When to say “India Shining” again?

Here is one very disappointing piece of news about our nation’s current competitiveness. More than the rank, the “trend” is what is really worrying.
 

World’s most prosperous nations: India slips 10 places to be at 88
 

India has slipped 10 places to the 88th spot in the World Prosperity Index due to poor healthcare and education systems coupled with a weak entrepreneurial infrastructure. The prosperity index is based on 89 variables and claims to comprehensively rank the level of prosperity in 110 nations of the world.
 

https://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/nov/03/slide-show-1-worlds-most-prosperous-nations.htm (November 3, 2010)
 

I think government should really wake up to the realities. Note the areas where India has gone down the trend: it’s about healthcare and education systems – the prime targets of our so called “govt for aam adami”. We need some genuine soul search.

Arundhati and Kashmir

Recently, the ‘famous’ Indian activist Arundhati Roy made a statement that “Kashmir has never been integral part of India”.
 

https://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Kashmir-has-never-been-integral-part-of-India-Arundhati/701793/
 

Before becoming an activist, Arundhati was an author. In fact “The God of Small Things” is the only novel written by her. Since winning the Booker Prize, she has been writing on political issues. I read Arundhati Roy’s “God of small things” after it won the Booker Prize 1997. Story was complex and treaded on many dimensions. But one part made me bewildered: the story showed a sexual relationship between a brother and a sister. At that time I wondered what kind of a perverted writer she was. Later on I read that her book “God of small things” is semi-autobiographical and a major part captures her childhood experiences in Kerala. (She was born in Meghalaya to a Keralite Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali father. She spent her childhood in Aymanam in Kerala. She married twice and she and her present husband Pradip Krishnen had no children.)
 

In any case I believe Arundhati wanted to create a public debate on Kashmir issue. Here is what I have to say:
 

1) First of all, let us remember why “freedom” or “azaadi” is so precious for Indians. If Indians won’t understand “azadi”, after being under foreign slavery for 1000 years, I don’t know who will. Innumerable sacrifices have made us achieve our precious freedom from the British and we have been tolerant enough to allow creation of Pakistan/Bangladesh on religious ground, so as to achieve long term peace. We have also tolerated confrontation with Pakistan and China even if they keep a portion of our land, in order to avoid war. In conditions like these, giving autonomy or freedom to one of our states, is out of question because it threatens the “India model”.
 

2) Arundhati has been supporting Naxals and now she is supporting Kashmiri separatists. She might have an opinion and reasons to support Maoists or Separatists, but she is definitely making India weak by supporting them in public and giving them limelight and legitimacy. In democracy, we are allowed to have radical opinions, but to work full-time in spreading anti-India violence, she should be told to restrain. I would support her right of expression greatly, if she supported a non-violent movement. But she supports Maoists who kill Indian police and military forces as a way of life; and separatists in Kashmir who killed thousands of innocent Indians – and I would be happy for a case against her to be filed. My personal opinion is that she is a publicity hound and has serious psychological deviations which make her invite public attention, and her ego even feeds on their outrage. She should be treated well.

3) Arundhati seems to have become an overnight expert to understand problems in Kashmir and is passing verdicts. I don’t know who would support her but only “elitists”? Look, Arundhati is famously wise and globally popular – if I too support her, may be some of hers would brush off on me too? I am glad rest of India is not with her.
 

4) For Kashmir, much of the protest is “sponsored” and stones thrown are “funded” by money coming from Pakistan – and hence the problem has many dimensions.
 

‘Kashmir stone-pelters funded by Pakistan’

https://ibnlive.in.com/news/kashmir-stonepelters-funded-by-pakistan/133688-3.html
 

5) Someone said why Kashmir should not get “azadi” when Pakistan got it in 1947? If we allowed Pakistan to get created, it doesn’t mean we would allow every Muslim dominated locality to become a separate nation. Today, India is not slave to Britain or anyone else, and hence can protect its soil from anti-nationals.
 

