Marx and the Monk : A fresh look.

Marx and The Monk : A fresh look.

When I think of Marx, Marxism or Communism, I remember the famous book, The God That Failed, by six ex-communists ( Andre Gide,Arthur Koestler,Ignazio Silone,Richard Wright and Stephen Spender). All were intellectuals - writers, poets, journalists - who had great hope of ushering in a just and equal society but were disillusioned by  communism in action in the Soviet Union and the East European countries.The book was published in 1949.

There were other books too. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler(a novel on the fate of the children of the revolution); 1984 ( a novel on the totalitarian state - Big Brother, Thought-police etc.) and The Animal Farm ( a satire on communist state and its famous line, ' All are equal but some are more equal than the others) both by George Orwell and The New Class ( a factual account how the top leaders and the bureaucracy can constitute the new ruling class ) by Milovan Djilas,one of the top leaders in Communist Yugoslavia. Of course, there are many more books which highlight the fault-lines of the communist project.

Marx : Is he a humanist ?  

One reflects on these books when there are many articles published recently on Karl Marx's 200th birth anniversary on May 5. The first article was by the Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, on that date, in the Indian Express, entitled,Karl Marx 2.00. And it states ' His philosophy has been narrowly defined as ideas being determined by economic conditions….it is important to recognise his focus on the two-way nature of that relationship.' Sen highlights Marx's relatively unexplored ideas such as " objective illusion" and "false consciousness" ignoring the havoc that communism perpetrated on almost half of the world.

Then there was an article,200 years on, Karl Marx is relevant, in the Chinese daily, Xinhua ( May 16,2018). It quotes many writers in the West who have praised Marx on his anniversary. It states that the BBC poll in September 1999 won by Marx as the greatest thinker of the millenium. It cites an article, " Happy Birthday, Karl Marx" in New York Times by Jason Barker of the Kyung Hee University of South Korea, and author of the novel, "Marx Returns". Chinese President Xi Jinping observes that the name of Karl Marx is still respected all over the world and his theory still shines with the brilliant light of truth.

Another article, Karl Marx,200 years later, by Ramin Jahanbegloo, director of Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Peace,Jindal Global University,Sonipat,( The Hindu,May 5)  absolves Marx of all crimes made by communists in his name. He states Marx, the philosopher, believes in the autonomy of human beings, and affirms that human beings make their own history. However, Marx, the theorist of historical materialism, was elevated by Engels,Lenin,Stalin and many others as a prophet of a secular religion called socialism.

Marx - judge the tree by its fruit

We should judge Karl Marx not by his intentions but by the outcomes, writes Manish Sabharwal, an entrepreneur and a thinker, in an article, Evaluating the long shadow, (Indian Express, May 9)." Marx cast a long shadow on human lives. Lenin, Stalin,Pol Pot and Mao and many other followers left their finger prints directly or indirectly on the death of about 75 million people. Forty percent of the world's population that lived under Marxist regimes endured dictatorships, secret police, famines, exhaustion in labour camps, murder, and much more." Sabharwal squarely blames Marx's teachings and the example of the Soviet Union which inspired the planned economy of India and its under performance after Independence by curbing the initiative and enterprise of Indian people.    

Another piece on Marx, published by USA Today on May 5 with the headline, Don't Celebrate Marx. His Communism has a death count in the millions, by James Bevard, Opinion columnist. He states, " Communist regimes produced the greatest ideological carnage in world history, killing more than a hundred million people." Marx did not reveal how the state would wither away after the dictatorship of the proletariat, and Marx's humanitarian piffle did nothing to deter Lenin from decreeing that liberty is so precious that it must be rationed, he observes.

The Communist worldview

The Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels issued in 1848 sums up the world view of the Marxists. It is full of moral outrage and moral courage. Marx was a witness to the plight of the workers with long hours of work living in dilapidated houses without proper food and sanitation. The Manifesto threatens the bourgeoisie, the rich." A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre.." And it ends with the exhortation : " Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, Unite!" Communism challenged every institution evolved over the centuries - state, religion, morals, family etc.  

The Manifesto is a strange mixture of humanist goals and inhuman means to achieve it. There is a conflict between the ends and means. Mahatma Gandhi shunned violence as inhuman. For him, ends do not justify means. For Marx and Engels, 'violence is the midwife of every old society pregnant with a new one'. The Communist  Revolutions in Russia and in China are drenched in the blood of millions of innocent people. And both of them failed - one collapsed with its inherent contradictions, and the other became a state capitalism.

The Communists in India too have indulged in violence and continue to do so. They tried to carve a communist enclave in Telangana immediately after Independence which was put down by the Union Home Minister Sardar Patel.They gave up violence for democracy, and won in Kerala. When the Communist Party tried to change the educational system, they had to face an agitation spearheaded the Catholic Church and the Nair Society, and the Communist government was dismissed by the Prime Minister Nehru. It's splinter group, Naxalites, continue the violence even now. They would not allow development - roads, schools and hospitals, factories - as misery of the people is the basis of their revolution. It has been well-said that when there is a general election,there is no need to for a general strike or violence. If you can change society through reforms, there is no need for a revolution. In the Naxalite-dominated areas, many lives have been lost and these communists continue with their class war where innocents are killed for the edification of their creed. The violence has become an end in itself.   

