
Oh, he also wants to change the entire judicial, parliamentary, and social structure.
To be 'miraculously' replaced by the same "Bharata" of our colorful, imaginative past.
Click here to read more about what this "Bharata" could look like... a repressive, regressive, and suicidal society.
This is madness.
To break down your nation is an act of sheer nihilism -- destruction for the sake of destruction. In the hope that something better arises from the ashes. A miracle.
But this is NOT the age of miracles.
Indians interested in growth know this -- they work to build, to expand, to improve. And they know work is involved.
In Baba Ramdev's promised miracle India, there is no "work" to lay out a path. No real vision or plan.
We are told: "First break *this* imperfection, then we'll see about what will happen!"
This is the cry of an anarchist, a pathetic wounded creature with no option.
This is NOT Modern India.
Sure we have problems. But we have solutions too. Every day innovative, involved Indians are creating new ways to make India a better nation, a better society.
All they ask is Time... nothing is ever built in a day, nor can it be re-made in a few hours.
Make your own miracles... work at change. Positive change.
Footnote: Indian minds are addressing even the difficult questions of how to break the politicians' stranglehold on our nation. Read Right to Reject Candidates for a rational look at reforming the electoral system to provide more power to the voter.
I'm with you: "Make your own miracles".
ReplyDeleteI've been tracking this entire affair from the minute Anna Hazare declared a fast unto death. By tracking, I don't just mean watching on television. I've covered it for a magazine, I've blogged, I've gone down to India Gate, I've argued with people on Twitter and I'm recording it all for posterity.
It boggles the mind that I need to convince even the "people like us" that they ought to support the India Against Corruption movement. This is a watershed issue for me. Aar ya paar. I'm observing, very closely, how media persons and celebrities and politicians choose their words on this issue. It is incredibly instructive. There is no MPA/MPP from Harvard that will teach you what I am learning everyday with my armchair activism.
Sorry my comment sounds so "I,I,I" but then, isn't that what blogging is all about?
You've written a great post. You've got the right attitude. We need to galvanize more people and boost each other's energy every day and fight on. We must soldier on.
No, India is not Pakistan or Libya or Syria or Egypt. But India is not just Bharat or Hindustan.
I leave you with some slogans from the four days of Anna Hazare's fast:
If not now, when? If not us, who? This is not for me or you. This is for India.
Pundit Commentator: Agreed, Anna Hazare's movement is an an important watershed. He has shown us that participative democracy still exists in India, especially when the issue demands it.
ReplyDeleteA rational, transparent and 'Indian' social movement is welcomed by the builders of Modern India. Greater transparency equals fair play in the political, business, and social fields.
We must soldier on... knowing we are only part of a larger struggle; change is rarely easy or spontaneous. Let is not let our human impatience push us towards the wrong leaders.
We must be committed to change... and hard work.
(Part 1)
ReplyDelete"When an orchard blooms, so do the pests, parasites, and scavengers"
Very nice :)
I find that a lot of arguments for or against the particular 'holy' man you mention are arguments about methods vs motivation. The motivation, at its start, was positive it seems.
Eradicate corruption. This seems like one clear central goal if you ask me. We can never really know a person's intentions but this was made out to be plain and simple (not in implementation, but in vision).
Assuming the intentions were simple and clear, at the start, along the way, the person possibly realised all the attenion, money and power that could be gotten during this struggle. The rhetoric and biases came to be revealed, of which the one about homosexuality freaks me out the most.
We have a lot to learn.
We must look at history, and especially history of other nations for perspective, to see how local leaders who came to the national fore through vote-bank politics or discrimination against minorities, have, in the past, subjected large numbers of men and women to grave atrocities. And this was not necessarily limited to national borders. This is one thing we must learn.
(part 2)
ReplyDeleteWhen we see someone clamouring to lead, we have to learn to step back and remember that the person is only human, and give them the space to be it. So that later we do not feel disappointed by their actions, and so that we are not disappointed when change takes long, hard work.
