Anna's magic revealed

The deal has been struck and the neo-Gandhian is fully functional yet again. The moment this news broke out, thousands of anxious Indians erupted – with joy abound. This sort of a response surely elicits a few questions like what makes this man so demigod like. How has he managed to bring together a nation as diverse as India? How did he manage to bring the government on its knees? How could he, according to some government minions, try and subvert the great constitution of our country? How can he prove his bill to be inviolable?

But before these questions are answered, let’s tap into the heart of this movement and get an insight on what we, Indians, are. Indians are known to be very tolerant. Whether in injustice or in depravity, they would prefer to be torn apart by the system than die fighting it. This characteristic also reflects in our nation’s foreign policy where our famous practice of non-alignment and restrained response has made us a virtual novice on the global playfield. This argument may not get many takers, but yes, it still holds true. Make us toil and suffer and we ‘may’ respond, an average Indian will say without actually saying it. The ‘may’ factor, you see, is too dominant in our society. Even in the run-of-the-mill tasks we perform, there is always this ‘may’ factor lingering around. You may not hear an Indian actually saying it, but if one observes silence, those cynical whispers can be heard. This ‘may’ is what makes us so weak and feeble even though we are the exact opposite because of the resilience showcase time and again.

If you are thinking I have diverted from the topic, you are wrong. I will now prove to you why exactly this man, Anna, rose like a phoenix and captivated a million hearts.

Now, with the ‘may’ factor lurking in the back of our minds, we choose to absorb our deepest fears instead of trying to weed them out. We choose to go on a path more traveled. Uncharted waters scare the living daylights out of us. Fear starts thriving in us, which in turn makes us pessimists in action. Again, we may not say it or project it directly, but somewhere in our blood, pessimism runs riot in the face of calamitous times. All of this adds up and makes us indifferent to our pains and we start accepting it as a part of life. This is why we become vulnerable. We become tolerant and the world starts seeing us as cowards. Some non-Indians mistake this for our restraint, which is wrong. Indians on a roll can seldom be held back. Juggernaut defines them.

Now, here is where Mr. Hazare steps in. This diminutive man is one of us and he flaunts the spine to take up the mantle to fight the demons that scare us. He stands up to those very people we call indomitable tyrants or oppressors. He challenges them with the weapons of the Gandhian era. He threatens them without firing a single bullet. He overwhelms the highest echelons of power by towering over them. He dwarfs them and makes them look vulnerable. He makes the impossible seem very possible. He evokes hope and courage in the masses to stand up against the proverbial evil almighty. He awakens the sleepy pride in the masses and rubs their wounds so fiercely that the pain is no longer felt but only remembered. He sweeps away all shades of fear with impunity and implores the masses to join hands no matter how different or harsh they may be. All of this culminates into an uprising. People from all walks of life charge in to fight all odds as if a tsunami of hope was unleashed on them. No sooner the collective anger starts simmering with vengeance; the old man stokes it with tales of the martyrs. He smears their soul with patriotic blood and demands allegiance for a fight that is not his but theirs. A fight that can bring change and make a billion lives better. To add to all this, the saint of a man preaches non-violence. It is said that a man who controls his anger when most angry is the man who can feel God. This is what Anna Hazare has done to us. He has made us feel God.

This answers all questions but two. Can one person with the noblest of intentions subvert our constitution? The answer is NO. Let’s twist the question and ask again. Is Anna trying to subvert our constitution? The answer is NO again. All Anna is asking for is freedom from all evils. In fact, he is preserving the integrity of the constitution by involving the masses, who are the cornerstone of a democracy. It is the masses who run the country. The government is simply the custodian of the will of the people.

The last question that needs to be answered is whether Anna’s bill holds the muscle to eradicate corruption in its entirety? The answer is NO. Anna has said that though his team’s version of the bill may not completely wipe out corruption, it is potent enough to wipe out at least 65-70 % of it. While the government’s bill has been cleverly designed to stifle anti-corruption forces, Anna’s bill has been cleverly designed to nip the corrupt in the bud.

As for other benign arguments like the bill becoming a parallel government of sorts, one cannot but laugh out loud.

The inseparable marraige of Youth & Innovation

If change is to come to India, it’ll be at the hands of our Youth. Therefore, the time is ripe to invest in them, especially now that there is enough proof to suggest a considerable surge in India’s youth population in the  decade to come. If figures are anything to go by, India is tipped to add nearly 241 million in the working-age population (the figure is inclusive). This figure speaks for itself when compared with China, which will add a meager 10 million during the course of this decade. But unfortunately even after all these predictions, our Youth have not yet managed a top place in the list of our politicians’ priorities. Unbridled reserves of energy that they are; it would be anything but wise to overlook them.

Anyway, a nation is propelled by its Youth. Filled with raw passion and steely resolve, they are the only ones blessed with power that can pull a nation out of darkness and place it on the path of prosperity. India, for one, couldn’t have come this far in terms of socio-economic progress without her Youth championing her cause. Who can overlook the contribution of our Youth in revolutionizing Information Technology in India and abroad?