Democracy - power to the people

Giving sanction to violence is to going back the law of the jungle where might is right. Democracy evolved during the last two centuries ensured that everybody counts and every interest counts. Democracy believes counting of heads is better than breaking them. Compromise and consensus are the essence of democracy, and this has improved the wellbeing of the proletariat and the poor in all democracies. Welfare society that UK,USA and the Europe built after the second world war is the result of the democracy in these countries. Some decades ago an US labour leader had observed that while workers of USSR own the car factories, US workers own cars. Mass production and mass consumption go together. Henry Ford is the first industrialist who realised workers are also consumers.   

The materialistic interpretation of history and the class war are the other two articles of faith of the communists. Mode of production of material life is the foundation of society and all other aspects of life are based on it - social, political,religious etc. The recognition of private property has divided society into two hostile economic classes, and this has led to class war - slave-owner and slave, feudal lord and serf, and capitalist and worker. Abolition of private property and the common ownership is expected to usher in a classless society. This has been disproved in the Soviet Union as well as in the Communist China. Here a new class of owners/rulers has emerged.

Free thought - power of ideas

Freedom of thought and expression are the life-blood of progress, and curbing them in these two countries have harmed themselves and their citizens. Ant-hill and bee-hive cannot be an ideals for a human society. A rebel like Karl Marx would not have survived in the Soviet Union and the Communist China. There is human dignity and human progress in the chaos of democracy than in a regimented state and society. And man cannot live by bread alone. Man has many more dimensions than just instincts - man has imagination, intuition, and inspiration, and these come into play when the mind is free. Caged mind cannot soar high.

The Manifesto proclaims that the new society will be organised on the principle, ' from each according to his capacity,to each according to his needs' and  ' the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.' This ideal is to be achieved through the establishment of 'the dictatorship of the proletariat' There has been no evidence in history where the ruler/ king/ dictator has given up power willingly.It has not happened in the Soviet Union or in the Communist China. Marx underestimated the psychology of power. Power corrupts, and absolute power power corrupts, absolutely, as Lord Acton noted.

Marx's prediction of communist revolution in the most advanced industrial state has not happened. The revolution happened in the pre-industrial Russia, and not because workers revolted but because the defeated Czar of Russia could not hold his empire together.

The theory of economic determination flies in the face of human ideas, human effort, human ingenuity and human determination displayed in the long history of human life. The Malthusian theory of population had predicted catastrophe to the world if population growth outstrips foodstuff growth - human ingenuity increased the production of foodstuffs. Many had predicted the end of capitalism after depression of 1932-34 - economic cycle was kick-started with the creation of demand through public works. Death of democracy and death of human ideas are highly exaggerated !  

Marxism is a pessimistic creed

Marx has a highly pessimistic view of life. He looks at every relationship from the prism of exploitation including the family life. The family as an institution stabilised the civilised life of the mankind from a nomadic and chaotic life. It gave a purpose to life and it created a happy environment for children to grow up. Love and romance have cemented the family life.

Marx characterised religion as the opium of the masses.( Accumulation of wealth or power can also be an opium.) He did not appreciate how religious codes laid down the foundational values of a civilised life. The concept of Dharma (what is right & what is right), the idea karma (duty is its own reward ) and many other ideals in the Bhagavad Gita, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount have promoted human brotherhood and guided the life of millions of people. It is true that men have not lived up to these ideals. However, if we dismiss these ideals we will be throwing away the baby with the bathwater.    

One may not agree with Marx but one has to appreciate his new perspective on society. Modes of production have profound impact on society and on the relations between various classes of society. Dignity of the man and a classless society are great ideals to be pursued by every state.

Communism is as much an acquisitive society as capitalism.Can accumulation or possession of more and more goods satisfy the soul of the man ? Where will the rat race end ? Already scientists have warned about the warming of the earth. Forests are being denuded. Overfishing is rampant. Air and water pollution have taken gigantic proportions. Is man killing the goose that gives him the eggs ? Is he cutting the branch where he is perched ?  Has the time come for man to re-think his place on the earth ? Has the time come for him to understand that he is not the master of the earth but a part of it and that what affects it also affects him. Mahatma Gandhi had drawn the attention of the people to the 'design flaws' in the acquisitive society in his book, Hind Swaraj, when he was in South Africa. It is a 'must read' for those who want to save this world. All ancient civilisations have revered Nature as Mother Earth as it nourishes the mankind.     

Hindu worldview

The Hindu view of the world, or the Hindu Manifesto, was announced by Swami Vivekananda in his address to the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11,1893, 45 years after the Communist Manifesto. He was applauded when he began his speech with the words, " Sisters and brothers of America" as he invoked universal brotherhood when all others were extolling their own creed. His call for universal  peace and harmony for all faiths was greeted with thunderous applause. He declared : " I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal tolerance, but we also accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth." His speech brought a healing touch to the world torn by artificial barriers - race, religion, creed and class.  

The Hindu vision of an ideal state and an ideal society is based on love, duty,obligation and cooperation, not conflict and violence. Man made progress whenever he cooperated with others, not when he fought with others. Bhishma, the statesman of the Mahabharata, while expounding the Rajadharma to Yudhistira in the Shanti Parva mentions a society governed by Dharma : " Where there is no king, nor any kingdom; where there is no crime, nor any punishment; People act according to Dharma, and protect each other."  Such an ideal state is possible if all people are imbued with the concept of Dharma - that conduct which sustains society and also understanding what is right and what is wrong..