And there is more to learn from our own past.
Our leaders: the Mahatma, Aurobindo Ghosh, Lokmanya Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru, were behind bars for long periods. If you read their writings (although I haven't read Tilak's), the benefit of solitude and the necessity to practice compassion in response to opression, comes out loud and clear. And excepting Shri Aurobindo, they weren't even Gurus; he too, was an extremist who turned pacifist later in his life. So why are the Gurus of today so different? Aung San Suu Kyi is also a living example of such a struggle.
I’m not saying that we should put the person in question behind bars. What I’m asking is: whatever happened to solitude, penance and compassion which are supposed to be the hallmarks of a Guru?
We had political leaders who practised penance and compassion. Now we have Gurus who pretend to do the same. We've also forgotten that Yoga and penance are not the same. One is physical, the other is mental.
The abuse of the word 'Satyagraha' is becoming difficult for me to bear. Among other virtues, it presumes compassion, absence of negativity towards the opressor, an iron will, and fearlessness in the protestor. Without this, it is difficult to maintain the calm and patience needed in dealing with society's grave ills. I am dismayed to see people swayed by pretence and rhetoric.
At the same time, it’s about time the State realized that it does not have the exclusive right to the use of force.
I see this period as growing pains that must be endured as we mature as a democracy. We must learn.
Two things come out in the post, first that Indian State and those vying for its control are untrustworthy and that common Indians and businessmen are the real thing behind the growth.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to go to factual description of these broad generalizations nor is it my purpose to clear the mists of its darkness for all of us to see truth clearly. I would like only to bring about two issues which are very much part of our mentalities when we approach questions of governance and development. First, being, arbitrariness and second being lack of inquiring mindset.
Arbitrariness, without going into its semantics, plagues nearly everyone from simple govt institutions like universities, small scale companies & post office officials to our "policy gurus". There is this compulsive nature of everyone where everyone presumes that his actions are completely accurate coupled with his understanding of other's actions. However, this leads to endless "holier than thou", "find the miscreants", "punitive/penal actions are justified" mentality.
Would People accept Ramdev's preposterous proposals if they didn't share these traits? No, we living in our cocoons looking at lives of others through our own tainted lenses have failed to see the beauty of human individuality which each of us has. We are quick to philosophizing, have absolutist thinking, lockstep reasoning and near maddening desire to challenge and argue indefinitely without even willingness to put our own reasoning to challenge.
If a person refuses to budge from his thought/reasonings and has no willingness to compare it with others and reject the one which is of inferior nature then how can we as a polity/society/economy improve?
This mentality also plagues our government officials without an exception. Would our government structure allow a compassionate/reason oriented mind to exist? I don't know.
But until our officials begin to think that their position is not for them to live a "secure" life but a post to work with their own people this will not change.
Ofcourse, Institutional overhaul is a necessity but change in mentality and work ethics is as much a part of it. It is not a question of but/or rather an issue of both/and.
Second there is utter lack of inquiring mindset in our population. With the major trust deficit throughout, there is a near absence thoughtful thinking where the emphasis is on understanding each other positions, needs and priorities rather an absolute desire to impose oneself on others. If we as people behave like this then why wouldn't our government. They use our mistrust and divisions to carry on their divide and rule system, which they have perfect over the decades and is a clear reminiscient of colonial rule. Every issue is discussed by demonizing a group of people & shouting glorifications to another. This will always lead to endless power struggle and strife which can only be bridged by patient, calm, thoughtful and reasoned discourse rather than impositions and prescriptions.
I believe that concept of State or more accurately Political Institutions is not some monolith which can be fixed by simple mindedness and high sounding vocabulary, nor can it be fixed by endeavour of few "smart" people. It will involve all of us, I mean, all of us, where the question will be posed to us, whether we are emotionally mature enough to handle the issues while giving up this distrust/hatred and come to solutions which are beneficial for all.