Bharat Mata Ki Jai (I): The cladded dreamer.

The general-elections of 1957 accepted Nehru yet again, to lead the nation. It was a crucial time in India’s history, which had recently bailed out from the clutches of a 200 year rule. This was high time when it had to steer its entire federal structure in right direction and with proper pace. It was extremely crucial at that time for the legislators and the policy makers to act with at most care and intellect as they were provided with the task of putting the new-born INDIA into the already aged long-run race of economies. Although it is not possible for me to wrap the profound insights of our thinkers within the boundaries of this article, but I definitely want to focus on one man. The man who was a lover of caps, safari suits, roses and ladies; and who was leading these master-thinkers.

When I wrote my previous article(THE IMP€RIAL COLLAPSE), a friend asked me to relate the European Debt Crisis with Indian economic slowdown. I had but a very fade idea about this in my mind as I don't blame European debt crisis to be the sole culprit. However we can declare it guilty for depreciating ₹(INR), which I mentioned in my previous article itself. This leveraged me to take a dig in the Indian Economic condition as an altogether new topic. So here I present it from its very infant instances of appearance.

Nehru, an intellect, a master in his understanding, had continuously hovered around the specificity of India, Indian people, Indian diversity and most importantly Indian MENTALITY. He had once tried to solve the theory of, why India lags behind Nations such as United States, Japan, Australia, France, Germany etc. Before revealing his explanations, let’s ask ourselves, the probable reason? The diverse culture? I doubt it because, perhaps in our culture we take deep pride. I mean, what do you feel foreigners think about India? Rich Heritage, Deep Traditions, Gods for any imaginable occasion, Yogi babas, Taj Mahal, Spicy food, camels, dogs etc. etc…and above all a strong adhesive of understanding that keep all linguistics bound together in this grand federal of India. And this makes it Atulya, the Incredible. So Culture the diverse must be the innocent guy, then why do we blame him for titanic problems like a Lagging Nation? But Nehru came out with a theory that performs two very important functions. One: It justifies the verdict on culture the culprit up to some extent… Second: It motivates me to formulate my own explanation which I will reveal later.

According to Nehru, US, Australia, France, Germany and Japan were actually the new-born nations and India was an old lady who was preserving her command from time unmemorable. The new-born infants were energetic, full of desires, and most essentially free from any past bondages, while the old lady had lived a long life, and was full of traumas, ordeals, and shocks of pasts. Mortal babies were young infants, unaware of time before them, while our immortal Grandma was carrying with her old memories, from time when, first the handsome Aryans came and attacked, then dashing Mauryans came and conquered, then Wise guptas came and ruled, followed by Rowdy south Cholas and Pandyas who again killed. Prithiviraj tried to insert a romantic twist, but it got twisted by Ghori. Then ruled the royal, most attractive, most magnificent, from the background of Tamerlane, the Chagatai blooded Mongols, the Mughals. Then came Marathas, and finally the bleached Englishmen. The old lady was reluctant to leave behind these memories of conquest over her by men of unknown lands, even when her sons had finally removed every single foreign presence.

In this legacy of our Grandma she was not alone. Take for consideration some other nation like the Kung fuish China, Cheeky Malaysia, Indonesia the Langoor and Orangutan Bali, Afghanistan the Mamahluk, Kazakhstan, Israel, Mecidonean Egypt, other African countries, where a strong historically significant past is proved. You will realize many similarities in the mentality of their citizens and us. Malaysia, Indonesia, Bali, exude Indian culture. A prominent Indian Writer Late Acharya Chatursen had even mentioned Bali Sumatra, and other south Asian Nations as being integral of the Indian sub-continent about 3000 years back, in his epic award winning Non-Fiction work "Vayama Rakshamaha". If we keep aside their capitalist approaches and excessive liberal policies, the conditions of these South Asian  nations is exactly the same as ours today. Afghanistan, Kazakhstan displayed Mongolian and Turkish presence who kept a much radical approach towards sensitive issues like women, education, and religion and that reflects its implications in the form of continuous terror acts and slumber sluggish governance present there. China expresses a great deal of cultural hierarchy. Their tales of Ninjas, Samurais, Yin-Yang theories, I-ching, a grand presence of diversified linguists all resembles with India; and today even they posses the same situation as India, may it be population, corruption, governance or crime with the only difference being in their policies and governmental structure. 

With this explanation, Nehru was focusing on the heavy cultural background that India was dragging on her shoulders. US, France, Germany did not have such an old continuous linkage. They were new-comers and were free to act in any manner, making colonies, oppressing people, fighting wars, but we were dragging so much of our diversified-history with ourselves that acting like them was not possible, and this was causing the lag in India’s growth.

This was how Nehru interpreted the reason of lagging growth of India, declaring our ‘past and its continuous association with every passing day’ and in a manner the diverse culture that was always present and abstained any breakage in this continuous linkage of time belonging to India.

Nehru had finished his first task of justifying his verdict over the guilty culture for a dragging growth, back in 1957, and now it is time to reveal his second task. His supposedly deliberate deed of motivating me to part myself from this Historiographical approach and present a sociological perspective to this interrogation on India’s lagging growth. So while I bring a sociological and completely economical insight into this comprehension of India’s Lagging growth and the Policy Paralysis, spend some good time. And perhaps it will be of great aid if you could provide me with a descent name for our supposedly upcoming new music-band. 

Till then…Thnx for reading!!