The first socialist of india

The first socialist of modern India was Swami Vivekananda. He had coined word, Daridra Narayana - Divine manifesting as the poor. They are poor due to the circumstances in society, and it is not their fault. And the society has to care of their welfare. He said, " So long as that millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold educated man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them." This concern for the poor and the downtrodden flows from the vision of Hinduism that God pervades everybody and everything. We are all brothers, and we are all brother's keepers. " Isha vyasya midham sarvam..tena tyaktena bhunjitha" ( God pervades everything - animate or inanimate- and share your food with everybody). This is from Isavasyopanishad.

Mahatma Gandhi always talked about Ram Rajya where even the lowly dhobi's (washerman's) doubt is responded to by the mighty King. Ram sends his pregnant wife to the ashram of Sage Vasishta in exile. It is unfair on the part of the King to send his queen into exile. However, welfare of his people is more important than the welfare of his family for the king. That is his Rajadharma.

The Mahatma had proposed an ideal for india - Sarvodaya, welfare of all. Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya had drawn attention to ' antoyodaya' - reaching the last man in the queue. Gandhiji also advocated the idea of Trusteeship for the rich and the powerful. The rich have to understand that the wealth they have accumulated is not their own, the society and the state have a role in it. They provide an environment of peace, and the rule of law for the enterprises to flourish.They have to share it with society. They are just trustees of the wealth, not the owners. Even the rich in the world like Bill Gates and others agree with this view and have donated substantial portion of their wealth for public welfare.

A good society

If a free society allows inequality, a regimented society kills initiative and enterprise. Class conflict and the mode of production cannot be a foundation of a good society. Conflict exists in society but it is not natural for any society. Similarly greed is there in every society but overcoming it makes it a good society. Greed has not made anybody happy. Good society requires character, education, health, brotherhood, and good governance. This can be provided only by the age-old values of truth, non-violence, honesty, and reverence for life.

There is no blueprint or a five-year plan for a good society. Attitude makes all the difference.The Hindu ideal has been 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam' - the world as a family. The international commerce, travel, transport, institutions have brought the world together. Only one thing is missing - fraternity which creates 'samanvaya' - harmony. Harmony between an individual and the society. Harmony between various nations, communities, and states. Harmony between the human beings and the nature - flora and fauna, air, water,and land. Living in harmony with everyone and everything brings in peace and happiness.  

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Is Congress a Muslim Party?

Participating in the India Today conclave, UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, stated that ‘BJP managed to convince people we are a Muslim party’ ( headline in Indian Express,10/3/18). Let us look at the political stance of the Congress Party since Independence. Here are some facts :

1. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said majority communalism is worse than minority communalism in the ‘fifties. He could have said communalism all variety is not good for national unity. His comments encouraged Muslim separatism when the need of the hour was national unity. The last Prime Minister of the Congress, Dr,Manmohan Singh told us that ‘minorities have the first right to the national resources’. He did not say that the poor of the country have the first right to the national resources.
2. PM Nehru wished to introduce Hindu Code Bill, not Uniform Code Bill. Since many Congress leaders opposed the bill including the President Rajendra Prasad, it was shelved.However, many changes were made in the Hindu laws of inheritance, succession and adoption.If we are one nation, why have so many personal laws ? Just as criminal laws are the same for all, why not for personal laws ? Uniform Personal Law is a part of the Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution. Congress never thought of building a consensus on this. It reversed the Supreme Court decision to pay maintenance to a divorced old woman in the Shah Bano case. Last year the Supreme Court declared ‘triple talaq’ illegal, and asked the Parliament to enact a proper Act within six months. When the present government brought a legislation to give effect to it, the Congress took objection to the punishment and the maintenance without which the legislation would be toothless. Congress wanted the government to take care of the divorced woman. Gender equality be damned !
3. The Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir acceded to India, like other kings of that time in India, but delayed it till the state was attacked by the tribals of the North-Western Province supported by the Pakistani Military.When the Indian army was about to drive all invaders from the J&K state, PM Nehru stopped the Indian Army midway, and took it the United Nations Security Council, a playground of the Big Powers, and promised to have a plebiscite or a referendum though the ascension was supported by the National Conference led by Sheikh Abdullah and the Praja Parishad led by Prem Nath Dogra, two major political parties of the state. A ‘temporary’ Article 370 was inserted in the Constitution to give special status to Jammu & Kashmir.All this was done for the simple reason J&K has a Muslim majority. Of course, Congress claims that it does not agree with the two-nation theory. It has been well-said that the PM Nehru and Dy.PM Sardar Patel is that between J&K state and Hyderabad State. While J&K is still bleeding India (issue was handled by Nehru) Hyderabad (Sardar Patel took care of its integration) is peaceful and thriving.
4. Many states control finances of Hindu Temples - Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka. Why a secular state controls temples of Hindus ? There are allegations that money of these temples are being misused by the ruling politicians and even used for the maintenance of Churches and Mosques. The West Bengal pays salary to Imams but not to priests in the temples.Haj subsidy is well-known to all in this country. More info is available at http://frfnet.org/SaveHinduTemples.pdf and http://www.firstpost.com/india/courting-god-the-supreme-court-attempts-to-rescue-indias-temples-2730860.html
5. The Indian Constitution guarantees and protects minority rights through Art.25 ( freedom of religion), Art.26 ( freedom to manage religious affairs), Art.29 ( cultural & educational rights), Art.30 ( rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions. This special dispensation has created a divide in India. These minority institutions are exempt from the legislation on right to education and reservation for SC & ST, and OBCs. So much so every sect and denomination wants to be declared to be a minority - there is a competition.

