Most
people in my Facebook friend list, whom I know from school or college, are working or studying somewhere
in North America or Europe. I assume that they must have made a conscious
career choice to go abroad and pursue education or job there because they did
not find such interesting opportunities in India. It is not needed to mention
that India is far behind US or any European nation and probably cannot absorb
all the talent that it produces. I also assume that they must be liking their
life out there. I can see pictures of their cycling trips and hikings etc. and
also their cars that they bought and the holiday spots that they visited. It
does show that they are happy being there.
However,
what strikes me is that they often share cynical and skeptic status messages or
articles about how India is doomed. They are worried about the depreciation of
Indian rupee, but somehow they also find a perverse pleasure in telling their
Indian cousins that their package has increased in Indian rupee equivalent.
They have an opinion on everything that is happening in India. Whether it is
the food security bill, the land acquisition bill, or rapes in the cities or
anything that is happening in Indian politics. And if I were to believe my friends
staying abroad and the newscasters in India, we are a doomed nation and we have
never been worse and the country has gone to dogs.
But
it does not skip my attention that elections are coming nearer and in a
well-functioning democracy, issues shall start burning when elections come
closer and I am fine with it. If government policies are not criticized, how
will improvements happen? But to make comments like "Kuch nahi hoga is
desh ka" is too simplistic to digest. Most of my friends are children of
Liberalization. We were toddlers during the License Raj and know about it only
as history. We have grown up in an India where we walk into malls, eat burgers,
sip coffee at CCD and feel happy watching cinema in a multiplex. We are also
living in an era where a manual worker in some construction project puts on
music on his cellphone while he is loading and unloading bricks, to keep him
entertained.
We
are also living in an era where we are no longer talking about having schools
in every village but talking about the quality of education. Kids of today,
when they grow up, will not be able to say that we walked 20 miles to go to
school, the way our parents did. But yes, they would crib that their school
didn't have computers to study. Ten years down the line, kids won't be able to
say that too.
I
am living in a district that I had not even heard about before I got posted
here and I am still in the process of knowing the place. But when we go to
villages and a tribal woman comes and complaints to us that the Aanganwadi
worker is not giving food according to the menu, I think that we are moving
ahead. She demands it as a right and she wants her kid to get the food that
government suggests. When I meet few tribal men and women who have formed a
Producer company, got it registered under Companies Act and happily tell me
that they have 533 shareholders and 15 members on the Board of the Company and
they would like our help in hiring a CEO, I feel that we have moved ahead.
When
a village that is so remote that India would not even care that it existed, has
a road till its entrance and when we drive there and ask if there is a school
there, they say yes, but only till 5th class, we know that we have moved ahead
but need to do a lot more.
To
all those who think that nothing can happen in India, I want to say that come
and see India, go to places by cycling and hiking and trekking. These would be
as much fun in India as they are in the forests of Europe or Alaska. Knowing
your own country is as much fun as knowing Europe or America.
I
am not saying that there are no problems in India, but then are there no
problems in US or France or UK? Or are there no problems in Singapore, Brazil
or South Africa? There is nothing wrong in having a country with problems. All
countries have problems and in all countries people come on streets and
criticize governments and change their governments. And no country changes
government as smoothly as India does. But only those countries come out of
their problems and become better whose countrymen keep striving to do that.
France was made by French and Germany by Germans. India has come this far by
the efforts of millions of Indians and shall move further ahead. We will be
slow at times and also falter. No one promised a ready-made solution anyways.
The anger in people was always this strong and that is what keeps the pressure
on the country to move ahead. Let the anger stay but do not let it turn into
skepticism, cynicism or hopelessness. The problems were always like this and we
have always come out triumphed. Channelize your anger in finding
solutions.
The
country has not gone to dogs, it never had. Change your government, if you
will. That is the beauty of democracy. But the nation shall keep moving ahead,
because there are still millions who believe in it and spend their day and
night trying.
10 comments:
Well said. Meaningful and sanitizing! Please keep writing. Just a word- it's our own battle; what if other countries do or do not have to wage one like us!
wow!!!!!
it just goes to show cmt that you can take an Indian out of India but not the India out of him. I suspect it may be true of all countries but it is truer of countries which are developing so fast that each generaton witnesses a whole spectrum of changes (as compared to the developed and stable countries). this collective experience creates communities which are bound in nostalgia more poignant than at any time of our history. If you have grown up during 1984 riots, or 1991, or Mandal commission, there is an unspoken commitment you have made to the nation " never again". some of us have stopped back to work for our commitment. others have gone on ahead , also because of that same commitment that they made.
This is more like a general statement about India which I agree with. There are a lot of facts you have presented and I agree with them. However, the light in which some of the facts are presented, I don't agree with them. For example: It is a healthy thing for a society if some of its members explore other societies and then compare the two and criticize their own society, even in the form of their psychotic ramblings. People, move out of countries depending on what their countries support and what their desires demands which is logical. I totally agree with you that lot of improvements are happening in our country and there is still hope. However, in my opinion, your notion of changing the government as it is a democracy is too simplistic to be practical. My understanding of Indian politics may not be very refined, but from what I understand, it runs purely on numbers and is mathematical in nature depending on castes and sections. These areas are always and can always be tapped with power. So, "change your government" seldom works in practice. Even, being the government and forming a party is also a problem. By the way, a good test of this hypothesis would be the upcoming contest between AAP and congress. And, trust me, I would be very happy if my this hypothesis is proved wrong.
>We will be slow at times and also falter.
I think this is key. While I agree that we have moved forward, we have done so at a painfully slow pace. And not to mention that we have faltered on our own doing (corruption).
-Thanks
Radhakrishna (matkarma.in)
well-functioning democracy? Really!
Once in a five year voting is not democracy... And how important is your vote? How much does it costs? 10/50/100/500...
Nehru-Indira-Rajeev-Sonia-Rahul is it democracy? I can't agree with this...
Also look at the pace with which things are changing... If you as an IAS are satisfied with the pace, It's really unfortunate for India :(
This is my first visit here .I agree,every country has problems like we have.
Lets not miss an important point..Govts there are receptive to needs of people.In India,we have not yet come out of colonial mind set because present day rulers are doing exactly what was being done pre 1947.
Mark my words..people are feeling let down.
Some drastic changes are needed
Well said. To put things in perspective let's also understand we are a very young independent nation. That's one reason progress is slow. We have a large population and the resources are limited so yes we'll need to learn extremely efficient ways of producing wealth. We do need to move faster and that's why the talk of election is important we may or may not be able to choose a stable effective government but what I am confident about is the fact more and more amomgst us to actually come out and vote...omly if to show we care and we would like to change things fast. Most often this is what it takes to make them to actually do.
Thank you so much for writing such a Meaningful and wonderful truth!!!! Please keep writing.
Well said,and This article is +ve in nature,but when people inside India and abroad too share cynical and skeptic status messages, This is not because They want to see India like this, This is because, they have global exposure and they can compare with other part of world.This is because there is no sign of improvement, or progress is slow compare to other part of world. Media is used to show and publicize -ve news first and more then +ve news. Policy makers have no futuristic approach and no one has vision for developed nation.System is only acting when small problem become the critical or there is scope of corruption. Atleast a hopeless situation.
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