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Discuss this article (3 Comments)Indians on India
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Wednesday, 15 August 2007
As India celebrates its 60 years as a democratic country, Faarah Mehta speaks to three of the country's leading lights, and asks how they think the country has progressed, and where it is now heading.
SHABANA AZMI
Actress, ex-Rajya Sabha Member, winner of five National Awards, winner of the Rajiv Gandhi award for social activism, recipient of the Padma Shri and active social activist.
"Wherever you go, India is now the toast of the town, along with China. Globalisation has ensured that those in India who are young, talented and ambitious are welcome all over the world.
"Many say that economic growth will iron out India's many differences and would hence bring the underprivileged as well as the minorities into the so-called mainstream. But the economy is not the only cure. It must be ensured that the poor are not deprived of their rights, whether they be Dalits of any religion or religious minorities.
"India lives in several centuries simultaneously and encapsulates all the contradictions that come from being a multi religious, multi cultural, multi-lingual society. We are the first country to have a woman Prime Minister and women in the corporate sector. On the other hand, it is sad that female feticide is still being practiced.
"Until India's women become empowered enough to walk shoulder to shoulder with their men, we cannot say that progress has happened. Today, all over the world, progress is not being measured by the GDP of the country but by its human development - this is indicative of the access to health, education and the degrees to which their women are empowered. This is still to be achieved. We have travelled and we need to travel some more. On the whole though, I am very hopeful about India's future. There is no better time or chance in its free life than now, to prosper."
HEMA MALINI
Star of the film industry over two decades, filmmaker, exponent of Bharatnatyam, Kuchhipudi, Mohiniattam, Odissi and dance ballet, and now a BJP Member of Parliament.
"As a nation, we have done a lot of great work over the last 10 years. Prior to that, I would say we were trying to settle down properly.
"Sixty years of independence has given the Indian woman an equal status to men in all walks of life. India is shining all over the world and they are looking up to us with respect. The CFO of Pepsi, the ICICI VP and our very own female Congress President, aside from Sonia Gandhi and the rest of the MP's - Gandhiji's teachings are resonating across the globe.
"Even our films are becoming so popular all over the world. Today, if I land at Frankfurt or Switzerland airport, they recognise even me. I would say our film fraternity has made a great contribution to the world.
"Our Indian art is also huge - with paintings costing in the billions - MF Hussein, Satish Gujral and Anjoli Ela Menon - just to name a few.
"We are going ahead at jet speed but we need to instill value and culture in our younger generations. In some ways, we may be moving too quickly in a few dimensions but are not moving at all in others. After 50 years, we should not have too much disparity in progression and regression in separate fields."
MILIND DEORA
One of India's youngest Members of Parliament. His father, Murli Deora, is one of the older members of the Lok Sabha (lower house) from the South Mumbai constituency and held various posts in the state of Maharashtra.
Economically and politically
"We've done a lot - economically, yet there are concerns in the social arena - religious and caste based tensions still exist creating social divisions - we are still not rid of things that existed six decades ago - while the economic situation still looks positive - but this is the area we have to improve upon".
Context of the world
"We have always been on the world radar. Today, every country wants to be associated with India - be it economically or politically - we have been the largest, most diverse democracy and have yet been able to run an efficient system - of course, like anywhere, there are areas of improvement needed to set us on the right path.
Common history with Pakistan
"Pakistan and India have a common history - but we have to chart out different futures for ourselves. Today India has evolved into a major power - the arena we are playing in today is much larger than that of the subcontinent."
Women
"Everyday efforts are being made to empower women. After many decades we have a central government ministry (Union Government) dedicated to preventing discrimination and empowering the girl child. We will do better in this arena. Not only have we had a lady Indian Prime Minister, but the Congress has had a lady as its President and today, the president is also a lady. This is something even developed countries have not achieved."
Secularism
"Secularism in India is still a concern - and we are working toward having it bridged rather than widened. Efforts to bring about affirmative action to ensure that there is a level playing field for all are on - eventually we want to create a system of meritocracy."
Art and Culture
"Art and culture - is what takes place in the villages - that is what needs to be resurrected and globalised. Indian artists selling their paintings in the world at exorbitant rates is not necessarily an indicator of positive movement in the sphere of arts - it has to be broad based and at the grassroots."