That Congress has failed to uplift Muslims has been explained in detail by the famous Sachar Committee Report. Congress has only protected the most obscurantist and fundamentalist sections of the Muslim Society which do want even the reforms that other Muslim countries have done in their society and the state.

Hindu temples are being managed by the so called ‘secular’ state manned by anti-Hindu and atheist politicians. Hindu educational institutions are controlled by the ‘secular’ government. Hindus have no rights in India, and they have only responsibilities. Who is responsible for this oppression of Hindus ? Congress, Communists and the Left who ruled India for the last seven decades. They have diminished India.They have diminished Hindus and Hindu traditions, Indian culture and  civilization.

A civilization which declared ‘ Truth is One but wise call it in different names’, ‘ Just as all rivers join the Ocean, all prayers reach God’, ‘World is a family’ has been condemned as ‘communal’ by brown sahibs who have internalised norms of ‘Orientalism’ as explained by Edward W.Said in his book,“Orientalism”.That is why Indian students do not know the contributions made by Indian Civilization to the World Civilization.

Read:
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rewriting-history-tavleen-singh-indian-civilisation-nehru-rss-hindutva-secular-fifth-column-the-past-is-still-with-us-5093411/

http://vsktelangana.org/interview-we-should-not-label-studies-of-ancient-sciences-as-saffronisation/


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Denying Nehru his due

Denying Nehru his due.

Ashutosh Varshney, in the above article (IE,14/2), while pleading for for Jawaharlal Nehru’s contribution to Indian democracy, seems to deny the contribution of others like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Babu, K.M.Munshi, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, B.N.Rau and many others. If one person who deserves credit for democracy in India, it was Mahatma Gandhi, who awakened Indian masses to their right for freedom and self-rule with his agitations in Bardoli,Pancharan,Dandi March,and ‘Quit India’. He made movement for freedom, a mass movement from a debate in a ‘elite’ and ‘exclusive’ club. From the mass movement to mass franchise ( adult franchise) is a logical step.

Varshney also states that the ancient democratic traditions are problematic as they are unlike the present democratic system or norms. Can anybody deny the democratic temper inherent in our tradition which we can see all over our history - banishment of Sita just for an allegation, however repugnant to us now, Vedas proclaiming that Truth is one but wise it in different names, world is a family, human beings are the flame of the Divine, Man is a part of the Nature, not its master - which are part of the Indian ethos. The Indian tradition accepts, not just tolerates, different ways of worship, as Swami Vivekananda pointed long ago. These are the bedrock of pluralism and democracy. That is the reason why Indian democracy survived while it is in tatters in most of the countries liberated after the Second World War. Of course, Elite in India can see great things only in the West, thanks to Macaulay.   

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nehru-modi-gandhi-ambedkar-constitution-electoral-democracy-denying-his-due-5062844/



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Indian agriculture needs agents of change.

Indian agriculture needs agents of change.

Farmers are in distress today in India. Here are some facts :

Over 3,00,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last 20 years; Almost 42% of the farmers want to quit farming;70% of the farmers own less than one hectare of land and supplement their income with non-farm activities like livestock rearing; More than 40% of the farmers avail the MGNREGA ( Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) card. Then there are hardy annuals - floods and droughts.

In spite of many irrigation projects, irrigated land is less than half of arable land.

Even when the farmers produce more, they are in distress as indicated by farmers’ agitation in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh this year. Prices of onions ( from Rs.800 to Rs.450),grapes ( from Rs.50 to Rs.15), soybeans ( from Rs.3500/3600 to Rs.2700/2800), red chilli ( from Rs.12,000 per quintal to Rs.3000 in A.P.) No wonder farmers in many states are on a warpath. Many state governments like Maharashtra, Punjab and UP have come out with loan waivers. This is just a band-aid, not a solution to the endemic problem of agriculture.

There has been a bias against farmers in India’s economic development. There was an effort to curb agricultural prices to contain inflation which affects the urban people, especially workers. “ Unfortunately,” say two agricultural economists, Ashok Gulati and Siraj Hussain, “ our policy is biased in favour of the consumers and that inadvertently makes it anti-farmer.” Mahatma Gandhi was right when he observed that urban people would do everything for the farmer except getting off from his back.

A farmer’s life is not a bed of roses, but of thorns. Indian agriculture is subject to vagaries of weather, input prices, government policies and the market prices. How to protect the farmer from these uncertainties is a challenge not just to the farmer but the country itself.    

Independence and after

Our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru built  what he poetically called ‘ temples of India’ - many irrigation projects were launched and many agricultural colleges and universities were established to promote agriculture after Independence. After a while, India had to depend on PL 480 wheat from the USA. It was derided as ‘ ship-to-mouth’ existence. Old generation still remembers Lal Bahadur Shastri asking people to miss a meal every week to help cope with the scarcity of food. Then came the Green Revolution during the regime of Indira Gandhi.