6) For those who blame Indian govt and think Kashmiri Muslims have got caught in the cross-fire, I suggest they search and read History properly. Read what is and how “Martyr’s Day” celebrated in Kashmir even now, remembering the dead Muslims who revolted against Hindu Dogra king, in 1931. Alas, the same kind of protest is going in Kashmir at present in 2010, as what was going on in 1931. Do read about it.
 

7) In my views, solution to Kashmir’s problem can be done in this way: India should first force a peace by sending all separatists to jail, take back special status of the state by removing Article 370 from our constitution and allow migration in and out of the state, and thereby inculcate the spirit of “national integration”. The special status for the state, no matter what was the historical reason behind it, has reached us to the point where our great nation which finds no parallel in history for being peace loving, is being accused like a murderous and curbing autocracy.
 

The bottom line is: I feel sad that the Kashmiri separatist Muslims have hijacked and abused the word and spirits of “Azadi” so much. India should strive for a proper solution to Kashmir in the long term and should strongly protect our sovereignty in the short term. And our governments should stop supporting antinational elements.
 

PS: I had also asked a question in Rediff QnA, which saw some very good opinion and discussion posted on the matter. You can check it out here:
 

http://qna.rediff.com/questions-and-answers/today-arundhati-roy-said-kashmir-has-never-been/18306184/answers
 

I asked: What do you think Arundhati is, and why:
 

(a) Patriotic Indian

(b) Unpatriotic Indian

(c) Childish / Mentally disturbed

(d) Publicity Hound.
 

My take is (d)

India Shining and CWG!

All of us remember the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee with various feelings. Some of us appreciate that government, some of us like its decisions, some of us miss the quality of ministry it had, and I think most of us miss the sheer charisma of Atal Ji. But if “all is well that ends well” goes true, then most of us also remember NDA/BJP government with the curious slogan of “India Shining”. Some of us ridicule it (mostly because our media ridiculed it after NDA/BJP lost elections); some of us think it was a bad idea; some of us remember it as most massive PR campaign we ever had, and then some of us have also learnt a lot from it. One lesson that came out of it was, as per a popular view, that most Indians get a ‘nationalistic feeling’ only when either there is a war or there is a victory on Cricket grounds. Otherwise, our nationalism is a sleepy and stumpy creature. This explains why we got so very agitated when 26/11 happened, but soon after, we gave back power to the same guys who had created it. So much blood, tears, candles and TRP, went for nothing. Our public memory is so short that it takes only a cracker or a Saina Nehwal to forget all. This is why I suspect if we would still feel a need for a proper investigation of CWG corruption, after we witnessed such a grand inauguration and closing ceremony for the games.
 

Anyways, let me get back to the theme I started with. The NDA/BJP government had inherited a weak national economy. Our forex reserves were not good enough; our share markets were not hot. Loss making and bleeding public sector companies were a burden on the tax payers who were subsidizing them. Our private sector was craving for FDI and had a glass ceiling to break in the international space. Then came the NDA government which had the brightest non-political set of ministers India ever had in my opinion. These ministers had a lot to prove and a less incentive to care for their own political dynasties. The result was a complete turnaround. Our forex reserves touched new heights, share markets became hot-bed for investors, golden-quadrilateral roads were built, sick PSUs were divested with, and salaried class Indians had more money in their hands to spend. In those days, to whichever country our PM went, the Premiers broke protocols to welcome him warmly. Indian businesses became behemoths with less red-tape and NRIs started looking back to India because it had now prospects for them. In those times, somewhere around 2003, the government of A.B. Vajpayee also won the bid to organize Common Wealth Games after much effort. The Games were to showcase what we had achieved; the Games were to be a Gateway to the New Resurgent India! But as we realize some times now, such highly patriotic show-offs and our nationalistic feelings slip away even from the word go. So I guess we would just enjoy the opening/closing ceremonies of these games, would hail our sportsmen and would get back to our individual personal lives, completely forgetting that these games were also the most Shameful Games for India. Would we care to remember the mess that our corrupt government officials had thrown at us in terms of lousy preparations, the roads dug and covered, the shameful media reports which tore down our international image, the apathetic response of corrupt politicians at the helm of affairs and the crores of tax payers money which were siphoned off by corruption in the contracts and organization.

