[Reader-list] APJ letter

[Pawan Durani]

Hello Rakesh ,

Are your exams over ? Seems so .... :)

Pawan

On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 10:06 PM, Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>wrote:

> Dear Bipin (and all)
>
> I agree and yet also not agree with what Mr. Kalam has said in the
> above speech. Let me elaborate on what I agree and on what I don't
> agree.
>
> Kalam jee was chosen the president by the BJP, and ironically also has
> views which are also very closely related to the BJP's views on how
> the people of India should be: hardcore nationalists. I can understand
> that in today's times, nation-states are a reality (or state-nation in
> case of India if I may say so), which can not be washed away. However,
> this does not mean that we should go around being nationalists.
> Nationalism is not going to solve the problems of our people (by this
> I mean the people of our nation/state here).
>
> I agree with Kalam jee when he says that Indians tend to crib about
> things rather than doing something about it. And that is one of the
> reasons I personally believe that the present elections, the idea of
> exhorting middle classes to just go out and vote is of no use,
> particularly since voting in itself is no end. It is just one of the
> means to achieve the end, which is development. And all these
> campaigns don't focus on educating our citizens to actually make the
> politicians more accountable, the system more accountable, the
> bureaucrats and the judiciary more accountable.
>
> Hence, even if the voting is 100%, it's useless.
>
> He is also right, that let us start doing things rather than
> chitchatting among ourselves. Equally the view that people should
> first set themselves as example before exhorting others is equally
> true.
>
> However, unlike him, I don't wish to do this to make India a strong
> nation or a superpower. Far from it. I want to do this because it
> would ultimatley help the people of India. We have all seen what a
> superpower is, in the form of America. We have seen how since 2000 to
> 2008, it has misused whatever the power it had, right from the
> response to 11th September 2001, to Bush's farewell being celebrated
> as it led to the rise of Obama. We have equally seen the tragedies of
> a scale unseen in earlier conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. And now,
> the Af-Pak region is more unsafe than it was in 2001 (Don't forget the
> fact that the real reason it is unsafe is because of the Taliban,
> another US-ISI creation).
>
> And I don't think we are going to be anyhow different from them. The
> best example is our cricket board, the richest cricket boards out of
> all in the world (i.e. the nations in which cricket is played). I
> still remember how during 2008, we had the 'Monkey' controversy, where
> it was alleged that Harbhajan Singh, one of our cricket players, had
> called Andrew Symonds, an Australian player 'monkey'. The ironic part
> is that from what transpired out, it was stated that actually
> Harbhajan had said 'maa ki' (which means he was abusing Symonds'
> mother) rather than 'monkey' (him for his looks or may be one can say
> race).
>
> And then, to add to our cricket team's dismay, we had three wrong
> decisions taken against us. But how did we respond?
>
> We had Sharad Pawar, a mainstream politician heading the BCCI then (he
> still heads now). Under him, the BCCI stated that we will come back
> off the tour if the decision is not taken to our satisfaction. Nobody
> has ever blackmailed the ICC for this. What's more, we asked the
> umpires to be changed. Never before in a test match series has this
> ever happened. But we all managed this, because we had money. And
> what's more, the people around me were saying that we are a cricketing
> superpower, we are the richest board in the world, we can and should
> do as we please.
>
> If this is what we will do as a cricketing superpower, God knows what
> we can do as a political superpower like say America. Therefore, I am
> genuinely not interested in seeing India as a superpower which
> dictates to other nations, loses their trust and friendship, and makes
> the lives of people across the world that much more difficult.
>
> Secondly, since Kalam jee is talking about a developed nation, I think
> he should equally define development. The reason is that different
> people have different conceptions of development. And all these have
> to be taken into consideration before we come to certain conclusions.
> For me, the development we wish to carry about, with SEZ's and opening
> up of the economy without looking at its' impact on the rural India
> and helping the poor and the downtrodden, is of no use and we should
> stop it, and change or modify it so that all are benefited. It is
> tough, but certainly it would be better.
>
> On a positive note, I agree with his point that we have to look at
> positivity as well. But that does not mean one neglects issues of
> injustice, including that injustice being meted out to Palestinians by
> the Israeli attacks. Positivity is not there because our system is
> really in a mess and we are not doing a thing about it. I remember
> Shahrukh Khan from Swades who says ' agar hum sab kehte rahe ki yeh
> desh barbaad ho jayega, to ek din yeh desh wakai mein barbaad ho
> jayega. aur is ke zimmedar mai hoonga, aap honge, aap sab, hum sab.'
>
> And finally, it is not necessary for every citizen to think what
> he/she has done for India. In Ashoka and Akbar's rule, there was no
> India, and yet they helped the people. So, it's the state's
> responsibility to help its people, for after all it is formed with
> their support. Regarding their duties, it's to monitor whether the
> state is giving adequate help or not, ensure adequate help is given at
> all times, and to modify and change the way that help is required if
> needed.
>
> So therefore, no need for people to think what they have done for
> India compulsorily, although if someone thinks about it (like Shahrukh
> in Swades), I am happy. (Not that I am sad if someone doesn't, at
> least he discharges his duty (or even she), that is fine).
>
> Regards
>
> Rakesh
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