Apart from subsidized inputs like fertilizers and power, distribution of good seeds, the government now provides interest subsidy and minimum support price (MSP). The Green Revolution started with hybrid seeds and extension services and this brought prosperity to Punjab, Haryana, Western UP  and some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, it failed to reach other parts of the country after India became self-sufficient in foodgrains ( rice & wheat). Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) which are supposed to be the link between R&D institutions and the farmer failed in their role. KVK are not staffed fully, nor equipped for the task now.

Agriculture after 2000.

In the recent years, two state governments excelled in agriculture, and they are Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. While Gujarat notched about 10 % growth for a decade, Madhya Pradesh scaled more than 10% for over a decade. Gujarat undertook massive conservation activities through watershed development and provision of power for 8/10 hours at subsidized rates. In Madhya Pradesh  ‘ bijli-paani-khreed-sadak’ formula did wonders for MPs agriculture’ says agricultural economist, Ashok Gulati. This growth in agriculture ensured success in the elections to both Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chowhan. Too much success also brings too much pain. This year glut in the market crashed the prices of agricultural commodities which was compounded by imports.This highlights the need for fine-tuning the imports with production. All governments are scared of rising prices which leads to agitation by rival political parties. This time it is the farmers who were on a warpath with government.   

After 2014, Modi government has taken many initiatives to promote agriculture and doubling farmers’ income - Irrigation ( Krishi Sinchayi Yojana), insurance( Fasal Bima Yojana), e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) linking 585 regulated markets in the country. Neem-coated urea has prevented its diversion. Soil-health card enables the farmers to know what to produce and what fertilizer to use for better yield from his land.   

Agents of change

The Green Revolution helped India become self-sufficient in foodgrains in a short period, thanks to KVK - Krishi Vigyan Kendras. Strengthening them is the key. There is enough schemes with the government for the farmers’ prosperity. The timely delivery of the seeds and fertilizers, information on weather conditions, credit from the banks and marketing his produce are of prime needs of a farmer. The majority of the farmers have small farms and they need guidance to make them profitable ventures.

There is a vast man-power waiting to be harnessed to improve agriculture. India has 66 agricultural universities with 265 agricultural colleges affiliated to them. They produce 15,000 graduates, 11,000 post-graduates and 2500 Phds every year. There are about 3,15,000 professionally qualified personnel who can be tapped to serve KVKs. They should be contracted for a period of three to five years to guide small and marginal farmers. If they improve the productivity of the farmers and improve their income, they should be given promotion, incentives and even partnership with the farmers. They can suggest pooling of land in a village or form a co-operative like Amul. They can seek the help of NABARD for finance. Every village farm should be provided with professional help in every possible way.

Small farmers overuse fertilizers, pesticides, and do not know what to sow. They frequently change cropping pattern and this leads to overproduction of onions, potatoes and other crops.Recently 20 farm labourers died after inhaling poisonous pesticides in Yavatmal district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Vidarbha is the region where many farmers have committed suicide. It is also rain-shadow region of Maharashtra.  

Anna Hazare changed the face of Ralegan Siddhi by harnessing water resources through water-shed development,and many other villages followed suit. One of them is Popatrao Pawar who brought prosperity to Hiware Bazar and he availed many of the schemes of the government to the village. Many villagers have returned to their earlier agricultural profession and some of them have become millionaires.

A leader or a guide for a village or cluster of villages can change the fortunes our villages. This is what the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intends to do in 1000 villages especially in the drought affected villages. He has enlisted cooperation of corporates, and deployed a team of graduates.

Indian agriculture has a great future.

A few years ago the World Bank study had said India is a global power-house in agriculture. It is the largest producer of milk, pulses, spices, and has the largest cattle herd ( buffaloes), largest area under wheat, rice and cotton. It has the potential to be the largest exporter of farm products if we can increase the yield of our crop to the world level. It will make our farmers prosperous. All that we need is the agents of change.

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Liberalism has deeper roots in India.

Liberalism has deeper roots in India.

“ For the liberal “, writes Lord Alderdice, Member of Parliament, House of Lords, UK, “ the central principle is often described as ‘freedom of the individual’, which explains why choice, tolerance, rule of law, civil and political rights, property and entrepreneurship are so important for the liberals. Without them, freedom of the individual would be meaningless.”

He agrees that the liberals are a motley crowd - classical liberals, new/social liberals, libertarians, and neo-liberals. However, they all agree ‘the freedom of the individual’ is of supreme value. It believes in liberty and liberality, and distrusts decisions made on his behalf by the collective entities such as nations, classes, castes and religious groups which ignore differences within such entities with different needs. They create new injustices.

The above liberal principles are elaborated by Lord Alderdice in his essay, “ S.V.Raju : Keeping the Flame of Liberalism Alive”, in the book, Liberalism in India - Past, Present and Future, Essays in Honour of S.V.Raju, edited by Parth J.Shah,President, Centre for Civil Liberty,New Delhi. The book contains 15 essays by eminent writers, economists, journalists and authors like Lavesh Bhandari, Surjit S.Bhalla, Gurcharan Das, R.Jagannathan, Ashok V.Desai, Jayaprakash Narayan, Jaithirth Rao, Hindol Sengupta, Atanu Dey, Nirvikar Singh,Pranay Kotasthane & Nitin Pai, Barun Mitra and Seetha. It also contains a brief review of the Indian Economy by Nadir Godrej in verse. The essays are thought-provoking.

