What is the Nation we want to be? (Part 2)
by Amit Malviya
Possible Solution
Dr Subramanian Swamy on 19Jul09 speaking in Darmouth, Mass in US, advocated the concept of Brihad Virat Hindutava and argued its relevance to bring about a renaissance in the current secular India’s value system and thus create a unified patriotic and spiritual society. At present, he said, the Indian nation is slowly but surely sliding into a crass one-dimensional society of material pursuits which can lead to the nation’s Balkanisation.
Dr. Swamy was delivering the Special Public Lecture as guest of honour, to the delegates of the 18th International Congress on Vedanta held for three days at the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Dr. Swamy said that Hindu civilization has lasted so long, in fact the longest, is because it was a society that had found a blend and harmonization of material pursuits with spiritual values.
He further elaborated : “In the 19th century, Swami Vivekananda had propagated the concept of Brihad{Greater} Hindutva, while Sri Aurobindo and Veer Savarkar who had spoken from different perspectives, advocated a Virat[virile] Hindutva. All these revelations were made to the people in pre-political de-colonised India. But unfortunately after becoming free, the academia and political power went into the hands of Marxists and Macaulayists who were determined to reduce the Hinduness of Indians to a minimum of acceptability labeling it as obscurantist and politically chauvinist, or communal and fundamentalist, and make out the concept as a danger to secularism. He said that the history of Hinduism disproves these charges, but the slander continues. Now to end the current moral degeneration in a democratic dispensation in India, he would advocate propagating a synthesis of Vedanta, Brihad and Virat concepts.
Dr. Swamy declared that time has come to confront the Marxist and Macaulayists and challenge them to a debate a new synthesis of Brihad Virat Hindutva if they dare to debate.
Challenges
This is essentially a great concept but the challenge lies in implementing it without being perceived as exclusive and pro Hindu. The pseudo secular-communal divide in the country is so mis-propagated and wide that being pro nationalist and cultural is invariably seen as pro Hindu and hence not secular. This debate has gone on for far too long and is ingrained in people’s psyche now. The challenge is to overcome this and instill cultural pride and feeling of patriotism in the people of India and build an inclusive spiritual society. The concept also needs to be articulated in simpler terms so that the common man can understand and relate it to his daily life. Unlike most ideologies it should be contemporary and progressive. This is easier said than done !
It would be great to hear what you think.
What is the Nation we want to be? – Food for Thought
by Amit Malviya
A friend recently wrote a very poignant observation on the US society. Several questions were inherent in his comments. I am taking the liberty of producing the content of the mail here.
Quote
One very significant aspect of the US society that we noticed here was the absence of strong bonding in society, even at the nuclear level.
Though the country might have progressed economically and technologically, there seems to be a void in the social sphere. Also people seem to be driven by rules of society but with little passion, there seems to be an underlying sense of resentment, which is very subtle and may even be invisible to them.
This is a great country which promotes freedom of speech and has a good non-discriminatory judicial and religious system but there is so much emphasis on being independent and protecting one’s personal space that people are living lives of isolation even though functioning according to the rules of society. So they are resorting to alternate means to satisfy their longing for being cared for, but none of it is giving them the happiness that they seek. The proponents of their religion are also not helping much since they seem to be ill equipped to understand the root cause of the malaise, themselves being a product of the same system.
The reason I mention this is because I see a turn for the worse in our Indian society as well. Embracing capitalism in all its glory seems to be draining the life forces from our social ecosystem as well. Material possessions are increasingly being projected as the means to a happier life.
It makes us marvel at the great insight which the creators of our religion had. It is so relevant for anyone practicing it and goes beyond barriers of Time, Space and Community. A lot of organizations are leading a resurgence of such a society and doing great work but I am not sure if they are being able to keep pace with the change. There seems to be an inherent though hidden aspect of capitalism which promotes greed and leads to deterioration of values. Not sure about other countries, but Japan seems to have been able to balance a strong family oriented culture yet promoting capitalism.
I feel it is better to have sanity in our social structure than aim for economic prosperity at the cost of our social balance.
Unquote
The question that we need to ask ourselves is - What is the Nation we want to be ? Do let us know what you think ?
