India.
For ignorant scrabble
masters it is just a word. For superpowers it is just another country. For
Pakistan it is a nightmare. For NRIs it’s a horrible past, hard to forget. For
former freedom fighters it is one word provocation. It is a politician’s
paradise. An archeologist’s heaven. Battlefield of different religions,
homeland of natives. For me it is like a one stop shopping center.
Ask for rich- you get
it. Poor- the majority. Culture- there’s a treasure. Communalism- there are
places of religious seismicity. Family- the best in the world. War- in every
house, everyday. Terror – top to bottom. Underworld- Mumbai special. Humanity-
sure. Secularism- scarce, but still there.
One complicated structure our country is. Simple-minded
people, yet hard to define. Understanding what is modern in modernized India
becomes easier when a comparative study with the past is accomplished.
The Rule: Yesterday, today, forever
Shining armors clashed in those days when a war
was declared. The outcome was the armors stained red and a transfer of property
between rival kingdoms. Now the fight is for constituencies. In place of armors
the traditional white khadi is stained beyond recognition. So is the character.
While the kings kept their coins in hidden dungeons, the new the trend is Swiss
banks.
Not much reforms regarding the administration.
The solution- dissolving the whole political system- is highly impracticable.
Its better to seek the grandeur days of Asokas and Akbars.
The diversity
Colours looking neat on a freshly painted canvas
fail to sooth the eyes once they get too friendly and interact.
Different religions, customs, traditions and
languages all look good on the live telecast of the Republic Day celebrations.
But facing the reality is a totally different game. There is always the
struggle for supremacy- of one God over the other. There are many more on the
likes of Ayodhyas and Godhras to bloom over the scarred body of Mother India.
There is only one God sounds good. There is no
God sounds better and might possibly be more effective. Science categorizes
Homo sapiens only into two: Man and Woman. But in India Homo-sapiens are
categorized beyond just physical features.
Economics
India is a rich country with poor people… and a poor
government. Obviously. What with so large a population to control? So many
disputes to deal with. Culprits? Public sector is one for instance. Large
investments imply large risks. Once risk factor is announced big companies back
out of the bid. That leaves the government to take up the task. Be it sheer
madness or suicide. After all, the mother can’t desert her own children.
Take for example the mining sector. When the
industry needs minerals you just can’t stretch your hand before sister
countries. Prospecting, exploration, feasibility study are capital intensive
and consume hell a lot of money. And when the result is not affirmative then
the government is in for doom. Of course a diversion here and there along the
inflow of revenue to fill appropriate pockets is a different topic and is too
unholy to be dealt with.
And when a full-fledged integrated firm like
Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, easily the best mechanized opencast mine in
India and the largest investors on reclamation and environment protection, is
plagued by environmentalists, it’s simply the worst of destiny’s wicked games.
Another place where revenue drains
is for military causes. When your home is being targeted from all directions
you just can’t sit with your legs crossed. As for the never-ending Kashmir
issue its better to keep a missile aimed at Islamabad or Karachi and declare
“One false move and we show it the way.” After all war is the only means of
bringing peace and blood is the only means of quenching thirst. The aftermath-
uninterrupted flow of bitter tears from the kins of the holy spirits is heart
breaking. But it has been tears all the way for Indians; through four centuries
of slavery and four decades of confusion as the country tried to recover against
neighbors’ resent.
Might is right
May 13th 1998 is probably a rebirth
of India on the world map when India turned nuclear. It stood sixth behind USA,
UK, China, Russia and France. Now that India boasts of Prithvi, Trishul,
Akash, Agni series of ballistic missiles as messengers of death, even super
powers have to think twice before execution of casual statement.
The reach
IRS and INSAT range of satellites have literally
proved that space is the limit for the reach of success. With ISRO
masterminding Indian Space Programme, there are more milestones to adorn the
technological development of India.
The show world
India is known for entertaining others- be it
curious foreigners or the rival prime minister. Indian movies and movie stars
are liked by the masses that include even the Taliban rebels. Several Indian
names in Oscar nomination list have promised a better quality of pass time.
Such being the prosperity of the vast Democracy
what is keeping the country on the back foot? The way of life. There is
nothing-called free living or liberalization in India. Everything and every
task have to have several prejudices. Beginning a task asks for an auspicious
time, a muhurtam, and there are several taboos to be kept at a distance.
This and many other parameters have influenced our citizens so much that top IT
professionals wish to migrate to the States seeking better status of living.
Now that the gates are closing even for them is a different matter.
Thirty years from now I can see a
self-sufficient India. The neighbours have grown extremely friendly. We’re
exchanging Ayurveda and acupuncture with China. Pakistan has repented
for its mistake. There is virtually no border between the sisters and the
Kashmiri folk don’t know their nationality. And they don’t care for there is
continuous transport, communication and interaction either way.
India has oil wells along the west coast.
Following the tenth five-year plan, thermal power plants have sprung up like
mushrooms. Indian satellites are helping communications throughout Asia. A new
religion-Indianism-has been adopted and accepted.
Aerial photography of India shows lush green
patches covering a majority of area. Everyone is busy working for himself, for
his country. There is a transition from the third world to a superpower…
…and then I open my eyes.
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