Book Review: Indian After Gandhi

Unity in diversity the hallmark of India- That's what an Indian student learns in his early school days. But as the student grows he sees the lack of unity in many crucial issues. But still there is a wider acceptance of the concept of India as a nation. The student today proudly claims to be born in a nation that houses some of the best talents of the world, a nation that is characterized by its democracy, the largest democracy in the world. But why we see a striking difference, confusion and lack of clarity in several issues of national interest- Kashmir, Uniform Civil Code, Ram Temple/Babri Masjid, Federal structure?

Dr Ramachandra Guha, the famous historian focuses on simplifying some of the badly entangled threads of Indian political history. The book India After Gandhi is touches most of the critical issues that affected the country over the post-independence years.

The author starts with some of the not so optimistic predictions on future of Indian nation. Then the book moves on the issues of creation of Pak, amalgamation of India states, unresolves Kashmir issue, Naga protest, general elections, nation building policies of Nehru, short span of Shastri, emergence of Indira as India, the dark days of emergency and condemnable policies of Sanjay Gandhi, Morarjee period, renewed vigour of Indira, birth of Rajeev in politics, VP Singh and Mondal Commission, PV Narashimha Rao, government formation of BJP, Godhra riots, Congress'es regain of power at centre.
With the major event the book also touches the crucial issues that impacted the contour of the nation. The description on social, political and economic life of common Indians is deeply engrossing.
At the end of the book the author comes back to the point where he had started the book- why India is still an united entity. The author finds "So long as the constitution is not amended beyond recognition, so long as elections are held regularly and fairly and the ethos of secularism broadly prevails, so long as citizens can speak and write in the language of their choosing, so long as there is an integrated market and a moderately efficient civil service and army, and – lest I forget – so long as Hindi films are watched and their songs sung, India will survive".

If you want to understand India and increase your cultural literacy, get indulged in this book. It would truly be your friend- will keep your boredom at bay, develop a lasting relationship with you, and will leave a long lasting impression in your mind-and all these while making you more knowledgeable
, in both political and sociocultural understanding of world's largest democracy

Book Review: Chasing the Rainbow: Growing Up in an Indian Village

Life is a wonderful journey, childhood is the best part of this journey. Some of us manage to see life and its surroundings from a broader and deeper perspective, so deep that the childhood observations leave a deep mark in our psychology. Such observations are even deeper, broader and meaningful if it comes from a writer like Manoj Das.

The book amuses with its story telling power combined with the ability to go beyond the surface level activities of life. Divided into smaller chapters, the book provides a thought provoking insight into life, human nature and activities.

One of the best reads when it comes to:
- story telling
- simple narrative
- thought provoking observations of life

Let it be about the dislike of a child for studies or the regrets of an entire village on death of a money or tiger, each of the chapter of the book is an engrossing read.

Go for it! Worth your time!
Once you have finished reading it, you would be forced to look back at your own childhood. But, at the same time the book will help you to decode the otherwise some of the incomprehensible contemporary behaviour around you in a better way.

Institution Building in India

Scholars and researchers across the globe have accepted the crucial role played by institutions in creating an environment that is conducive to development. A closer look to all the developed (economically, not necessarily in other aspects) economies reveal their strong institutions. A set of strong institution ensure:

• Right functioning of public and private bodies
• Contract enforcement
• Adherence to rules and regulations

Unfortunately the emerging economies, of course, emerging in terms of economics and not necessarily in all important aspects, are characterized by their institutional voids. The astonishing growths of companies in these economies are more of a result of these institutional voids. The critical question here is – should this economic growth be celebrated?

India is a very good example to see how institution building has emerged in this emerging economy. In early 50s, the then Prime Minister Nehru was bestowed with the mammoth tax of building India. Nehru and his team (which included Mahalanobis) drafted the contour that the young nation would take. The credit of building institutions in India is also attributed to Nehru. However, the discredit of tampering with ‘supposed to be independent’ institutions is also attributed to Nehru’s family and more so to Ms Gandhi and his (later disowned) son Sanjay.

A selected few institutions act as the fulcrum of all institutions of India. The institutions include: The parliament, the supreme court of India, the CBI, the CVC, the CAG, the UGC and NCERT etc. Now let us examine their functioning one by one. 

The Parliament

In a recent statement President of the country, Mr Mukherjee rightly condemned the disruptions happening in the parliament. In recent times parliament is disrupted more than ever. Debate, dialogue and deliberations are no more the prime activities of the parliament.

Though politicians, media and academicians have been emphasising the supremacy of parliament in democracy, they have to accept that the way the image of this institution is getting diminished in the mind of a common India is a serious threat that requires more polished and sober action of politicians inside and outside the house. 

Supreme Court of India

Till date the Supreme Court seems the only institution that has managed to maintain somewhat higher degree of sanctity. Corruption charges against the ex-chief justice, no doubt condemnable, but could be considered as exception. Otherwise, the court has managed to ensure that the state and its major actors have performed as per the rule of the land.

However, the judicial system in India requires paradigm shifts. Some lower courts have functioned on their own, while some others are characterized by the huge number of pending cases in them. If a common man believes that he should stay away from courts, whatever may be the case and a business man thinks contract enforcement in India is extremely difficult; it’s not their fault. 

The CBI

CBI, unfortunately is seen as a part of government who can grill people whenever the governments want. Recent coal case has uncovered the real helplessness of this institution. The Supreme Court which normally selects its words with utmost care, termed the CBI has a ‘caged parrot’ with many masters. That brings us to the fact that this nation of a billion people lacks a credible and independent investigating agency.

The CVC

The office of the central vigilance commission is conspicuous by its inaction in many cases. The last time it hit news headlines when the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commission was questioned by the Supreme Court forcing him to resign. 

The CAG

Again, the findings of the CAG are being challenged by politicians across parties depending on their convenience. The central government recently has found it fashionable to hit the office of the CAG whenever they find its finding not so suitable to it.

The UGC, AICTE, NCERT

The state of educational institutions also requires radical changes. Privatizing of educational institutions has made education in the country so expensive that students will get more lured to well-paying corporate jobs than investing time, energy and resources in first hand research and innovations. It is also interesting to note that the top ranked MBA institutes of the country offer PGDM (post graduate diploma in management) degrees than MBA degrees as they prefer to stay away from the interference of UGC. Is n't that a direct reflection on the image of governing bodies of education in India?

On top of all these, even constructive criticism of institutions in India is considered as anti-patriotism by many. The government that openly challenges, criticizes and abuses the CAG, considers any discussion on autonomy of the CBI as an attempt of bulldozing the institution of CBI.

If India wants to develop, improve and live a better life; it has to focus on institution building. That will require the support of all stakeholders. However, looking at the state of the affairs in the country, it would be utterly optimistic to expect better institutions in the country in short span of time.