The liberal principles are accepted all over the world after the Second World War. It is well-reflected in the United Nations and its various organs which are based on these principles. They emerged from the long struggle of people against the Kings in England and other European countries  - Magna Carta, the French Revolution, the American Declaration of Independence.

Liberalism in India

The Indian Constitution too is based on these liberal principles. The fathers of the Indian Constitution were well-versed in the democratic and republican constitutions of the Western countries. Not so well-known is the fact that the values that are proclaimed in our Constitution are also values that are the foundation of Indian Civilization.  

The Indian Renaissance started with Raja Rammohan Roy who pleaded with the British Government to ban the practice of Sati which is not sanctioned by the scriptures, nor by the law-givers like Manu and Yajnavalkya. “ They (the British) not only brought English liberal philosophies to India but also helped Indians discover their liberalism in their own heritage”, states Hindol Sengupta, in his piece, ‘Mind of the Indian Liberal : Liberal Thought in India’. Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Lokamanya Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and many others highlighted the liberal ideals and ideas of Indian Civilization.

Mahatma Gandhi’s liberalism is rooted in Dharma and ahimsa. He lived it. His concepts of Swaraj, Swadeshi, Sarvodaya and Satyagraha were based on Dharma and Ahimsa. Lavesh Bhandari, in his essay, ‘Gandhiji’s Dharma Vs Nehruji’s Vikas’, has discussed in detail Gandhiji’s views. “ Dharma is not religion nor is it a duty imposed by society or the state. It is simply a set of principles that an individual attempts to act with a sense of duty and this is what holds world together. Dharma, therefore, is not about obligation to others and does not stem from a fear of god or higher powers. It is a responsibility to the self and to the world. Arguably, the key element of Gandhiji’s dharma was ahimsa or non-violence.”  

Gandhiji had a holistic view of life, and he made it clear by saying, “ I do not draw a sharp line or make any distinction between economics and ethics.”  Gandhiji’s views on Western/Industrial/ Indian Civilizations are in his seminal work, Hind Swaraj. The Acquisitive Society that the West has created has made alienation a part of life.The rat race - race to amass wealth - has made life a purposeless journey.

Liberalism is the essence of Hinduism and it has been expressed in different scriptures/ literature and in different words - ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti ( There is One Truth but wise call it in different names); tamasoma jyotirgamaya ( let’s go from darkness to Light); vasudhaiva kutumbakam ( world is a family), aham brahmasmi ( I am part of the Divine). The Hindu vision connects the individual spirit with universal spirit just like a drop of water with the ocean, the drop has the same potential as the sea. Man is creative just like the Divine - difference is in the degree and quality.

The post-Independence - socialism & liberalism.

Liberalism in the post-Independence was concerned only with economic liberalism. Mahatma’s chosen successor Jawaharlal Nehru was so influenced by Marxism, Soviet Union and Fabian Socialism he imposed his will - a concoction of the three - on the Congress Party, after the sudden demise of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. The concept of five-year plan was copied from the Soviet Union, formal democratic set up was adopted from UK and he ran a one-man rule for about 17 years. His mixed economy could yield only 3.5% GDP growth for about 30 years with per capita income growth by 1.3 % per annum. Professor Raj Krishna called it, ‘Hindu rate of growth’ - This was a gross defamation of Hindus. Hindustan/ India was invaded repeatedly for its wealth. Some economic historians ( Angus Maddison is one of them) have calculated that half the wealth of the world in the Middle Ages was created by India and China, China a little more than India. Dharma and artha (wealth) are interdependent - one supports the other. Laxmi and Kubera are as much worshipped as Saraswati, Rama and Krishna.

Things changed dramatically only after the Silent Revolution of 1991 surreptitiously ushered in by the PM P.V.Narasimha Rao. He loosened the permit-licence raj and opened many doors for the private sector to contribute to the national economy. The economy grew by 6 to 8% and 4.4% per capita income in the last 25 years. India has the potential to grow at 8 to 10 % per annum and abolish poverty if proper policies are adopted.   

If the socialists did not give attention to cultural and civilizational values of India which sustained Indian Civilization, the liberals too ignored it. Both regarded them as religious and even, communal. They only looked at the rituals of popular Hinduism but not  the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings. For example, Yoga is a unique gift of Hindu thought which promotes physical well-being and can be used for spiritual strength as well. Meditation is another. Ayurveda is the third one. The concept of dharma - that which sustains life, society and the individual - is the next. Ahimsa - reverence for life - is also a Hindu ideal - that is why they worship trees and even animals. Hindus find God everywhere as He animates all. Protection of environment and wildlife are basic tenets of Hindu view of life.

But for modernists, socialists and liberals, it is all communal. They are bringing the European experience to India. This has been brought well in the book, The Closing of the Western Mind ( The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason) by Charles Freeman, and Europe descended in thousand years of darkness - books being banned, Inquisition of heretics etc. The discovery of Greek thought, preserved by the Muslim World, led to Renaissance, Reformation and ultimately Enlightenment.