As a nation, we love entertainment. These Games have provided us with more entertainment than any other. Now I guess it’s time to go back to our collective numbness. Until, perhaps, the next time when we are again in similar mess. Then we would again curse the politicians, light some candles, watch TV news and then go back in our cozy couches. After all, this life is a game. But if we don’t play it, they will. If we don’t reject those corrupt ones in power, they will keep doing this again and again to us. Dozing, already?

Jai Shri Ram!

igh Court verdict on the controversial Ram Janmabhumi – Babri case is out. The court has established that the land on which the disputed structure and mosque stood, was the actual land on which Lord of Ayodhya, Raja Ram was born. First of all it’s a relief that the court verdict has finally come out. And I also believe that if the court verdict had come a bit sooner, there won’t have been any blot on the Hindu population with reference to the Babri demolition.
 

I have a few observations to make, which I think are far-reaching in consequences.
 

After Babri-demolition, the Hindu pride suffered hugely. For the secular Hindus who had never attacked or harmed people from other faiths in their history spanning ages, the blame of destroying a mosque, even if abandoned, was a shame. In fact the Hindus had even never attacked their violators by virtue of their faith; and their toleration and peaceful co-existence over a thousand year of atrocious rule by foreign faiths is a shining example for the world at large. Today’s court verdict, which establishes the fact that the disputed land was the place where Shri Ram was born, and the mosque which was built by invading fighters stood on the ruins of a Hindu temple, turns those painful accusations down. How would you feel if an invader demolishes your home and builds own, in its place? Attacking for self-defense is not totally wrong! Though I still believe demolition of Babri structure was not right, I hope from today, people would take the whole dispute in perspective instead of plainly blaming one side and turning away. Hindu pride is resurrected once again, in a way.
 

I also appreciate the mature and unprovocative manner in which the Hindu organizations have went about in the days before the verdict. I also note that the BJP’s take on it was very responsible, and Congress too acted just. I heard advocate Ravi Shankar Prasad speaking to media persons outside the HC sometime back and his appeal to the Indian Muslims to reinstate brotherhood was very apt.
 

We should also understand that had it not been the Hindu Organizations who relentlessly fought the case in the court, this decisive verdict won’t have happened. Many congratulations to them!
 

I guess another far reaching effect of this outcome would be that Hindus would start thinking fairly and highly of the Hindu social organizations. Even the skeptic of the lot would now wake up and realize that they were unintelligently believing in all the so called secular views aired for political convenience in our polity which is based on minority-appeasement at its core. The Muslim invaders did destroy Hindu temples, and we have to learn to accept our past history even if it is disgraceful. And the most important lesson: we can still get justice for us in our secular democracy, by fully democratic and non-violent means.
 

On a lighter note, I think it is not unfashionable to be a ‘Ram-Bhakt’ now :) It’s because the truth is on your side. Or should I say, better, you are on the side of the Truth…

Dilli aur Dil

Recently I was in Delhi. The amount of construction work half-completed for Commonwealth Games is startling. The whole of Connaught Place is dug up and gives the image of a war-wrecked area. Given the pace, it will take more than two months to paint the under constructed buildings, leave alone finishing them. And then we have heard enough of corruption and misappropriation in the finances meant for the games.
 

Another side of the same sad story is the outbreak of Dengu. Dengu in Delhi doesn’t only happen in slums or shady areas but also in posh areas and government hospitals! Tells much of government’s claims of Delhi being clean and beautiful! 
 

During the last state assembly elections, I had talked to some Dilli-wallas who were happy that a lot of works were being done. The fact that the work was being done for the games and not for the people’s convenience, didn’t matter to them. That is why they elected the previous Congressi government back to power, despite its dismal performance in issues like power, housing, or women’s safety. But now, after all this, will the public see, listen and speak out?
 

In matters like democratic elections, we should decide more by the head than by the heart. If Delhi has given its heart to non-performing Congressi governments due to some infatuation, it is time to evaluate the repercussions. There is no glory in getting exploited even by infatuating faces.