The Immoral India......

'THE IMMORAL INDIA'-What is the way ahead?

The symptoms were there for all to see. In one generation, i.e. from about 1970 till the turn of the century we witnessed historic if not paradigm changes in the Indian society. In the early Years of independence, conservative living with bare minimum creature comforts had disciplined most Indians to live within their means. Even the rich and well to do opted for Spartan life styles. From telephones to motor vehicles were considered to be luxuries of life which few could afford.

Then came the change. Destruction of institutions, which had been carefully created and nurtured. Political arrogance born out of a combination of dynastic politics and a suppressed people. Invasion of Television into the drawing rooms, liberalization of the economy, cable TV/Bollywood and the inevitable thrust towards consumerism. All this led to increasing trust deficit between the people and the Government. Social media began to empower a section of our society. The  power of ICT and its impact on moral and religious values were yet to be comprehended.

Poor infrastructure, induction of criminals with money and muscle power into legislative  and migration of rural population to urban centre coincided with another event. Empowering the socially isolated segments of society and the emergence of the nouveau riche.

Poor quality of political leadership led to crony capitalism, as that was an option for entrepreneurs and successful politicians to prosper. There were no level playing fields.

The fast lanes of urban life destroyed traditional joint family patterns leading to nuclear families. There was no one at home to illumine and stimulate impressionable minds on Indian epics and their lessons. Demographically, all this could not have happened at a worse time when India was leaderless and the density of population in cities continued its upward journey(likely to continue at least till 2030.)Given that, poorly governed city administration refuses to restructure and professionalize tools of governance, it only meant that we will witness the slow death of our Metropolitan cities.

How then can India regain her civilizational and cultural integrity? From a nation which claimed to be the epitome of  moral values, we have degenerated to an in disciplined, mindless ,valueless, insensitive and an aggressive people. Rapes and dead bodies do not move us unless it is so gruesome that it temporarily stuns us. Single issues can at best stimulate minds for a while. Palliative measures have to give way to prophylactic ones. The latter has to start with good politics, good economics, which in turn would hopefully result in adequate resources to address education, health, infrastructure, industry and all other essential segments that could and would restore the dignity of India. How would that come about?

A ray of hope. The middle class has begun to participate in demanding good governance. The middle class is growing rapidly and they inhabit urban centres. From the very inception, PPI has sought to mobilize this segment of our population in order to make some impact on the decision making mechanism that resides in the Parliament.

Getting good people into parliament and ensuring that their primary focus is on amending/creating laws and legislation that contribute to good governance, is the cornerstone of our strategy.

Anna and 'Nirbhaya', the 23 year old brave heart, might have just ignited the fire to awaken the middle class. It bodes well for 2013. Happy new year.

JAI HIND