READERS' COMMENTS
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MY DEAR, BIG INDIA
Posted by Rajendra K. Aneja, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 14:00 UAE time
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MY DEAR, BIG INDIA Dear Sirs: We are the tenth largest economy worldwide, but 25% i.e. 250 Mn. Indians, subsist below the poverty line, and cannot afford breakfast, lunch, dinner daily. We spend 4.8% of GDP on health, 4.1% on education. But we spend 8% of budget on defense, for not having made peace with neighbors. Transnationals select directors/chairmen, from India, but we cannot identify a Prime Minister, who is not a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist. We swear by non-violence, but religious groups indulge in shameful rioting, every few years. We are a global economy, but pay the President and Prime Minister, pathetic salaries of USD 1,250 pm! We foster entrepreneurship, yet New Delhi is a bizarre maze of licenses, controls. Leaders of integrity like Buddha, Mahavir and Gandhiji were born here. But a sheet of paper does not move, in the corridors of power, without financial lubrication. We had a woman Prime Minister for years, now a woman President, but we kill thousands baby girls a day, before birth! We send our troops to embattled countries, under UN umbrellas to save lives, but 100,000 farmers committed suicide in a few years, due to financial insolvency. Our President lives in a palace of 300 bedrooms, but about 40-50 Mn. Indians sleep in the streets or fields every day. We have talked of metamorphosing Bombay into a Shanghai for a decade, but the annual monsoons transform the city into a stinking pond. All the global fashion brands are speeding to India, but we cannot get rid of our ancient brand image: poverty! We are IT service-providers to the world, via BOP, but 39% of Indians cannot read, write. We are a nuclear power, but have power cuts in the capital; countless villages have yet to get electricity. We have the Ganges, Godhavri pouring tones of fresh waters into the oceans, but 14% of Indians do not have access to clean processed drinking water. We hail the joint family tradition, but Mother Theresa had to coach us to care for the elderly and sick. We have amongst the best “intelligence agencies” worldwide, but liquor is stolen from the plane of the Prime Minister, when he travels. We are readying Indian astronauts to go to space, moon, but cannot clean the gutters that the British built for Bombay city, 100 years ago. We play international hosts to refugees from countries like Bangla Desh, but then let them fester on footpaths. Our doctors are famed across the world, but at home we have half a doctor (0.6) per 1000 people, and 1 hospital bed (0.9) per 1000 people. Our engineers build the world, atomic power projects in Brazil, but we cannot build a Water Taxi system to cover our massive coastline from Gujarat, via Kerala, to West Bengal, to relieve road congestion. We enjoy being unhappy, whining. The largest community (675 Mn) gripes that others are growing rapidly, though it is twice the population of USA. The second minority community (110 Mn) laments though it has had 2 Presidents and contributed the darlings of every Indian heart viz: Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Madhubala, Shabana, Messrs. Khan Inc.: Sanjay, Feroz, Aamir, Salman, Saif Ali, Shah Rukh. Another minority community (17 Mn) bemoans, though it has had a President, PM, army chiefs, compromises 12% of the army and feeds the nation from its rich lands. We have corporate leaders, who swear by the Mission statements, but sacrifice long-term viability, for short-term bonuses and stock options. We have massive unemployment; hence we can hire the same people to rally for an ideology today, and the opposite ideology tomorrow, for a tea, snack and USD 1. Our entrepreneurs buy airlines across the world, but we do not have enough metros, trains, buses in our cities. Our marriages are arrangements, not partnerships. If the bride is not educated, the bridegroom harangues her for dowry; if the bride is educated, she blackmails the bridegroom with threats of alimony, if he does not toe her line. We bid for the Asian, Olympic games, but do not have enough playgrounds for our schoolchildren. We gift civilian aircraft to countries, but do not have helicopter ambulances, to airlift accident victims on our roads. For decades, leaders have promised to re-house the dwellers of the two million populated Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia. But, it stays. We love big, wide international cars, but the width of most of our main trunk roads, has remained unchanged at 2 or 3 lanes, for the last 60 years. We build flamboyant malls and towers, but about 250 million Indian do not have latrines attached to their homes. NRIs’ are one of the largest contributors to foreign exchange in the country, but they do not vote overseas, in the elections. We pretend to shun worldly recognitions, but continue to be a fiercely jealous people. Aishwarya gets married to Abhishek, the uninvited create a stench. Sachin and Sania mesmerize us, but we do not set international training centers to nurture future world-class players. We are fickle, Amitabh has a small, private wedding for his son, he is snooty; he has an ostentatious wedding, he is wasting money!! We do not debate whether every Indian is well fed. Our obsession is, who is a bigger star: Amitabh or Shah Rukh Khan. Though, neither of the two is bothered! We shower daily, before we pray, but dump our garbage daily, in the open streets. We worship the cow, but let her stray all over our streets, uncared. We care for animals, but let thousands of sick, menacing dogs loaf in towns. We were masks on the mouth, so as not kill even an insect by error. But our butcheries slaughter animals medievally for consumption, and would shock the guillotine managers of the French Revolution. Our rich donate millions to build new temples, but ignore the hungry, forlorn beggars standing outside these places of worship. We have global, aspirations, but have yet to organize our home. It is time to tie our shoelaces. Then, we will sprint faster, my dear India. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY BIG INDIA!! Yours sincerely, Rajendra K. Aneja The author is the CEO of a Foods Company in the Middle East. He is the author of a book, “Agenda For A New India.”
