Opinion View from the right: No concept

From one law to another is not a reform unless one is clear about the objective.

January 8, 2015 12:34 AM IST First published on: Jan 8, 2015 at 12:34 AM IST

According to an editorial in the Organiser, India has not achieved its development potential even 67 years after Independence because “we never tried to build concepts”. “If one asks what has rotted the Indian system with ABCD (Avoid, B-Bypass, C-Confuse, D-Delay), what has prevented this great civilisation from realising its real potential, what forces talent in India to chase the American dream instead of cherishing the Indian vision, and why we are still talking about basic amenities like clean water and toilets… the answer is… we were hardly ‘Indian’ in our thinking,” it says.

The editorial is critical of India accepting the concept of good governance as defined by the World Bank and IMF, with their neoliberal agendas, without questioning “the process to instal the software for delivering so-called ‘good governance’.” It states: “Unfortunately, good governance has been made a ‘fit-to-all’ concept and we never devised nation-specific parameters… For instance, the war- and oil-driven economy has led to prosperity in the US, while many West Asian economies flourished under autocratic rule.” It adds that the key questions of societal values and its impact on structures of government is missing in this quest.

It argues that change from one law to another is not a reform unless one is clear about the objective. “Holistic thinking, the content and intent part of it, is missing in the reforms process,” it claims. Since Independence, it alleges, no real attempt has been made to Indianise systems of governance, and colonial structures and thinking were retained and justified. The editorial suggests that even if delivery systems could improve with technology, it is education and socialisation that deliver results: “Training and utilising human resource in productive activities, as envisaged by Kautilya, is the key to real reformation and governance.” On the newly formed Niti Aayog, it notes: “One hopes that… Niti Aayog will focus more on… ‘nation-building’ based on Indian thinking.”

Americans & Hinduism

The Organiser has an interview with Philip Goldberg, the American author of American Veda, which “chronicles how the ancient philosophy of Vedanta and the mind-body methods of yoga have profoundly affected the worldview of millions of Americans and radically altered the religious landscape.” In the interview, Goldberg, when asked about Islamic fundamentalism, argues that the future of fundamentalist ideologies of any kind is bleak. He says it’s up to the “great majority of sensible Muslims to stand up and refuse to be dominated by extremists”. He says India’s tradition of pluralism and democracy is a powerful antidote to fundamentalism. At the same time, he denounces the missionaries who seek to convert the native population.

Pointing out that many missionaries do selfless service for the poor and sick, he says: “The record of coercion, manipulation, bribery and deceit is deplorable, and the truth is that most American Christians would be appalled if they knew about some of the tactics used in the name of their religion.” On the other hand, he says the “gurus never asked anyone to convert, nor did they demand that anyone — even their closest disciples — renounce the religion of their own heritage. And the truth is gurus helped a great many of their followers become better Christians and Jews.”

NRI Gathering

An editorial in Panchajanya discusses Indians who have left the country and found success overseas but still keep India and its poor in mind, citing the cases of one Varghese Kurien from Kerala and Abdul Vakeel from Gujarat as two people who have enhanced India’s prestige abroad and contributed to the less-privileged back home. Referring to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held in Gujarat, it sees an opportunity for those Indians who have India’s progress in mind to get together.

It argues that these people could do so because of the values they had acquired from India’s culture. The heights to which Indians settled abroad have risen because of their skills and hard work are extraordinary and the respect they have for their homeland is what keeps them connected to their country.

Compiled by Liz Mathew