India had a different story. There was no thought control. Reformation was a continuous process -  Buddha, Mahavir, Shankaracharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Sant Kabir, Guru Nanak, Alwars, Nayanars, Sant Tukaram, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, and many others preached liberty, equality, fraternity and dignity of all human beings. Even the king cannot transgress these social norms.

The disconnect with the people and their values

Most of the liberals are arm-chair politicians. They have a huge disconnect  with the people and thier values. This is discussed by Jaithirth Rao, in his essay, “ The problems with Liberal Parties”. He says New York Republicans are worried about taxes, deficits and free enterprise. But the rank-and-file Republican supporters are interested in only three issues - opposition to abortion (euphemistically referred to as the Right to Life), support to guns ( presented as a defence of the Bill of Rights), and opposition to the legislation giving citizenship illegal immigrants ( a reward for law-breakers).

Even a fine liberal like Konrad Adenauer in post-1945 West Germany had to bank on social and religious identity, and his party is called, Christian Democrat, says Rao. The identity in politics can be based on language, caste, region or religion. And he concludes, “ But the chances that a non-identity based classical liberal party will actually have millions of passionate members and will win at the hustings without the veneer of identity politics in any electoral democracy - be it in India, the U.S., Germany, Japan, or that matter even in Britain - seems a very low probability event. And in politics as elsewhere, realism must prevail.”  How true !

However, one has to add that Hindu Civilizational values are human values, and Hinduism respects all diversities and pluralities. It is based on human identity, not on any race,language,caste, region or religion.

It is sad that the Indians have forgotten their heritage. When the foundation is weak ( without values), superstructure is bound to be fragile ( corruption, inefficiency, lack of work ethics). Modern India requires the strong foundations of values ( dharma - what is right and what is wrong) to build a just society or a society of equals.

July 10, 2017

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Modi's three years - Dwan of a New India.

Modi’s three years -  Dawn of  A New India.

What are the achievements and failures of Modi’s government in the last three years ?  

‘ Structural change’ says well-known economist, Surjit Bhalla in his article in the Indian Express, and adds, “ This structural change has occurred across various dimensions, and it is continuing. Whether it be economics, politics, social policies, foreign policy, you name it - distinct stamp is being placed on India.”

Another commentator, veteran journalist Virendra Kapoor, writes in DNA, under the headline, “ Modi and his 24X7 delivery” and explains that ‘his government is reining in inflation, cleaning up bad loans, and jump-starting investments’. And then states, “ On the completion of three years of Modi sarkar, the Opposition criticised it for everything under the sun but NOT corruption. This is one unalloyed success the Prime Minister can be genuinely proud of. Neither he nor any minister can be accused of being in bed with moneybags. Indeed, no government in free India has escaped the taint of scams.No, not even Nehru’s, nor, for that matter, Vajpayee’s. This one has. Full marks for that.” And then he observes that “ there is lot that the government has done to lift the national mood from one of cynicism and despondency to that of hope and optimism.”

Structural change, yes. No corruption, yes. Hope, yes. What about economy ? Remember what President Clinton said ? “It’s economy, stupid.”

Indian economy in the last three years

Even the Indian Express, a well-known critic of Modi government, has appreciated the economic upturn in the last three years. The editorial under the headline,” On an even keel” says, “ Modi government has shored up economic stability- Now for the leap”.   

The real GDP growth, which was 5.5% in FY 13 & 6.4% FY 14 has steadily gone up to 7.5% in FY15, 8.0% in FY16 but dipped to 7.1% due to the disruption in money circulation as a consequence of de-monetisation, according to the data of Central Statistical Office (CSO).The economy will resume its upward path thanks to the normal monsoon after two drought years, and the investment boost both by the state and hopefully by the private sectors. Inflation has come down, and the government has maintained macroeconomic stability. Sluggish world economy, inward-looking US and the large farm loan waiver announced by a number of states in India may affect the growth prospects in the near term. Consumption-based Indian economy may easily overcome these factors.  

Infrastructure : While private investment has not yet taken off in a big way, public sector investment in infrastructure has created many job opportunities. Shipping and road transport sectors have orders worth Rs.6 lakh crore, says Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari,  which creates jobs for 60 lakh crore people. Infrastructure investment creates informal jobs for the manual workers but the ‘Make in India’ which creates permanent jobs for the skilled and educated workforce is likely to pick up in the coming years. The government has made efforts through the removal of restrictions on foreign investment, removing the red-tape through ‘ ease of doing business’ and the GST  (the Goods & Services Tax) and many other measures.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Mines, Piyush Goel, has successfully tackled power shortage, and India has become a power surplus state. With his reform formula, UDAY, covering the entire value chain in the power sector -fuel, generation, transmission, renewables, distribution, consumers. The energy mix in the country has more renewables than a few years ago - Coal (66.99%), renewables (17.40%), hydro (13.55%), and nuclear (2.06%). Toady India is in the 26th rank in the World Bank’s electricity accessibility from the earlier 99 in 2014.

Railways have mobilized enormous resources to make it the lifeline of the nation with faster and cleaner trains, double lines in busy sections, dedicated freight corridor, attracting investment by the private sector and many other ideas. The Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj have given a human touch by attending to the problems of the common men and women.     

      

Not just reform but transformation.