Posted by Rajendra K. Aneja, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 14:00 UAE time
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MY DEAR, BIG INDIA Dear Sirs: We are the tenth largest economy worldwide, but 25% i.e. 250 Mn. Indians, subsist below the poverty line, and cannot afford breakfast, lunch, dinner daily. We spend 4.8% of GDP on health, 4.1% on education. But we spend 8% of budget on defense, for not having made peace with neighbors. Transnationals select directors/chairmen, from India, but we cannot identify a Prime Minister, who is not a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist. We swear by non-violence, but religious groups indulge in shameful rioting, every few years. We are a global economy, but pay the President and Prime Minister, pathetic salaries of USD 1,250 pm! We foster entrepreneurship, yet New Delhi is a bizarre maze of licenses, controls. Leaders of integrity like Buddha, Mahavir and Gandhiji were born here. But a sheet of paper does not move, in the corridors of power, without financial lubrication. We had a woman Prime Minister for years, now a woman President, but we kill thousands baby girls a day, before birth! We send our troops to embattled countries, under UN umbrellas to save lives, but 100,000 farmers committed suicide in a few years, due to financial insolvency. Our President lives in a palace of 300 bedrooms, but about 40-50 Mn. Indians sleep in the streets or fields every day. We have talked of metamorphosing Bombay into a Shanghai for a decade, but the annual monsoons transform the city into a stinking pond. All the global fashion brands are speeding to India, but we cannot get rid of our ancient brand image: poverty! We are IT service-providers to the world, via BOP, but 39% of Indians cannot read, write. We are a nuclear power, but have power cuts in the capital; countless villages have yet to get electricity. We have the Ganges, Godhavri pouring tones of fresh waters into the oceans, but 14% of Indians do not have access to clean processed drinking water. We hail the joint family tradition, but Mother Theresa had to coach us to care for the elderly and sick. We have amongst the best “intelligence agencies” worldwide, but liquor is stolen from the plane of the Prime Minister, when he travels. We are readying Indian astronauts to go to space, moon, but cannot clean the gutters that the British built for Bombay city, 100 years ago. We play international hosts to refugees from countries like Bangla Desh, but then let them fester on footpaths. Our doctors are famed across the world, but at home we have half a doctor (0.6) per 1000 people, and 1 hospital bed (0.9) per 1000 people. Our engineers build the world, atomic power projects in Brazil, but we cannot build a Water Taxi system to cover our massive coastline from Gujarat, via Kerala, to West Bengal, to relieve road congestion. We enjoy being unhappy, whining. The largest community (675 Mn) gripes that others are growing rapidly, though it is twice the population of USA. The second minority community (110 Mn) laments though it has had 2 Presidents and contributed the darlings of every Indian heart viz: Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Madhubala, Shabana, Messrs. Khan Inc.: Sanjay, Feroz, Aamir, Salman, Saif Ali, Shah Rukh. Another minority community (17 Mn) bemoans, though it has had a President, PM, army chiefs, compromises 12% of the army and feeds the nation from its rich lands. We have corporate leaders, who swear by the Mission statements, but sacrifice long-term viability, for short-term bonuses and stock options. We have massive unemployment; hence we can hire the same people to rally for an ideology today, and the opposite ideology tomorrow, for a tea, snack and USD 1. Our entrepreneurs buy airlines across the world, but we do not have enough metros, trains, buses in our cities. Our marriages are arrangements, not partnerships. If the bride is not educated, the bridegroom harangues her for dowry; if the bride is educated, she blackmails the bridegroom with threats of alimony, if he does not toe her line. We bid for the Asian, Olympic games, but do not have enough playgrounds for our schoolchildren. We gift civilian aircraft to countries, but do not have helicopter ambulances, to airlift accident victims on our roads. For decades, leaders have promised to re-house the dwellers of the two million populated Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia. But, it stays. We love big, wide international cars, but the width of most of our main trunk roads, has remained unchanged at 2 or 3 lanes, for the last 60 years. We build flamboyant malls and towers, but about 250 million Indian do not have latrines attached