LET US NOT ROMANTICISE THE PAST

Eve’s Times brings to you excerpts from Karti Chidambaram’s speech during a women’s organization meet in Chennai recently that points out to the need for participation of the educated   in nation building.

The people who complain most about the democracy are those who have derived maximum benefits from the various institutions that have nurtured them such as the educational institutions, judiciary, security etc. Those who have benefited the most are the ones who have the most disdain about politics and politicians.

 People who take a little away from the country must also give back something. How can people who benefit most from a country from its education, employment and amenities walk away from the systems and expect democracy to sustain? To evolve a civil society, the efforts must be collective and a lot must come from the people who have the means and acquired the capabilities to do so.

Look at our neighbouring countries with whom we share the same genetic, cultural and political history. Compared with these countries, India is stable and offers opportunities for everybody to grow.

Here we are bestowed with a democratic government which gives us opportunities galore. Things are improving a lot and are much better today than ever before.  If you ask me there never was a Golden past in Indian history. If your grandmother says that things were a lot better during her times, don’t believe her! Back then girls had no education and were married young. Class and caste divisions dominated the society. There was no equality between the sexes. Let us not romanticize our past.  We were earlier known for those who renounced things. Anybody who said, ‘I quit,” was made out to be a saint.  Let us also not romanticize austerity.  To take on challenges and pursue advancement relentlessly needs greater courage than giving up. The future will bring us the Golden period. We must all move towards that golden period with responsibility and zeal, leading our society on the strength of the benefits that we have derived from it.

Today, the opportunities are countless. Access to education, career and economic independence is universal. Some of the large business enterprises that have emerged have not been inherited but built by individuals who had no wherewithal to do so. By the sheer dint of their determination and arduous labour, they have gradually built mammoth institutions, taking advantage of the liberal ambience to grow. Take for e.g. Dhirubhai Ambani, Narayana Murthy or even Hotel Saravana Bhavan; these people have been able to rise on the strength of their ability.  Even in a sport like cricket, where earlier only people from princely or aristocratic background were allowed entry, today we have boys from small towns like Dhoni, Yuvaraj and many others. Change has happened NOW and will continue to happen NOW.  More will happen TOMORROW.

Let us all remember, we are not a poor country and we must not behave in such a manner that projects the image of poverty. Of course, we have innumerable poor people. We must change all that.  

We live in a country where fifty percent of the population is under thirty five years of age. We are a young nation with the greatest number of young working people in the world. I would compare our country with the US after the Second World War Today we are in a situation where we are poised for  immense growth and advancement.

Change is happening in all spheres but at different paces, especially according to capital, technology and education. In order to maintain a balance in the society, access should be broad based. This can be effective only if we have a social government, which is what we have. NGOs on their own cannot address the situation and bring about universal change. They do good work but not at national or global levels. Private enterprise cannot replace the government.

The answer lies in a concerted effort by those educated, business leaders and corporates i.e.,   those who have derived benefits from our institutions, to work for public cause. We should all have a common, nationalist goal. If you turn back the pages of our history, during independence our country was united by a single goal. The pattern of leadership that emerged then was characterized by the elitists. That class of people has abdicated their social responsibility today. It is incumbent upon this class to wake up and take part in strengthening our institutions such as the judiciary, the press, education, the political set up etc.

It is important for those educated to take part in public affairs, if not the institutions will be affected. This does not go to say that one is a prophet of doom.  We must pay attention to infuse greater importance to our institutions. We should not take these institutions for granted.  One reason why the elitists shy away from the institutions may be because pay scales are abysmally low if you take, for e.g. the judiciary, or the teaching community or those in government service. To attract talent, we must definitely improve the pay packets which should be commensurate with talent and quality of work.  

Today we live in a globalized world and global trends will definitely affect India. Hence it is even more important to fine tune these institutions. Today more than ever, the government needs professional talent. We need fresh people to turn around our institutions.  Young people must come forward to take part in politics.  Everything cannot be concerned with only the pay packet. Look at the army; there is a crisis because they are not getting enough army officers!  While it is important to make money, it is important to evolve a lot more egalitarian society where the benefits are universally accessible.

To be continued…