India at 100, to me, is an incredibly powerful thought. When I look at the Bay of Bengal, the sea stretches to touch the horizon, and from this shore, my wishlist reaches to touch the sky.
Naturally, there are a lot of questions. How inclusive will the growth be? Would the shift in society be along the lines of social justice? How central will equality be to the dynamics of the society? Rooted in these questions, the growth and forward movement of our society become a complicated affair.
There is a price that the India project will have to pay for this journey, though. It’s an expensive deal. Well, one can say that the top one per cent, which contributes 33 per cent of the wealth in the country with1.4-billion-people country, can take care of it. With my years of public life, I’ve now understood that it just won’t be enough. The cost that India has to pay can only be achieved by every single person contributing towards it. All hands on deck!
This brings to the fore two of the critical drivers of growth for any nation — inclusivity and social justice. This moment in history is a clarion call to the common sense of the society to stand against the might of majoritarian forces. Riding on draconian laws, fragments of society are being driven to the extremes. The top 10 per cent of India makes up 64.6 per cent of the country’s wealth, whereas the bottom 50 per cent makes a mere 5.9 per cent. Economic growth that is not inclusive will extend this asymmetry and guide the India project to a very different place, one where the ramifications can be compared to the dark ages of history.
This is also the time to reawaken the conversation around social justice on a larger scale. There is no substitute for social justice in the vision statement of such a large constitutional democracy. The Preamble was the first proponent of this: “…to secure to all its citizens: Justice, social, economic and political…”
Social justice ensures equality. It tells the citizens of this Union that for the next 25-odd years and every single day after that, the catalyst for a positive change in the society is the promise of holistic growth.
Tamil Nadu’s growth in the past few decades is a testament to the success of setting up a strong base for development grounded in social justice. Our leaders, including Thanthai Periyar, Kamarajar, C N Annadurai and Kalaignar M Karunanidhi have been proponents of the inclusive character of democracy. Take, for example, the initiative led by Kalaignar in setting up government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu that opened opportunities for everyone back in the day. With low fees, they made sure the medical dream of any young child is accessible. In the present day, the NEET has entered as a disruptor in the system. We have stood against oppression and imposition in the past for the collective good and now our Chief Minister M K Stalin is championing this fight.
The strand of history to which we belong is soaked in the dye of patriarchy. This makes change hard. Women contribute just 18 per cent of the labour income in the country today. Lack of access, systemic prejudices about skill levels, and unaccounted familial duties move the spotlight away from women. I hope to see a significant shift by 2047. I hope 33 per cent is not just a number but a reality so that we can join hands and work towards 50 per cent strongly. On a more basic level, women participating in the labour force significantly increases the output. But when you go deeper, you understand something even better. Economists suggest that this effect on the economy influences the big picture, the reverberations of which benefit everyone.
Freedom, by its very nature, gives everyone choices. For instance, the choice to adhere to a religion. Individuals choose to practise the religion that they feel connected to.
A true sense of freedom on an individual level also means the distribution of rights and privileges irrespective of identities, especially minority identities. By 2047, the LGBTQ+ community, one of the most oppressed sections of society, should be able to lead a life on the socio-political plane without being challenged by regressive norms. There is a lack of empathy in the system, which does not treat the minorities with the dignity they deserve. The unfair treatment was a characteristic fed into the system. A beautiful canopy of equity, equality, and social justice will be where their voices will be heard, their concerns will be echoed.
We need a course correction so that our upcoming generations witness a free and prosperous society. We should ensure our republic protects all citizens and approaches checkpoints in this journey with a scientific temper.
I am reminded of this famous adage, “History is written by the victors”. I think “the future is written by the hopefuls”. Well, hopefuls when they have freedom of expression. The Indian jails today are home to numerous hopefuls who were denied their freedom of expression. A denial rooted in an inconsistent dialogue of interpretations propagated by an authoritarian state. But we’ll continue to write bold words, talk louder, and walk the talk towards 2047, for we have words of the revolutionary Tamil poet Subramaniya Bharathiyar in our minds:
There should be no one in poverty or in slavery/ There should be no one in India oppressed in the name of caste/ Let’s praise the wealth of education,/ Join in happiness/ And live in equality as we all are one.
The writer is a DMK MP
