End of an Era!

This man Manmohan Singh is one of my heroes of early young days. Today, when he leaves office as the 13th PM of India, I feel compelled to pay him my tributes.

India is going to have its new PM in a few days' time; but this man deserves a good farewell. I appreciate the fact that BJP leader Arun Jaitley found time to write a piece on him; pretty good assessment of his contribution to India.

I started studying Economics in 1993, just after he became the Finance Minister for the first time in 1991, a watershed year in India's economic history. The path-breaking step of 'liberalization' launched India into a trajectory from which we never came down. The same year I won an award for writing a seminar paper on 'liberalization of Indian economy' and MMS became my inspiration, my HERO.

Looking back at his career, one can see what a brilliant and outstanding career he has had....few in the world can boast of such accomplishments; that's why it's no wonder why the world listens to him when he speaks. Just a few highlights to make the point:

• Education: Cambridge
• Served at United Nations
• Chief Economic Advisor (GoI)
• Governor, Reserve Bank of India
• D.Chairperson, Planning Commission
• Finance Minister, GoI
• Leader of opposition Rajya Sabha
• Prime Minister, India

(Wow.....Man! You have done everything in a career spanning almost 50 years!!! Along the way, you also have shown incredible personal integrity in public life; a lot of our political leaders of today can learn from you.)

It's only for the last few years that he has been much criticized. The last few years have been really bad for him; he could have taken much more proactive stance on crucial occasions rather than being mute spectator to the misdeeds.

I am of the opinion that no Technocrat without a mass support of the people should be the PM of India. But we can not fault him for taking up the challenge! We must remember that it was he who was the PM of UPA-1 and was re-elected to the office! So, he must have done something good as PM. The last few years can be excused in a long illustrious career and his contributions to the India growth story.

We wish you the best for the rest of your life, Sir!

Modi’s time has come

The writing is on the wall- Narendra Modi is going to be the next Prime Minister of India. He has proved to be a leader who can galvanize popular support quite quickly. He has led the aspirations of the majority in Gujarat for some time now and a large number of people (at least the middle class) elsewhere in the country have shown faith in him. In a country doing badly on economic front at the moment, he represents ‘hope’ of millions. Congress will come down to two-digits and AAP is not quite there; third front, as always will just be in the ‘also ran’ category. So, Modi’s time has truly come. However, there lies my concerns.

1. Modi has all the traits of Indira Gandhi (if not a Hitler), who subverted democratic systems and undermined individual freedom. He is authoritarian and deals with aggression any dissenting voice. He can be even dangerous than Indira. I hope my fears will be proven wrong in the long run.

2.  Modi’s developmental propaganda is only a rhetoric. He has been able to maintain Gujarat as a developed state, but Gujarat has not moved ahead among the top performing states in his time. Gujarat has always been a developed state, since time immemorial. Once upon a time Ahmedabad was called the ‘Manchester’ of the east. So, Gujarat’s development is because of its entrepreneurial people, not the political leaders- not in the past, not now. I hope he can set a development agenda for the country and deliver too.

3. Modi's record of governance in terms of corruption is not bad- but if 'governance' also includes living up to the expectations of the minority communities, he fails miserably. The Supreme Court's acquittal in the riots case not-withstanding, the minorities still feel insecure under him. Somehow, he and BJP have to reach out to the minorities and make them feel safe and cared for. The idea of India is not based on a 'one faith' model; India is pluralistic and Mr. Modi has to uphold that. If he can do this, it would be good enough as there is hardly any other major difference between BJP and Congress. Let's hope Modi will be a leader for all, and not just the majority community.

Spirit and Flavour of Democracy

There is no other form of governance that is as interesting and empowering as DEMOCRACY is. In spite of all its weaknesses, it provides a platform for people to express themselves and fight for their rights. It provides a level playing field for everyone. Irrespective of the class and caste, it gives everyone the freedom to represent and be represented.

Universal adult franchise or elections are reflections of the dynamism and the spirit of democracy. Especially in India, the 'Election' is time for people to show their power and feel their power....the hysteria, the drama, the frenzy, the excitement, the energy and the enthusiasm on part of the common people during this time is unparalleled in the world. Perhaps this is the time when the common man and the lower sections of the society feel most empowered; this is reflected in the higher voter turn out on part of this section in comparison to the upper section of the society.

During a recent tour to a village near Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, I came across this man (in a red sweater) in the picture above.

He is contesting in the elections from a party floated by him; he is the only one in his party, he does his own campaigns, goes from door to door and reaches out to people. He spends out of his own pocket in spite of the fact that he is struggling to feed his family.

In a candid discussion, he revealed that perhaps he knew that he was not going to win that time, but for him, 'winning' or 'losing' did not matter as much as 'standing up for himself and his fellowmen' did. He was convinced that he was standing for a great cause and that was what gave him courage, motivation and energy.

This is the true spirit of democracy.

On Democracy, Elections and Voting in India

Democracy, undoubtedly is one of the greatest ideas of all time. As Abraham Lincoln once told, "Democracy is of the people, by the people and for the people". It gives people the freedom of choice of how to govern themselves, and more than that, how to live. Nations are nothing but its people.

When there was no authority on earth, there was absolute freedom, but there was also absolute anarchy in the sense that only the mighty ruled (not that it is very obsolete now, but is under tremendous control); the very existence of a being was at the mercy of the mighty.

Thus we gave ourselves nation states, where there would be a government to rule. Irrespective of the form of the government, the basic objective ought to be the welfare of the people, and especially, the weak and the vulnerable. This shows the progress of civilization and the maturity of the human species (more than any other). Democracy truly reflects all these characteristics.

However, democracy depends on its citizens to be successful.

The greatest gift that our (Indian) statesmen gave us after our independence was 'Democracy'. Since then our democracy has matured and has become world's largest democracy.

Elections, or the universal adult franhise is an important part of Democracy. It gives power to the people; it is the most important means through which the Democracy runs; it is the life blood of Democracy.

But, the on-going general elections in India has thrown at us several questions.
Why is the voter turn out getting lower and lower (in spite of the campaign promoting voting)?
Why literate people are voting in less numbers than their illiterate cousins?
Are people losing faith in Democracy?
Or, the people are only fade up with the politicians?
Are we complacent regarding the success of our Democracy?

A common argument for people not voting is that "we don't have option- all the candidates in the fray are equally useless". But, is our society any different from the political scenario? Politics (or for that matter, any profession) is only a reflection of our society. If we are concerned about our nation and our people, we must vote; we must choose the lesser evil (if one thinks so).

However, voting is not the end of it. We have to be aware of what is happening; we must ask questions; and ABOVE ALL, GOOD PEOPLE MUST JOIN POLITICS. It may not solve the problem immediately, but it will help in the long run. Youth has a big role to play; youth must embrace politics. A young nation like us can only avoid politics at its own peril.

When you hurt your finger, you don't cut it off; you apply balm.