----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 1:14
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] ToI Blog
I would add that in USA the introduction of public education system in
1840s in Boston -- aimed at mainly teaching democratic values and practices to
strengthen the nation - was instrumental in USA's surviving the civil war in
1860s and emerging stronger.
India has a third of world's entire adult illiterate population (who go
on to vote without knowing anything) and a third of entire world's children
out of school. India's public education system is rotten (though in last
year's seminar at Harvard - Ms Wolfenson wife of World Bank pres. then - was
all praise for Indian initiatives) and is key to its emergence as a proper
democracy.
Umesh
Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
I hope people will see what the
article is trying to say. Basically it says that 'People get the govt it
deserves" . And that speaks very poorly about us all Indians, about all
Assamese, if we really belive that we have an elected dictatorship..
To be a strong democracy,
people will have to be courageous. The democracy in the west is strong is
exactly for this reason. They love freedom and have to couurage to fight and
die for their freedom. Compared to that Indians as depicted by the article are cowards. They
are afraid of their MLAs and MPs and they cannot say anything against
them.
Now some will argue that no, it
is the system. not the people. I say to them that it is the people who made
the system.
RB
----------------------
Is India a democratic nation? Everyone says so.
India is the largest democracy in the world. Really? Yes, we do have
by-and-large free elections (except in Goonda areas, ask Taslumuddin, Shibu
Soren
.). Yes, we have never had a military coup. But does that mean we have
democracy? This question has puzzled me for a while as I have never felt
India practices democracy. Whenever I am in India, I am scared of police
while here in USA I feel absolutely safe. While thinking a bit today I
finally discovered the answer I was looking for: India is an elected
dictatorship. Think about it: can you ever conceive going against a local
MLA or MP? Have you read any newspaper ever criticizing any MLA, MP,
Minister
? What happened to Tehelka.com when they took on some members of
the Govt? They were lucky they took on the modest Vajpayee Govt; had they
gone against Indira Gandhi or Rajeev Gandhi
..Tehelka.com would have been
closed and Tehelka journalists would be behind bars on some trumped up
charges. How come no FIR was ever filed for several years against Rajeev
Gandhi when he was alive? (An FIR was filed after Rajeev Gandhi was murdered
and Congress Govt. lost power). In a democracy with people on top, an FIR
would have been filed immediately; however Rajeev Gandhi being a dictator no
one dared touch him. Rajeev was an elected dictator. Everyone knows that in
Delhi every day there must be happening hundreds of thousands of big bribe
transactions. One million Govt. folks there X one big bribe transaction
minimum every tenth day (more likely every day) = 100,000 bribe transactions
every day. How many of these do you see reported in newspapers every day? If
you are lucky, may be one in a month. How come so few ever get reported?
Answer: Because our journalists are afraid of their life. If this were
happening in USA, the journalists would be having a field day.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 9:46
PM
Subject: [Assam] ToI Blog
> http://o3.indiatimes.com/devi_gowda_and_infosys/archive/2006/02/03/449137.aspx#Comments
>
>
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Umesh
Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328
[Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate
School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
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