Friday, September 15, 2006
INDIA, AN ECONOMIC LAGGARD
12 February, 1997
The Editor
The Daily
Mumbai
Sir,
Apropos Mr. Prem Shankar Jha’s article: India’s democratic miracle (The Daily, 12/2). Whatever merits may be awarded to India’s quest for a democratic polity, the underachievement in economic field, did directly and adversely affect the true fulfillment of democratic and secular ideals.
The battle between vote and bread, has unnecessarily distorted our priorities. It is axiomatic that a plethora of problems that our democratic polity faces, would have been obliterated by the balm of better economic achievements. Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s ghettoization of India, for their own myopia against foreign domination and their arrogance of power (Indira is India), had feudal if not royalist overtones. Poor multitudes suffered and are still suffering. Let us all give a clear message to the present rulers to get on with the job of petty politicking and get down to the job of providing, at least, jhunka bhaker to India’s suffering millions, which may soon become a billion. (Is it not a shame that an octogenarian classical singer Sughra Bai is willing to trade her prestigious Padma Bhushan national award against two meals a day?) Mr. Prem Shankar Jha may be asked: what price glory?
#209
The Editor
The Daily
Mumbai
Sir,
Apropos Mr. Prem Shankar Jha’s article: India’s democratic miracle (The Daily, 12/2). Whatever merits may be awarded to India’s quest for a democratic polity, the underachievement in economic field, did directly and adversely affect the true fulfillment of democratic and secular ideals.
The battle between vote and bread, has unnecessarily distorted our priorities. It is axiomatic that a plethora of problems that our democratic polity faces, would have been obliterated by the balm of better economic achievements. Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s ghettoization of India, for their own myopia against foreign domination and their arrogance of power (Indira is India), had feudal if not royalist overtones. Poor multitudes suffered and are still suffering. Let us all give a clear message to the present rulers to get on with the job of petty politicking and get down to the job of providing, at least, jhunka bhaker to India’s suffering millions, which may soon become a billion. (Is it not a shame that an octogenarian classical singer Sughra Bai is willing to trade her prestigious Padma Bhushan national award against two meals a day?) Mr. Prem Shankar Jha may be asked: what price glory?
#209
