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Brij Bhardwaj India has come a long way from the time it attained independence but the challenges today are much more complex. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is increasing with the result that large areas of tribal population is taking to the gun culture to resolve issues that concern them most. In areas like health and social security we rank among the sub-Saharan countries, which is not a pleasing thought. Sixty years is a long time in the life of a person, but rather short in the life of a nation. One can not help but recall the excitement and apprehensions that were in the mind of a school boy when he learnt in the morning that India had become a free nation. At the same time, there was also a realization that what had been a home for over twelve years was now a foreign territory never to be visited or seen. But there was satisfaction that at least one has escaped the hardships and tragedy of forced evacuation that followed the partition of the country which led to the birth of two countries India and Pakistan by drawing a imaginary line on the map which had no connection with the realty on the ground. The situation in the streets was equally tense as Simla, where the family had shifted well in advance of Independence Day, became the new capital of Punjab which became part of India instead of being a summer capital of undivided Punjab. There were angry people in the streets; tempers were running high with many people asking questions why the national leadership had agreed to partition of the country. This soon turned into a riot and a small Muslim population in the city became a target which included looting of few shops on the fashionable Mall where in the past the natives were scared of walking, that being the preserve of rulers. India in the forties was a country in turmoil with streets full of angry and scared people. One wondered how the large exodus of people across the border will build life in new cities which were to become their new homes. Soon one could see enterprising people coming from across the border starting again. Instead of moving to established markets they just chose the pavements and corners to set shops and over the years the faces of cities changed and what were built as refugee colonies and markets became elite colonies and fashionable markets. New India started emerging, but it was not without problems. In early years of freedom, India faced the challenge of ever growing mouths to feed. The questions were asked if India will see again the scenes witnessed during Bengal famine or the independent India will do a better job of procuring sufficient quantity of food grains to feed people This situation, however, changed when the country had first agrarian revolution which turned India from a food deficit country into an exporter of food. The second crises came in sixties when India faced a financial crisis of great dimensions with danger of country being unable to meet its obligations of payments of international debts. It went through the humiliations of shipping gold abroad to pledge the same as surety for raising loans. India today, however, stands on the verge of making another breakthrough as our industry, as well as the other branches of economy, are moving full speed a head. We have ample reserves of foreign currency and are becoming a major destination for parking of funds by top financial institutions in the world. India is also being counted as a country, which has the potential to become a world power in future, thanks to our growth rate of eight to nine per cent. Some may like to believe that the worst is behind us and there is smooth journey ahead for the nation. Here one would like to add a note of caution that stock exchanges spurt, shining malls and modern set ups of calls centers should not make us blind to the reality that nearly one third of our billion strong population lives below poverty, agriculture for a large number of people has become a losing proposition and many of them choose to end their lives when faced with rising debts. A large part of tribal population living in parts of Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh is becoming a part of Maoist movement and taking to gun as the life is becoming tougher and tougher for them. Can India survive the growing disparities between the haves and have-nots. We can take pride in the fact that India has the largest number of people who are joining the ranks of rich. Our industrialists are becoming global players, but at the same time we also rank very close to Sahara African countries when it comes to providing social services for our people. In all areas like health care, education and social security our ranking is very poor. We have a young population as compared to European countries but we also have a large number of old who are suffering because of break up of joint family system and no alternative being offered. It should be remembered that the gap, unless closed, can become a monster which can undo the progress made so far. Our strength is a democratic system, which acts as a buffer and gives our leaders an opportunity to change course before it is too late. It is time to realize that the present rulers will also run into problems if they do not use the time left to close the gap between the haves and have nots. The warning bells are ringing, time to pay heed or perish. | |