However, I would venture to say that the Modi government has laid the foundation for a new India (a) based on participation of the people in  nation-building; (b) Antyodaya - the poor-centric policies; ( c ) pragmatic, not dogmatic, and (d) inspiring leadership.

( a) People’s participation : Modi has taken a leaf out of the book of Mahatma Gandhi who was able to rouse the common people to achieve swaraj. He is aware of the immense problems facing the nation, and he also knows government alone cannot solve them.   

The most important change that Modi has brought to the country is the change in the mindset of the people. He, like Mahatma Gandhi, sought the participation of the people in nation-building. The Mahatma changed the elitist Congress which petitioned the British government to one where people took the lead to change things in the country. It was not just agitation, there was constructive programmes as well.  

All the governments since 1947 have told the country what they are doing for the people, and for the first time the government is telling people,  ‘let’s join hands to change the country’.  Whether it is ‘Swatch Bharat’, ‘ Digital India’, conferring national awards, suggestions to improve governance, Modi government has asked people to participate - give suggestions to improve governance. The government’s website has thrown open to people for suggestions and also complaints. Democracy is as good as people’s active participation. When the people ( general public, ngos, corporates ) and the government ( politicians and the bureaucracy) join hands miracles can happen. Modi government is not a ‘ma-baap’ sarkar but a ‘self-help’ sarkar. Modi government wants to empower people, and it wants to encourage innovation and enterprise.

His rapport with people enabled him to successfully carry out the de-monetisation scheme which affected the poor the most. He was able to get one crore people to surrender their LPG subsidy.   

( B) Antyodaya ( helping the last man):  Modi is inspired by the concept of Antyodaya ( helping the poorest of the poor) propounded by Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, ideologue of Jan Sangh and Sangh Parivar, based on the ancient wisdom that every man has a Divine presence.  The day he became the prime minister ( or pradhana sevek, as he put it) he had declared that NDA government is dedicated to the poor and the exploited - dalit.pidit and vanchit. India can become great and prosperous only when the poor are empowered with health, education and employment or sustainable means of living. Top-down policies that India followed in the last 70 years have failed. Empowerment of the poor is the only way.

After 40 years of planned economy and 24 years of liberalisation, India has a massive 30 to 40 crore people out of about 120 crore living below the poverty line. It is a failure of all the policies and programmes of the previous administrations.

Though the banks were nationalised in 1970 in the name of the poor, they have not even been able to open a bank account. The colossal amount of NPA with the nationalised banks - running into almost 8  lakh crore - is the legacy of ‘the socialist’ government of the Congress and the UPA. After 45 years of nationalisation, the Modi government opened  28 crore zero-balance account for the poor. A bank account gives an identity and an opportunity to save, and prove his credit-worthiness.    

The government has implemented a number of measures to improve the living standard of the poor - Health Insurance and Accident Insurance for the poor at a small premium, Old Age Insurance, free distribution of gas cylinder for two crore women and the target is five crore in the next two years. The government has provided incentives to build houses for all by 2022 - the 75th year of Independence.

( c ) Pragmatic, not dogmatic : Another idol of Modi is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who integrated India with persuasion, and in some cases, coercive power. We all remember how the Sardar took over Kingdom of Hyderabad with police action and how Prime Minister Nehru messed up the Kingdom of Jammu & Kashmir which remains a sore spot in our polity.

Many liberals and free enterprisers were disappointed when the Modi government did not start the first budget with a big bang - privatisation of Air India and some of Public Sector Undertakings which were bleeding the exchequer. His government has proposed merger or upgradation of technology, and the privatisation is the last option.

Many have complained about bureaucratic approach of the government. However, Modi has been able to change this attitude of bureaucracy with periodic interaction among the various departments, directly talking to them ( chintan shibir) asking them not to think in silos - one department fighting against another of the government. He was able to provide 24-hours of water and power to all the villages in Gujarat with the co-operation of the same bureaucracy.  His experience in Gujarat has honed his ability to tame the bureaucracy - like a horse-rider guiding the horse.

( d ) Leadership :  Modi always led from the front. He has been monitoring most of the policies he has ushered in last three years. His ‘mann-ki-baat’ has listeners even abroad. NRI ‘s in all countries he has visited have given him overwhelming support. He has caught the imagination of the young voters in India as also the leaders of the world with his dynamism.His spartan and disciplined life, his dedication to his idea of India - India First, sab ka saath & sab ka vikas ( lifting all the boats), Make in India ( boost to manufacturing and employment), Digital India, start-up India ( innovation, enterprise) etc - has created hope among the young in India, and has attracted attention of the businessmen India and abroad.  

Modi, like Gandhi, had visited all corners of India as one of organisers of BJP. He had interacted with people of all sections and knew the pulse of the people. When he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he could implement his ideas of development. His success in Gujarat catapulted him to Delhi. His emphasis on development won him people's’ confidence.

New India

The ‘socialist’ governments of previous regimes had arrested the economic development of India with many restrictions - the private enterprise was banished in many sectors, ‘commanding heights’ of the economy were in the hands of politicians, economists and the bureaucrats. Every economic activity required a license or a permit. India economic growth was crippled. P.V.Narasimha Rao liberated India from ‘socialist’ restrictions hesitantly, and now the Modi government has freed India from the shackles of the past. With a GDP growth of 8 to 10 percent, a more prosperous and more confident will emerge in the next few years.

June 13,2017

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