You're seeing the glass as half-empty, Elisabeth. And, as someone who decided to 'vote with your feet', I think that's only natural.
Imagine a country which emerges from colonialism and survives five decades without a military coup, has still huge problems of poverty and illiteracy but manages to give a substantial section of its population a fairly human existance. One that has been able to build manpower (and womanpower, you included) that is able to take on the world and perform well wherever they be. That too, with all the odds against it! I'm no fan of the "India will be a superpower" theory, but I guess you could expect some surprises specially from the more-educated, more socially-enlightened southern parts of India in the years ahead. Watch this space... And, along with friends from the sub-continent, I believe that over the next 15-20 years, we could well see a United States of South Asia. (Maybe that's a bad choice of a name, given the hegemonic connotations that any mix between the USA+USSR would have! My friend Kanak Mani Dixit of Himal in Nepal calls it Sasia. One word with asia spelt in all small alphabets. If Europe, which taught Asia the ideas of nationalism, can turn its back on it, why can't we forget the more intense forms of 'nationalism' and think of wider spaces and borders that benefit all? Of course, India would have to learn to play less of a hegemonic role here and accomodate the other smaller nations to make them feel comfortable in such a setting.) I don't agree with my colleague RKN's view that an undivided India would have been unsustainable. To me, it seems based on the logic that Muslims-aren't-people-like-us. (Who is the "vast sections" of South Asia whom RKN is talking about? Don't they exist within the borders of current-day India?) If his logic was true, then Goa wouldn't be able to exist within an India, and the Old Conquests should be fighting a war of secession from the New Conquests. Rather, the other way round, since the "Novas Conquistas" have every right to feel colonised by us chappies sitting along the central coast. At the end of the day, it isn't about size. It's about justice. If India is able to accomodate its many diverse strands and sections, there's no reason why it shouldn't survive or even thrive. More intolerance will lead to an implosion of the Indian state from within. As far as the Mumbai blasts are concerned, I was a bit surprised that no one raised the point of India needing to cope with dissent and diversity in more efficient ways. There was a lot of this in the early years after Independence. But, as we forget the need to accomodate everyone, we also get more intolerant... The let's-do-a-Israel-on-Pakistan arguments aren't taking us anywhere closer to a resolution of our many conflicts. If the Punjab problem could be healed (or so it seems) over time, there's no reason why more understanding can't sort out Kashmir. Religious differences are, after all, only skin deep. FN On 19/07/06, Elisabeth Carvalho <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The four estates of democracy maybe the legislative, > judiciary, executive and a free and unfretted press, > but I feel the pillars of democracy are its education > system, an equitable per capita income and to a large > extent an ideology of secularism. > > India has none of these. More that half its population > is illiterate or semi-literate, there are vast > disparities in its income distribution and it pays lip > service to secularism. As a result, we have powerful > vested interests that gain popularity or momentum and > come to power. The silent middleclass remains > unrepresented. Most functional democracies have a > robust middleclass that forms the bell of the curve > rather than the fringe. > > India, as someone eloquently put it is a "functioning > anarchy". > > Elisabeth > --------------------------- > > --- Radhakrishnan Nair <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > It's not irrational to believe that an undivided > > India would have been > > untenable on many counts: too big and ungovernable > > with too many pulls > > and pressures -- not to speak of the sectarian > > violence and even civil > > wars that are all too conceivable. True secularism > > and democracy are > > unpalatable concepts to vast sections of the South > > Asian population. -- ---------------------------------------------------------- Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Yahoomessenger: fredericknoronha http://fn.goa-india.org | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9822122436 ---------------------------------------------------------- 2248 copylefted photos from Goa: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/ _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
