Its a very tinted and convenient analysis.hope someone gives a suitable reply.
On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 12:31 PM, C.K. Vishwanath < [email protected]> wrote: > S.gurumurthy's argument shares certain neo-liberal pundits of india very > positively.but,the ugly underbelly of indian caste system is ignoring.For > eg.what is the social capital for valmiki community of gujarath?For the past > few years,social capital based theories have got an upper hand in elite > social thinkers.In other words,they are attacking the struggles waged by > ambedkarian movements and other such subaltern movements of india.their > problem is lack of social capital. > > > > > > > > --- > > > > Is caste an economic development vehicle? > > S. Gurumurthy > Traditional caste, by reorienting itself, seems to be handling modernity > well. It is modernity that appears clueless as to how to handle caste. > In his two articles in The Hindu (Jan. 8 and 9, 2009), Justice Markandey > Katju has brilliantly articulated what was once the colonial — now, the > modern — view on 'caste.' He asserts, like most do, that caste is a "social > evil," "divisive," and "a curse" that must be 'eradicated' if India is "to > prosper." Yet he concedes that, despite its suspected racial origin, caste > had done good to India by helping in work specialisation, which had made > India an economic super power till CE 1700. But, he says, it is an old > story, and the British advent has changed all that. Asking "could India have > developed like North America and Europe had the British not come?" he > answers: "there is no use crying over spilt milk." He is now relieved that > the evil of caste is being destroyed by technology, people's struggles, and > inter-caste marriages. > > In sum, Justice Katju accepts the western anthropological view of Indian > society. But setting out to validate the western view, the Dravidian and > Dalit movements actually ended up repudiating it. For it is the very caste > that such movements fought to snuff out that finally became the vehicle for > their assertion, surprisingly proving the old saying, "vishasya visham > oushadam," that is, if caste were poison, it is its cure too. Justice Katju, > like most scholars — social, economic and political — seems confused about > how to handle the 'traditional' caste in 'modern' times. While they see it > as an evil in politics, here is a different view of caste that brings out > its positive role in market economics, that is, caste as 'modern' > development — yes, modern economic development — vehicle. > > Popular Indian socio-economic discourse today seems to be not fully > familiar with the emerging phenomenon of 'social capital' — an area of study > where culture and economics confluence.. Francis Fukuyama, who authored the > first bible of globalisation (The End of History and the Last Man) and made > individualism, the free market, and liberal democracy demigods, wrote his > next book Trust in which, on rethinking, he captured culture as the "20 per > cent missing element" of economics. As contrasted with individualism- > dominated societies, he says, relation-based societies generate culturally > defined social capital. Social capital is non-formal networking based on > kinship within societies. The emerging view is that social capital expedites > the socio-economic development process. > > Fukuyama had missed out India, therefore caste, as India was not worth > noticing when he wrote the book Trust. But contemporary writers and modern > minds like Gurcharan Das and Swaminathan Ankilesaria Aiyar in India did not > miss that out what Fukuyama had. They perceive caste as a potential engine > of growth and development. Swaminathan Aiyar saw it as the social capital of > India. That Justice Katju seems to be unaware of the empirical evidence of > caste as a development vehicle in economics is evident from his remark that > "a scientific study' on caste 'is yet to be done." > > Caste is a very strong bond. While individuals are related by families, > castes link the families. Castes transcended the local limits and networked > the people across. This has prevented the disturbance that industrialism > caused to neighbourhood societies in the West, resulting in unbridled > individualism and acute atomisation. In independent India, a contradiction > has developed between the individualism- centric Constitution and caste > collectives. Caste-based politics has actually helped to harmonise this > contradiction between the formal Constitution and the non-formal social > architecture. In a sense, caste-based politics mediates between traditional > society and the modern state in India. Yet it can still be argued that the > caste element in politics is not desirable. But caste in economics is a > positive drive of development. Read on. > > The caste system, which was admittedly savvy with economics over millennia, > has in modern times engaged the market in economics and democracy in > politics to reinvent itself. It has become a great source of > entrepreneurship. Studies show that the castes-based industrial clusters > lead the nation's industrial development. A UNIDO study (1997) shows that > out of the 370 small scale industrial clusters and 2600 artisan-based > clusters, which generated 70 per cent of India's industrial output, 66 per > cent of exports, and 40 per cent of employment, only 13 were > government-sponsore d. The rest had evolved out of the caste/community- > based network. > > Take the case of backward castes. The entrepreneurship generated by the > Patel caste today dominates two-thirds of the global diamond trade. The > Nadar caste runs over three-fourths of the retail trade, match works, and > fireworks in Tamil Nadu. In Tirupur, Goundar caste entrepreneurs, 80 per > cent of whom are not even matriculates, compete at the global level, > exporting knitwear garments valued at over $2 billion. The World Development > Report 2001 found that the social networking within the Goundar caste and > the circulation of capital by trust had enabled Tirupur's rise as a global > knitwear hub. In Sankagiri and Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, Goundar caste > entrepreneurs own the largest fleet of lorry, tanker, and tipper transport > vehicles in the whole of India. Ninety per cent of them were farmers earlier > and 20 per cent were just rearing cattle. The list is too long to be > captured here. > > An empirical study was conducted in some 25 caste-based industrial clusters > in different places in India by a team of academics and professionals > trained in modern business under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Swadeshi > Academic Council. It showed that whether it is the Jatavs of Agra and > Kanpur, or the Nadars, Naidus, or