Tomorrow: Possible solution and challenges
Shame at Sharm Al Sheikh
by Amit Malviya
It is often said that diplomacy is an art. It is evidently clear by now that both Dr Singh and Mr Krishna are inept at handling high level diplomacy. This has been reinforced by the way we as a Nation have responded to less than fair treatment being meted out to Indian students in Australia, concessions given away to US in the End User Monitoring Agreement compromising India’s security and sovereignty, accepting caps on emissions at the Climate Change summit, avoidable faux pass when Hillary Clinton (remember Krishna got a lesson from Hillary on how to exchange dossiers) visited India and most recently the sell out to Pakistan at Sharm al Sheikh.
It is no coincidence that the opposition, media, intelligentsia, opinion makers and even a section of the Government is seeing India’s strategic position being compromised in the understandings / agreements recently entered into by the Government.
It is without doubt that the joint statement issued by India and Pakistan at Sharm al Sheikh has severely compromised India’s position. It has a) accused India of fomenting trouble in Baluchistan and b) delinked the composite dialogue from action on terror. Inclusion of these references in the joint statement violates India’s stand against Pakistan. Never in the past has India ever given such concessions to Pakistan. Following the joint statement, a report has appeared in Dawn saying that Pakistan has handed a dossier to India highlighting its role in Baluchistan and attack on Srilankan players in Lahore. Not that one should loose sleep over the Dawn report, we also can’t deny the fact that we have handed over the advantage to Pakistan.
PM, the nice man he is, has defended this joint statement by saying that India has nothing to hide. This is a nice statement if it came from a political novice and not from the head of a State. The MoS in the External Affair Ministry, Shashi Tharoor, has a completely different take on the joint statement. He said that such joint statements are not legally valid and therefore should not be a matter of concern. Was he trying to imply that the document that the PM has signed is not even worth the piece of paper it is printed on or does he not know that in 1965 we handed over the Haji Pir Pass (critical to dominate the LoC) despite the military objections as part of one such joint agreement or including the words “outstanding issues” in the 1972 Shimla Agreement allowed Pakistan to revive the Kashmir issue all over again.
I am sure he is a smart man to realize the blunder but he obviously sees himself more as a politician than a former diplomat. While a statement like this could have cost him his job in UN, he is only ensuring that he is furthering his political career by defending the PM.
The Foreign Secretary has gone on record saying that it is a case of bad drafting (I hope that is indeed the case). Former diplomats have pointed out that the joint statement should include only what both the countries agree on. If there is a point of disagreement, then it should not find its way to the joint statement. But still the Government and Congress Party continue to defend the joint statement, at least in the public domain. Their compulsion is understandable.
As the PM rises in the House today to clarify the statement, it is likely that he will not have anything credible to say beyond what we already know. Nevertheless the country has the right to know why is the Congress led Government gambling with India’s pride ? Is it that Mr Singh realizes that he has very little time in office and wants to make a mark for himself in history ? While Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered as the Regent who stood guard till the crown prince was ready to take over, he is clearly getting ambitious. This was evident in the way he defended the Nuclear deal and now his attempts to script a new chapter in Indo-Pak diplomacy. While I wish him luck, I only hope he will not compromise India’s interest. This I hope is not much to ask.
I also wonder sometime, purely based on how we as a Nation come across on global stage, that we have lost sense of pride, the realization that we are a power house and have a dominant role to play in the region. We dismiss trouble, which could potentially destabilize us, in neighbouring states as “their internal matter”. Assault on Indian students is a mere Law and Order problem of Australia. Can you imagine US reacting to injustice against their countrymen in another country in the same vein ? How do we explain our tolerance to repeated terrorist attacks on India ? Are we too resilient or perhaps don’t like confrontation to the extent that we are ok even if we appear weak and timid ?
It is time that we got up and faced the world as a self assured Nation capable of dominating world politics. Aspiring to be a super power is also about behaving like one !
