Not a Jingoist

15^th August 2007 – 60^th anniversary of Indian independence and a sixty years of democracy. If I had to point a single person for these 60 years of sustained democracy , it had to be the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi . Hadn’t been this person and his ideals of truth, equality and non-violence (which are certainly rooted deep in our own soul even if we fail to recognize it), we would have suffered the same fate as faced by some of the countries post their independence ( see the civil war faced by USA , tyrannous communist regime faced by USSR and its subsequent splitup and current instability in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe ).The lone and sole threat to our democracy from within came under Indira Gandhi regime but it was met with countervailence from Jai Prakash Narayan .

Well all this about our sweet democracy. Now have a look at our reportcard of these 60 years and see where we stand . Lets mull over all those spheres which define the status of a country .

First the political realm . When I do look at the political scenario of the USA , England or France , I feel ours is the worse but when you look at of Pakistan , Thailand , Argentina or even China , I get to feel it isn’t that bad . At least we have a government which is certainly not dictatorial and is responsible towards general people ( thanks to our media which acts as playmaker here ) . Our government still don’t have the clout to stage a coup ( as is always the case in Pakistan or Thailand ). But on the other hand constant scams , scandals , libeling and slandering against others prevent our government and ruling class from being closer to perfect or even good . Insatiable appetite for power , forcing them in illegal purchasing of votes or booth capturing , does no good either . My verdict here – average.

Come to Economy. IT boom , services sector surging , manufacturing skyrocketing We are certainly one of the biggest things happening in the world . A growth rate in excess of 9 , which is just next to China , says it all . But don't you think all these are just a fig leaf to hide something gloomy deep beneath . Have a look , of all the sectors agriculture has the least growth rate ,just about 4 . Our farmers are still committing suicide . Then get to the infrastructure - our roads still having numerous potholes , there are still places where people haven't had the taste of electricity , health services still inadequate . This is exactly what is preventing India from achieving growth rate as that of china . Now to "lobbying" of money . Recently when our PM expressed worries over the staggering salary being received by some of our CEOs , a wave of protest by CEOs and business houses flashed . Right after they started to show comparisons between salary of American executives and themselves but did they had the guts to show a comparison of a general Indian and American paycheck . No . Our PM’s statement was badly misconstrued. I don't have any objections on the affluence of CEOs nor do , I think , PM has but they need to channelize some money for the welfare of poor . Recently I got to know , from an article of a reputed magazine , that some of the top CEOs and top executives indulge themselves in siphoning of money to get rid of taxes . Now thats pathetic . They need to close the chasm between the 'Plebeians' and 'Patricians' and not widen it .My verdict - good but need improvements.

Now to sports . Cricket seems to the only sports hailed by Indians . In India the athletes are recognized only when they reach the top level in their sports. No proper grooming at young age or proper facilities at grassroot level to support them . Conservative nature of Indian parents coupled with cold shoulder of the government is doing no good to the future . No verdict needed here.

Science and Education . Our literacy rate is still hanging around 65% . Rural class a further back . Research facilities , even in the best institutions , are very poor . A rare progress in Space research , medical field or nuclear technology won't make up for the general deficiency.The only thing that stands out is that education , in top institutions ,is now oriented such that the students now tend to play the the role of employment creator , rather than job filler , after their education. My verdict here - average.

Last but one of equal importance - entertainment or cinema to be precise . From Dada Saheb Phalke to Yash chopra ,about 100 years . Ours' releases the maximum number of films . We have seen some excellent movies, artists , directors but still we have only two Oscars in the bag . We suffer from acute quality shortage . But I see a safe future for Bollywood in the hands of new mavericks taking the job of directors . Their non-conformist ideas and their dareness to show the truth of real life deserves serious attention . Perhaps these things existed before but were somehow not getting the attraction of global media , now they really do. My verdict - good.

Having said all these , I would like to mention here that I am not a Pessimist but I am certainly dismal of the way we progressed . I have often compared our country with developed countries in this blog which some might say is unfair but if we want to be the best we need to compete with the best . Here I would like to quote a sentence from one of my favorite movies , Swades " Ours' is not the best country but we certainly do have the ability to be the best ".