Goundars of Tamil Nadu, or the Patels of > Gujarat, or the artisan Ramgadiyas of Punjab, they have risen as competent > entrepreneurs – many at the global level – mostly by leveraging on their > kinship-based social capital. Most of them have had very little education. > It is the community that has acted as the knowledge provider thorough > kinship and social network. > > More information on the caste-based growth model is available in the book > Indian Models of Economy, Business and Management [Prentice-Hall of India > 2008] by P. Kanagasabapathi who was part of the Swadeshi Academic Council > team. A recent book by Harish Damodaran, India's New Capitalists: Caste, > Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation (Palmgrave Macmillan) also points > to the evolution of caste as a development vehicle. A study of unregistered > small and tiny enterprises by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) > in 2005 showed that there were over 42 million such units, out of which 45 > per cent were owned by backward castes, scheduled castes, and scheduled > tribes. These 42 million units provided the largest employment outside > agriculture, engaging 90 million hands, and growing at an annual rate 2.6 > per cent during 1990-98. So caste is turning into social capital in the > market economy, and emerging as an open air university for entrepreneurship. > > To conclude, traditional caste, by reorienting itself, seems to be handling > modernity well. It is modernity that appears clueless as to how to handle > caste. The modern elites see caste as a political nuisance. But they seem to > be unaware that its perceived nuisance in politics can be mitigated by > promoting the economic potential of caste. Elite India's dilemma about caste > seems to be outdated. > > (The writer is a political and economic commentator and a corporate > consultant. His email id is g...@gurumurthy. net <guru%40gurumurthy.net> ) > > http://www.hindu. com/2009/ 01/19/stories/ 2009011955440900 > .htm<http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/19/stories/2009011955440900.htm> > > "Do not judge me by my actions;Do not judge me from man's point of > view""Judge me from God's - by the hidden purpose behind my actions. > Regi George wishing you Good Luck. Thanks > > __._,_.___ Messages in this topic > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/message/1739;_ylc=X3oDMTM1bmdydjU1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRtc2dJZAMxNzM5BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3Z0cGMEc3RpbWUDMTIzMjM4NjM5MAR0cGNJZAMxNzM5> > (1) Reply (via web post) > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxMDF2cWphBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRtc2dJZAMxNzM5BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3JwbHkEc3RpbWUDMTIzMjM4NjM5MA--?act=reply&messageNum=1739>| > Start a new topic > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbDFhZXBxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMzIzODYzOTA-> > Messages<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJma21ocWwwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtc2dzBHN0aW1lAzEyMzIzODYzOTA->| > Members<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmcjNvNmViBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtYnJzBHN0aW1lAzEyMzIzODYzOTA->| > Calendar<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/calendar;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbGc3c291BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNjYWwEc3RpbWUDMTIzMjM4NjM5MA--> > MARKETPLACE > ------------------------------ > From kitchen basics to easy recipes - join the Group from Kraft Foods > <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13rvet0b6/M=493064.12016295.13271503.10835568/D=groups/S=1705291771:MKP1/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1232393591/L=/B=OVvDCEPDhFM-/J=1232386391337185/A=5530388/R=0/SIG=11nuutlas/*http://explore.yahoo.com/groups/kraftmealsmadesimple/> > [image: Yahoo! > Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZmNjMGR1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTIzMjM4NjM5MA--> > Change settings via the > Web<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJnY2RvZ29hBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNzdG5ncwRzdGltZQMxMjMyMzg2Mzkw>(Yahoo! > ID required) > Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily > Digest<[email protected]?subject=email+delivery:+Digest>| > Switch > format to > Traditional<[email protected]?subject=change+delivery+format:+Traditional> > Visit Your Group > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics;_ylc=X3oDMTJlM2RpbXI0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNocGYEc3RpbWUDMTIzMjM4NjM5MA-->| > Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>| Unsubscribe > <[email protected]?subject=> > Recent Activity > > > Visit Your Group > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kerala-politics;_ylc=X3oDMTJmYzY0YmRxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExMzAzNTAxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTI5MTc3MQRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEyMzIzODYzOTA-> > Y! Messenger > PC-to-PC > calls<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13ocbhgud/M=493064.12016274..12445679.8674578/D=groups/S=1705291771:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1232393591/L=/B=OlvDCEPDhFM-/J=1232386391337185/A=3848586/R=0/SIG=12dds2hov/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=42403/*http://messenger.yahoo.com/feat_voice..php> > Call your friends > worldwide - free! > Yahoo! Groups > Dog > Zone<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13oo8o47g/M=493064.12016263..12445670.8674578/D=groups/S=1705291771:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1232393591/L=/B=O1vDCEPDhFM-/J=1232386391337185/A=4836041/R=0/SIG=11o19ppl5/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/dogzone/index.html> > Connect w/others > who love dogs. > Yahoo! Groups > Going Green > Zone<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13oakbhhd/M=493064.12016272..13280354.8674578/D=groups/S=1705291771:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1232393591/L=/B=PFvDCEPDhFM-/J=1232386391337185/A=5541753/R=0/SIG=11ckn2mo6/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/green/> > Resources for a greener planet. > Resources for a greener you. > . > > __,_._,___ > > > ------------------------------ > Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Invite them > now.<http://in.rd.yahoo..com/tagline_messenger_6/*http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/> > > > ------------------------------ > Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Invite them now. > > > <http://in.rd.yahoo.com/tagline_messenger_6/*http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