Is Idiotbox the Solution?
by Amit Malviya
“If there is electricity, people will watch TV late into the night and fall asleep. They won’t get a chance to produce children” - Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister
This is a statement made by the honourable Health Minister on the World Population Day. He also suggested that women should marry at the age of 29 to 30 in order to control population growth in the country. Both these statements reflect a poor understanding of the challenge at hand and worse the Minister’s appreciation of the social order in the country. In the ensuing paragraphs, I will highlight specific instances to bring out the enormity of task at hand (population control) and what the Health Ministries’ priorities should be.
A not so distant relative of mine in my native village had eleven children. Only ten survived. It was strange that at one point of time the mother and daughter were both expecting. Let me clarify - they were educated, well to do and also had television ! She was in fact a teacher in the village school and eventually retired as the principal. So why did they have so many children ? Their desire to have a male child kept them in pursuit and it was their destiny that they had to wait this long. This is not an isolated instance. Eleven is an exceptionally big number but it is not unusual for people to have four to five children only because they are looking for a family heir. The solution is to educate the people and drive home the point that it does not matter if it is a boy or girl because in this changing social order both have equal opportunities. There was a time when such social messages were broadcasted with regularity but one does not see them too often now. Is it because a lot of people have moved away from Doordarshan and Government cannot spend enough on advertising on private channels.
On my last trip to UP, I happened to meet a health worker. She was working for the State Government and was responsible for a few villages. She had just returned from one such visit and started narrating how this woman she just met was pregnant for the fifth time. The Government apparently gives meager sum of money for the first two deliveries, which gets shared between the village Sarpanch (apparently for recommending the name and completing the paper work) and the family. It is understandable that the financial support would prompt people to have two children, but why more especially if they can’t provide for them. The health worker explained that most of the time women can’t refuse the men who are not employed through out the year, are invariably alcoholics and usually have a lot of time on hand. They can’t even suggest, let alone enforce use of contraceptive. The result is babies and more babies ! The situation is grim when it comes to Muslims who are seized with the belief that use of contraceptive is against their religion.
Equality and empowerment of women thus becomes very important. It is equally critical to educate the men and perhaps incentivize them financially for not having more than two children. Can we consider a legislation that than anyone having more than two children will not be entitled to benefits from the State ?
Let this not look like a problem of the villages alone. There are several cases of unwanted pregnancies as a result of indiscriminate sex in urban slums too. The reasons are same - lack of education, employment and empowerment of women. It is quite evident that the relatively progressive states of South have a relatively lower rate of population growth. It is also no surprise that they are more literate and their women enjoy better standing in the society.
Lack of electricity and television was never a reason in any of these instances !
I also can’t quite understand how the Minister thinks it is possible for women to push up the marriage age to 29/30 when the country is seized with social customs encouraging child marriages ! Even in urban areas, well educated families want to see their daughters settled latest by 26/27. Isn’t it ironical that a country where State Governments return to power on successful programs like “Kanyadan Yojana”, the Health Minister is suggesting something which will result in unprecedented social chaos.
As always the Ministry has not talked about “How to?” implement the suggestions. Merely hoping that miracle will happen and the situation will be addressed is not good enough. I hope that the Health Minister will move on from the frivolous statements and focus on delivering basic healthcare facilities to the vast uncovered population. We cannot afford him fret away precious time like his predecessor who was busy fighting turf war with the Director of AIIMS !
Concept Note: New India Policy Foundation (Part 4)
The Differentiation
The Foundation will be different from existing think tanks in at least two different ways: (a) It will focus on developing policy ideas for practical real-life issues, rather than engage in mere theoretical pursuits, and (b) Engaging with policy makers and opinion leaders will be an integral part of its mandate, and it will be judged by the direct impact it will make in shaping the policy discourse in the country.
This Foundation will institutionalise the process of public policy research and intervention outside of the Government machinery. It will do so by employing and engaging the best minds under one umbrella, aggregating valuable information and ideas relevant for India, initiating debates in the intelligentsia and civil society and influencing the collective conscious of legislators and bureaucrats. It will be intellectually best in class and a constructive source of inputs on all important areas of legislation and policy making. It will aim to become the fountain head of all policy research and decision making in this country.