We, therefore, as a nation need to formulate long-term plans to empower our youth and come up with strategies to create an environment where a young mind is given the freedom to think. Not that the freedom isn’t there, but an average 22-year old Indian is so engrossed in digging up ways to ensure a safe future for himself that somewhere down the road his uniqueness is misspent. Somewhere he simply overlooks his ingenuity and joins a popular bandwagon. And that is how a nation misses out on an opportunity to gain an edge over others in the fray. It’s a simple equation if you come to think of it; you fall behind in innovation and creativity, you will have to extend your arms and follow the pack. But on the other hand, if you encourage innovation and creativity, you will place yourself well ahead of the pack and force others to follow you.

Because innovation is the product of thought, and thought is the product of a free mind, it is imperative to exempt our young minds from unnecessary burdens.

Let me put forth an example to highlight the power of innovation. There is this case of Abhishek Sinha and his brother Abhinav, both software engineers, who founded EKO financial services with an aim to extend banking services to low-wage migrant workers from poor states like Bihar working in places like Delhi. These workers, as a rule here in India, are bereft of services that would help them save their earnings or send whatever little they can back home. The working of their model may be sound simple but could be a tough act to play out. Read on…

The brothers created virtual banks out of everyday retail stores that sell groceries and other such household items! The worker, using his mobile phone, and an identity proof, can open a bank account registered on his mobile phone. He would provide the amount which he wants deposited to the shopkeeper, who at his end would record it on his phone and text a receipt of the deposit to the system’s mother bank. That’s it. The worker’s family member can do a withdrawal by following a similar process back in Bihar. Impressed, eh?

                                                                                                                       

This is what innovation can do; transform the lives of millions without much fuss. Believe me, there are hundreds of Abhishek Sinhas and Abhinavs out there. You won’t even have to find them if they are provided with an environment that encourages them to think.

Corruption: Let's nip it in the bud

If India’s dreams of progress, prosperity and power are to be realized, corruption must end. Without its eradication, it would be wise to lend a deaf ear to all the big India rising talks that surrounded the Obama visit. The fact is, we cannot rise in true sense if humiliating scandals keep burning in our backyard while we go about running the business of our lives indifferently.

Just yesterday, I had a friend telling me shocking stories about his tryst with the corrupt while he served one of the most prestigious defense research institutions in India. What he said sent jitters down my spine, and all the gush of patriotic blood that had my heart pumping passionately thanks to the recent Obama speech, died down. Helpless and hollow is what I felt. The presence of corruption in what should have been one of the most pristine of all offices suddenly cast a dark and pale Indian future in place of the bright and colorful one that had captured my imagination very recently. Why was this particular incident on corruption an eye opener for me despite having witnessed it at play on numerous occasions is as baffling a question to me as it may be to you. Well, I reckon it could be because the stink of it emanating from our armed forces was too sickening to handle and it sort of evoked a strong sense of repugnance. For all I know is that I had my moment of truth on corruption yesterday as it smirked at my helplessness in dealing with it and ruthlessly murdered all my flag-waving and saluting feelings.

I took an oath yesterday, a silent one. Until I can contribute to the destruction of this godforsaken ugly fortress of corruption, I will not lend my voice to the India rising chorus. For, there is so much more to be done before we even suggest our rise much less flaunt our arrival on the world stage. In fact, going one step further, before demanding an extra seat to fill in the UN Security Council, we need to fill those extra numbers of hungry stomachs that seem to be swelling with each passing hour. This may not go down well with some of you who have already tied the knot with jingoism. Before harboring great expectations from the world, we need to fulfill at least one bit of the tiny expectations of our country’s helpless. Before demanding recognition for our contribution on the global economic playfield from the world, we need to recognize the contribution of those roofless millions by providing them with at least the bare minimum. What kind of a nation are we if we look at those millions toiling it out in the sun building our dreams with contempt and disgust. Grow up, India! What are we trying to project here? That we are a bunch of hypocrites who get embarrassed and miffed when nations try to highlight the apathy of ‘our’ poor and urge us do something about it? Seriously, how bloody apathetic and devilish of us!

Anyway, enough already with the rhetoric, let’s get down to business. So, what should we do in order to amputate the lofty legs of this demon? The answer is pretty simple; shun all forms of corruption. Nip it in the bud, I say. Start from your homes. Don’t bribe your kids to score high in school. This’ll kill the greed in them. Don’t sneak your way out of fines, penalties or punishments by throwing the weight of your connections or money around. This’ll reinforce your commitment to the fundamental principles of country, equality and justice, promote the rule of law and most importantly set an appropriate precedent for others to follow. Don’t grease palms to get your work done. This would discourage corruption. In short, ensure that your actions do not undermine the country’s image and ideals. If each of us does his/her bit to deal a body blow to this menacing monster, the collective result will be its fall. And then, it would be extremely unwise to ignore the rising India chorus. For it won’t just be a clamor of stray unheard voices, but a lovely melody of a truly united India that would bring her close to other superpowers like US and China in the years to come.