Vision for the future

The traditional themes of Independence Day messages from India's leaders peace, tolerance and the general welfare had a special resonance ...

The traditional themes of Independence Day messages from India8217;s leaders peace, tolerance and the general welfare had a special resonance this year amidst extraordinary security precautions all over the country. Television images of massed ranks of security personnel at the Red Fort and in Srinagar were a reminder that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. Perhaps the hardest part after the mayhem of recent days and amidst the debris of the first serious peace initiative in J amp; K is hanging on to the belief that peace is possible. It is possible.

The breakthroughs in some of the most intractable disputes around the world show peace can grow in the stoniest ground. Such thoughts must sustain the Prime Minister who chose reassuringly not to spit fire and venom at India8217;s enemies from the Red Fort but to emphasise his government8217;s conviction that conflicts can and will be resolved peacefully. Atal Behari Vajpayee has come to understand like the ancient Greek historian that of all the manifestations of power in the world, restraint is the one that impresses people most.

The 21st century, Vajpayee says, permits no nation to be divided by religion or the sword. Sound words which need to be followed by efforts to break the stalemate in J amp; K. Both President K R Nara-yanan and the Prime Minister referred in their separate speeches to another kind of threat to peace. They are right to point out that India8217;s capacity for tolerance is under strain.

Organisations which fan communal tensions bear a large responsibility for this. Something needs to be done to deter them from sowing dissension and discord. Not for the first time, Vajpayee has hinted at stern action. If his warnings are not heeded, he must be prepared to act.

It is natural that those Indians, the majority, who have not yet been able as yet to seize the opportunities offered by economic reform and deregulation should be on the minds of the President and Prime Minister.

Enabling more people to participate in the market economy is not only a matter of equity, it is essential to sustain high economic growth. Thus the President called for the economic empowerment of the people and Vajpayee8217;s tour d8217;horizon took in the empowerment of the people through the Internet.

The whole country shares Vajpayee8217;s dream of the rural population raising its level of productivity through new networks of pucca roads and computers. It can be done and must be done. But what has happened to that other grandiose Independence Day vision of a grid of superhighways connecting the north, south, east and west of India? There is nothing wrong with the concepts. It is in the implementation that everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Luckily, AP, MP and Rajasthan are showing how infotech can be brought to villages and can improve rural lives by giving people access to a array of information and resources. There is hope for the future.