It will distinguish itself from other Think Tanks by its “result-oriented” (outcome focused) approach to policy intervention. The effectiveness of its output will be measured in a scientific manner and employee benefits will be linked to it. It will only have a guiding philosophy, and will have no pre-defined political affiliation. It will be accountable to its trustees and the country.
Concept Note: New India Policy Foundation (Part 3)
The Objectives and Activities
The two main objectives of the Foundation are:
- Research and propose new policy alternatives to address pressing national issues.
- Disseminate the work of the Foundation widely, especially with a view to directly impacting the course and content of national policy.
The Foundation will take up a number of activities:
- Undertake research studies on existing policies of the government, both at the central and state level, with a view to examining the impact of such policies, and suggest alternative approaches where such policies are not delivering in the desired manner.
- Initiate studies to propose new policies over and above what governments might have so far considered. This is expected to address the problem of short term thinking that is often prevalent in governments, at the cost of long term strategic planning.
- Hold consultations, seminars, closed door sessions with policy makers, conferences on important national issues to stimulate debate and guide the policy process. Engage with formal (TV shows / appearances etc) and informal media for large scale dissemination and outreach.
- Engage with and convene meetings with key policy makers (MPs / MLAs & beauracracy) and opinion leaders to shape national policy.
The Foundation expects to demonstrate tangible results within the first few years of its operation. The Foundation will try and forge links with like-minded individuals and institutions globally.
Tomorrow: The Differentiation
Concept Note: New India Policy Foundation (Part 2)
The Solution
There is a cross section of society who believes that there is space for new thinking beyond being wedded to socialist ideals. The Group believes that there is scope for new ideas with a right-of-centre thrust, on a range of economic and social issues in the country. This group is coming together to create a new think tank - the New India Policy Foundation — that will provide cutting edge research on a range of economic and social issues.
The Foundation will propose, educate and engage with policy makers (elected representatives and members of bureaucracy) with the objective of guiding public policy, legislation and delivery, and influencing public opinion. Its support in matters of policy and governance will be driven by India’s long-term requirement and not short-term opportunism. The Foundation will be guided by the principles of liberal democracy, free enterprise (keeping in mind the interests of wider sections of society), social inclusion, robust defence policy and nationalism and will deliver India-oriented research.
The Foundation will analyse ongoing programmes and make suggestions for new policies that can be taken up by policy makers across party lines. Even as the Foundation expects that it is likely to have a right-of-centre thrust in its work, the Foundation will take a well researched and reasoned position on issues affecting India, rather than being driven purely by any economic or social ideology. The Foundation will be supported by a wide range of actors such as grant making foundations, the corporate sector, and individuals.
Similar parallels can be found with Heritage Foundation and Centre for American Progress, which support the Republican and Democratic Parties in the US, respectively.
Tomorrow: The Objectives and Activities
Concept Note: New India Policy Foundation
One of the ideas that a group of us have been thinking is the creation of a centre-right policy foundation / think thank. Amit Malviya and I, with help from a few others, have put a concept note on the idea. We would be keen to get your feedback on this.
The Problem
India since Independence has seen politics of convenience, one that is driven by individual preferences and often catering to compulsions of electoral politics. In the process, public policy-making and delivery are severely compromised. It is ironical that the Congress party has at its convenience oscillated from opposing Socialism to being a strong proponent of it and then embracing free markets when driven by compulsion. The Party has straddled these positions all in a matter of a few decades. Likewise, the BJP when in power, neither emerged as Right of Centre nor did it espouse the cause of Swadeshi. Popular perception is that the two major national parties have little to distinguish their economic policies and are often accused of being opportunistic and short sighted when it comes to policy related matters.
As a result, it is no secret that India as a nation has not realised its potential even after six decades of Independence. Our agriculture is in dismal state, internal security is compromised with alarming impunity, manufacturing sector is not robust enough to employ the vast semi skilled work force, education is highly regulated, health services are woefully insufficient and infrastructure is grossly inadequate. A nation of over a billion people is ruled by absolute adhocism. We are invariably held hostage to one of the pressure groups operating to services the narrow interest of its subjects.
