Is India Progressing or going back? Look at the news from India these days, Caste Based Reservations, internal conflicts etc. The signals are so confusing. I like the quote **" India must be the only country in the world, where people fight to be called backward". **
Progress or Regress : A Fascinating Duel
The signals are confusing. Or perhaps they are so always. Are we as a nation, on the path to progress & prosperity or are we being shackled by the past, in the danger of missing the bus to leapfrog into the next level of growth? One day we hear a depressing development & we are warned about impending doom. Next we hear an exciting news about a pathbreaking step that India has taken and we are all gung-ho again. Perhaps, in India, more than any other nation, it is difficult to pin down the exact mood of the nation. Because of its vastness & diversity, the mood or the behavior of an entire nation may not be homogeneous.
http://o3.indiatimes.com/sanjeev_/archive/2006/05/24/711181.aspx
Few recent events/developments which are disheartening.
· A retrograde step by the govt. of implementing 27% reservation. A step that threatens to keep us shackled to the past. The specter of reservations in private sectors is looming large as well.
· As Narayan Murthy once said “ India must be the only country in the world, where people fight to be called backward”
· Cultural dictatorship in Gujarat where political goondaism ensures that “Fanaa” is not released until Aamir Khan publicly apologizes for his views ( Of demanding rehabilitation for displaced tribals ? :-000 ). The same goes for cultural policing on the release of “The da Vinci code“
· A woman in UP commits Sati last week, distraught at the death of her husband.
· Criminals & proclaimed absconders like Shibu Soren ( & a few others) are part of the Union cabinet. The level of penetration of criminals into positions of power is very high.
Others which are mood lifters
v India is on an unprecedented growth path touching 8%, aiming for 10% growth rate in near future.
v Unprecedented foreign reserves. High credit ratings for India in the global market.
v The most meritorious combination of a PM & the President that one could have hoped for.
v The Indian Stock markets outperformed their Asian counterparts by 30-35% in the last 6 months.
Depending on how much it affects you, we keep hearing about our country either going to hell or being on the path of becoming one of the most powerful nations in the world. But perhaps, this has always been the case. There will always be some goods & some bads. The bouquets & the brickbats. But one heartening fact is that despite all this, the march has always been forward. The pace & the potential might be debatable, but probably we are a robust enough democracy to weather many a storms.
What’s your take on this? Are we doing good or is there a cause for deep concern?