Goa too seems to be suffering from similar problems, even if on a less-visible scale. FN ------------------------------
Business Standard (India) July 17, 2003 Tea with Mussolini Hindu nationalism and European fascism have a lot in common says Vivek Oberoi Have you seen Tea with Mussolini? It's quite a charming film - especially if you are the sort who loves art and Italy. The film is set in Italy at the time when the fascists were in power. At least one protagonist - an English lady - is happy with the turn of events. She is happy that the trains run on time! Many Italians, of course, shared the same sentiment at the time. I have heard similar stories about the emergency in India. More than a few people have said that the emergency really wasn't so bad. The trains ran on time, everyone came to office at the right time and so on. The more things change, the more they remain the same! Meanwhile, this month The Atlantic Monthly carries an article in which "analysts at the RAND Corporation lay out 10 international security developments that aren't getting the attention they deserve." One such international security development is the growing "Hindu-Muslim divide" in India. Rollie Lal, a political scientist at RAND writes, "A defining element of Indian politics since independence has been a commitment to secularism. That commitment is now at risk from an aggressive brand of Hindu nationalism that equates Indian national identity with Hindu religious identity." So what do the Italian fascists and the emergency in India have to do with each other? Well, both have their roots in stresses produced by rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. And so does the rise of Hindu nationalism. The physical, economic, psychological and religious dislocation at this stage of economic development is a source of discontent. It's the daily grind of urban Indian life - huddling in crowded cities, dealing with a big, unresponsive government and watching the TV beam the promise of a cleaner, greener life on the other side - that produces these frustrations. Most of us deal with it. But there are others who resort to escapism - finding someone to blame and finding some strong leader to quickly solve their problems. And you'll always find a strongman to exploit this weakness. The British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli once remarked that you could tell a weak government by its eagerness to resort to strong measures. According to the Berkeley economist, Brad Delong, "If one goes back to the foundation of European fascism around World War I, one finds: * A glorification of the ethno-nation. * A belief that the ethno-nation will realise its glorious destiny only if it has strong leaders (read Bal Thackery, Osama). * Contempt for the redistributive politics of parliaments dominated by interest groups. * Contempt for the "cretinism of parliaments" in general. * A belief that the ethno-nation not only should, but must band together because it has powerful enemies. * Blaming their current troubles on a specified "other" (Jews for Hitler/Mussolini and the Arabs; Indian Muslims for the BJP). Some or all of these features can be found among the supporters of Hindutva and the emergency. The emergency was authoritarian, but secular. Hindutva, by comparison, is more democratic but rabidly anti-Muslim. And if these forces are not checked they will fuse to become European style fascism. Already, the sort of rabble that the VHP/Bajrang Dal attracts is eerily similar to the Mussolini's Black Shirts and Hitler's Brown Shirts. If you think I am going too far- just watch newsreels of the Babri Masjid demolition. The real solution to their anger is to find them jobs bagging groceries, not to kow-tow to their kooky demands. However, finding everyone a job that affords a decent standard of living is going to take time. We have done well economically over the last 20 years. A 5.6 per cent growth rate from 1980 to 1990 and 6.2 per cent growth rate from 1990 to 2000 is a solid record, upon which we can continue to build. But even if we achieve the much-ballyhooed 8 per cent growth rate projected for this decade it will still take a few decades for India to join the ranks of the developed nations. Meanwhile, one cannot allow the few who have lost patience with history to ruin it for the rest of us. Hindu fascism will ruin India's shot at economic and social modernity by making this place unattractive for investors and skilled professionals. For investment and skilled professionals will only head for a place with political stability, the rule of law, where property and contract rights are secured - in short a liberal democracy. We know from the history of 20th century Europe what happens when you try to appease the mob. Liberals must stand up to latter day fascists aggressively. Personally, I think the VHP/Bajrang Dal's bark is worse than their bite. Remember Togadia whimpering out of the Rajasthani jail when the court rapped him for distributing trishuls. Aggression in this context could mean only a lathi-charge or two when VHP rallies get out of control; not allowing their leaders to question the sanctity of the Constitution and poll alliances to defeat the BJP in the upcoming polls. Hannah Arendt argued in The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) that the Holocaust was a peculiarly modern phenomenon. Colliding social forces, the rise of the nation-state, the collapse of old systems of class and rank, and the emergence of explosive new technologies of propaganda and mass destruction conspired to make it possible. You know we've seen this movie before. It will be sad indeed if we forgot the ending. ____ ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