In essence, India suffers from a lack of critical thinking on several key issues of national importance. The thinking that goes on happens within the confines of government - the civil service and the cabinet. There is almost a complete absence of groups outside the formal establishment who develop new policy ideas and actively engage with policy makers to see the ideas through.
It is this state of affairs that has prompted the idea of creating a Foundation which will work towards creating a better future for India.
Tomorrow: The Solution
What Next for the BJP? (Part 8)
by Rajesh Jain and Amit Malviya
Opposition Party Role: Credible and Substantive
Finally, the BJP has to accept its role as the leading Opposition Party in India for the next five years. There are three things that the party can do which can help it win back the confidence of voters who were disappointed with some of the party’s antics during the previous five years.
First, the BJP must appoint a Shadow Cabinet by taking up 10 key ministries. It needs to complement the ‘ministers’ by teams of professionals on the outside who can give appropriate inputs. This will help in showcasing the emerging talent within the BJP and also ensure that the party is seen as a credible national alternative to the Congress.
Second, the BJP needs to take up specific issues pertaining to development and governance, and raise awareness about these. For this, the party needs to segment the voter base into 8-10 buckets, and then see what issues strike a chord with people in the various segments. This will also help the party start to re-connect with the grassroots.
Third, the party needs to also consider its own Legislation in Parliament. Just because it is in Opposition doesn’t mean that it cannot do so. It needs to ensure that proper debate takes place - the Bills may not get passed, but at least it can present alternatives to the nation.
In other words, the party needs to play the role of a constructive Opposition party which takes the Indian Parliamentary system seriously. Much of this was missing over the previous five years.
Conclusion
The BJP needs to think differently going ahead. It is going to compete in 2014 with a Congress which will have the wind behind its back, a youthful leadership, a plank of development and perhaps good governance, and no shortage of resources. Playing by the book will not get the BJP to power in 2014. It will need to think hard on what the Achilles Heel of the Congress will be (and there will be). But for it to be in a position to capitalise on that, the BJP first needs to get the basics of Ideology, Leadership, Organisation and Opposition Party role in order. Only on that foundation can it hope to mount a serious challenge to a resurgent Congress. The decisions the BJP makes now will decide whether the BJP remains a two-decade wonder or something more potent and transformational in Independent India’s history.
What Next for the BJP? (Part 7)
by Rajesh Jain and Amit Malviya
Organisation (continued)
With this background, how is it that the BJP can create a process by which it can keep winning - and winning. Here are the elements that it needs to create:
- On-Ground Presence: BJP needs to create Constituency-level teams that keeps working through the years, builds database of people (supporters, undecideds, etc.), and has constant visibility through the years. This helps in creating and protecting ‘market share’ for the party. Voters must be able to interact, get problems solved, etc. The team must include 1-2 ‘leaders’ with a clean, professional background who could even contest the election if needed.
- Funding: There needs to be a way by which the BJP can collect micropayments. Currently, the party relies on a few large donors. This needs to be complemented by millions of people giving Rs 100-1000 per year. This money pool is not being tapped into. By getting people to make small contributions, the party will also get their implicit commitment and votes.
Taken together, these two components can create a strong foundation. The Funding must take care of the On-Ground Presence, and that presence will in turn provide the Funding - creating a model that can be scaled up across India. This needs to create a presence at all 3 levels - corporation (or panchayat in rural areas), state, Lok Sabha.
In addition, the party needs to activate its sources of youth leadership (BJYM, ABVP) to expand the base to attract those in sync with the party’s ideology, work closely with the RSS through the latter’s social programmes, and create new channels like the Friends of BJP which can connect with urbanising Middle India. The party needs to start appealing to the new, younger India with a contemporary message - thus expanding its base.
The party also needs to encourage and enable lateral entry of youth and professionals into it - they will bring freshness and enthusiasm along with their own networks which can help diversify the party’s base.
The party must start ensuring that it is present in every one of the 543 constituencies of India. States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala account for about 150 seats - and the party has barely a presence there. This needs to change.
The old way of fighting and winning elections has to change. Through these initiatives, the party can create something new and modern, and something even more powerful because this will create a market share (in votes) which no other party will be easily able to break into.
Tomorrow: Opposition Party Role, Conclusion