INDIA IS NOT SHINING .If that is what is being shown on the 200 odd TV channels and in most newspapers / magazines, it is only a conspiracy by the Corporate backed Polticians and Corporate owned MEDIA- to cover-up the wholesale plunder of the countrys' resources thats going on & to showcase an India that suits their SELFISH and SELF-SERVING cause . " India Rising " is only a kool-aid being vended out -to bolster a " get rich quick" race , wherein most Indians will be willing to sacrifice values & ethics in the fear of ' missing the bus ' ; to mould a society then ,that will overlook corruption and accept anything or where 'anything goes' or wherein " sab kuch chaltha hain" , just as it is happening in India today .
The eco-system of corruption in India has now been exposed – now what ?
Let me start by highlighting the following words written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the Crypts of Westminister Abbey:
“ When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it,too,seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years,in one last deperate attempt , I settled for changing only my family,those closest to me , but alas, they would have none of it.
And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and who knows, I may have even changed the world.” .
PERHAPS ITS A GOOD MESSAGE FOR US INDIANS .
NO MAGICIAN IS GOING TO APPEAR WITH A MAGIC WAND TO TRANSFORM INDIA . Nor is CHANGE a spectator sport. To transform India , we Indians – every one of us need to act individually – we need to make the change ourselves.. We need to look FIRST into our own homes and our thinking before we cry out in rage and protest against the system or the politicians . Indians must realise that reforming our own behaviour is the starting point to reforming society and public officials .We must understand & believe in the LAW OF MUTUALITY and the benefits of COLLECTIVE GOOD . We must atleast force ourselves to start living by some of the standards we seek to impose on others . Else we are all shooting ourselves in the foot and the trenches we are digging to call it ' home ' will ultimately become unlivable for all of us .
People are the nation and our national character and ethos today is a reflection of the peoples' value system . In all the finger-pointing that is going on today what is perhaps not acknowledged is that moral degeneration is frighteningly rampant in the entire social fabric in India . And yet there are no voices in the Indian society and even in the media CALLING for a social awakening . We live in times where values are at a shocking discount. Anything goes in India today or “sab kuch chaltha hai “. The average citizen is more than a willing participant in compromise, corruption and a lot worse provided it is a “get-rich-quick’ oportunity. Where does nationalism , ethics , honesty , integrity, respect , support etc figure in the heirarchy of values for an average Indian today ? How do we then expect our leaders and politicians to embody these qualities ? Isnt “Yadha praja , tadha raja “ also an old saying which means “as the citizen , so the king “.
But we all must ask ourselves , what is driving this frenzy of greed and ambition in India that we have forgotten all values & the ‘Indian spirituality’ is missing in total from the Indians' life-style ? What is driving the almost hysterical greed and ambition, fear, frustration , and increasing polarisation between different sections of the population.? Why are we also today leading the world in stress related disorders like diabetes; BP; heart attacks ; cancer ? Why is rape becoming an everyday or rather every-hour story in Delhi ? Why are our town and cities going from bad to worse in terms of civic sense and quality of life ? Is there a connection between all these negatives in India today ? For sure there is . Who benefits most if a society deteriorates in this manner ?And keeping the masses desperate and fearful is in whose best interest ? The answer is simple : "the corrupt Businessman-Politician-Media team". Together this 'system' that runs India today and every institution in India , if not completely , have to a great extent destroyed the "Indian psyche " and moulded a society against its will over the past 10-15 years into a divisive , greedy ,unethical , Hobbesian society where man-eats-man and "sab kuch chaltha hai ".
A few glitzy malls , branded shops and statistics such as 9% GDP growth - does it show the real status and health of a society ? Is India really shining ? 77% Indians still live below the poverty line . Govt recently ( May2011) on the pretext of lack-of-resources , recently redefined BPL ( below poverty line ) to incomes below sub-saharan levels !! Let us agree that mother India is sick - socially, mentally & physically , and we are getting sicker by the day . This is not the India envisioned in 1947. And we are also desperately driving the next generation to become just another “ machine for accomplishment “ with no social values .
It’s high time we stopped blindly celebrating a “India success story” that is not real and paid attention to actualy what’s happening to people’s lives , ........to our own lives , our society and our country in general .
Since the last 2-3 years we are hearing of astronomical sums being looted by the Political – Corporate nexus : 170,000CRORE in the Spectrum scam ; 98000 Crores in the Airport land scam ; 70,000 crores in the CWG scam ......... This is just to name a few .The "RISING INDIA " story being cooked and vended out by the Business people , Politicians and Journalist Groups is nothing but a well planned cover-up for the wholesale looting of the national resources thats going on and the sorry state of affairs of the common-man within the country . ( Remember the dialogue in Radia tapes wherin Sanghvi asks Radia"What kind of story do you want?" and goes on to offer a "fully scripted" and "rehearsed" television interview to her client Mr MA). In the Financial Times, Indian business dynasties have been described as “robber barons”. And the Indian 'State' is no longer a Democracy but an Oligarchy -a state run by a minority for the benefit of a minority .
If the Indian publics apathy allows this to continue for a few more years , the illegal wealth flowing out of the country and back into the system and into the hands of a FEW; will raise levels of inequality further ; feed the frenzy of greed and ambition ; fuel frustration , discontent and violence and ultimately lead to the break-up of the society .
Now ask yourself again " IS INDIA REALLY SHINING ?"
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