to their homes. NRIs’ are one of the largest contributors to foreign exchange in the country, but they do not vote overseas, in the elections. We pretend to shun worldly recognitions, but continue to be a fiercely jealous people. Aishwarya gets married to Abhishek, the uninvited create a stench. Sachin and Sania mesmerize us, but we do not set international training centers to nurture future world-class players. We are fickle, Amitabh has a small, private wedding for his son, he is snooty; he has an ostentatious wedding, he is wasting money!! We do not debate whether every Indian is well fed. Our obsession is, who is a bigger star: Amitabh or Shah Rukh Khan. Though, neither of the two is bothered! We shower daily, before we pray, but dump our garbage daily, in the open streets. We worship the cow, but let her stray all over our streets, uncared. We care for animals, but let thousands of sick, menacing dogs loaf in towns. We were masks on the mouth, so as not kill even an insect by error. But our butcheries slaughter animals medievally for consumption, and would shock the guillotine managers of the French Revolution. Our rich donate millions to build new temples, but ignore the hungry, forlorn beggars standing outside these places of worship. We have global, aspirations, but have yet to organize our home. It is time to tie our shoelaces. Then, we will sprint faster, my dear India. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY BIG INDIA!! Yours sincerely, Rajendra K. Aneja The author is the CEO of a Foods Company in the Middle East. He is the author of a book, “Agenda For A New India.”
Women's achievements
Posted by Kishwar Shaikh, Ajman, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 10:00 UAE time
Very well said, women have proved not only walking shoulder to shoulder with men, but also ahead of men. I wish peace & love amongst all humanity irrespective of cast & creed to further strengthen our India.
Posted by Kishwar Shaikh, Ajman, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 10:00 UAE time
Very well said, women have proved not only walking shoulder to shoulder with men, but also ahead of men. I wish peace & love amongst all humanity irrespective of cast & creed to further strengthen our India.
India - 60 years on...
Posted by Hombil, Muscat, Oman on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 08:00 UAE time
Hearty Congratulations to our fellow Indians all over the world on the occasion of the 60th Independence Day! I would also like to extend warm felicitations to our neighbour, Pakistan on its 60th anniversary! India has been the largest and most successful democracy in the world. India has done extremely well economically during the past 60 years and today, in its own right, India is a major player in the world economy. However, socially India is still where it was 60 years ago. We still have systems working on caste and religious minority basis, which is holding India from moving on faster. We still have politicians, who take advantage of this system and thrive in their personal gains, rather than keeping country's interest at heart. This needs to improve and that can happen only if the masses are educated and are able to elect the right people to the assemblies and parliament. For that we need good leadership. As the famous cop Kiran Bedi said recently, we need leaders who can lead and not follow! We wish India, further progress and prosperity on this joyous occasion, of which all Indians are proud.
Posted by Hombil, Muscat, Oman on Wednesday 15 August 2007 at 08:00 UAE time
Hearty Congratulations to our fellow Indians all over the world on the occasion of the 60th Independence Day! I would also like to extend warm felicitations to our neighbour, Pakistan on its 60th anniversary! India has been the largest and most successful democracy in the world. India has done extremely well economically during the past 60 years and today, in its own right, India is a major player in the world economy. However, socially India is still where it was 60 years ago. We still have systems working on caste and religious minority basis, which is holding India from moving on faster. We still have politicians, who take advantage of this system and thrive in their personal gains, rather than keeping country's interest at heart. This needs to improve and that can happen only if the masses are educated and are able to elect the right people to the assemblies and parliament. For that we need good leadership. As the famous cop Kiran Bedi said recently, we need leaders who can lead and not follow! We wish India, further progress and prosperity on this joyous occasion, of which all Indians are proud.
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