On a recent trip to India I found a new kind of exuberance among India's middle-class. Those who have benefited from the recent reforms and opportunities are creating a "feel-good" paranoia. They point to the new job opportunities in call-centers and other technical areas like programming, accounting, and research, and to the new nation building mega-projects underway. It is indeed a wonderful development.
However, my pessimism or disappointment comes from two sources.
First, this is not the first time Indians have engaged in such mass-hysteria about the nation. In my own lifetime, I have seen it twice. After the dark days of emergency when Indira Gandhi was defeated and the nation breathed a fresh lease of freedom and life, how enthusiastic the population was! All the grandeur plans, all the ideology, all those "Unity in Diversity" campaigns.
Then during the turbulent 1980s the Indians elected Rajiv Gandhi with a stunning 4/5th majority ! He was young, exposed to the West and had new ideas, and virtually no opposition to implement his plans. I was in college then, and I do recall all the grandeur plans, all the ideology, and all those Unity in Diversity campaigns.
Secondly, I firmly believe in Mahatma Gandhi's vision of "Comprehensive Development" (Sarvodaya) as the only means for India's future. At this time, the advancements in economics and free trade are not accompanied by social, religious, and environmental reforms. It is absolutely necessary to widen the scope of developments so all the strata of the society are benefited.
See Also:
• India Shining propaganda by the Government of India, and its cost (Rediff)
• Extreme Nation
Kamat Remembered
Udayavani: K.L.Kamat Remembered (Kannada Language Content)
