We are truly unique in many ways BUT WHAT IS THE USE OF IT WHEN WE HAVE MAJORITY OF THEM WITH NO FOOD

Thanks to my friend Ghanshyam for bringing in my knowledge about an article titled The Art of Remaining Poor by Avik Chattopadhyay. It’s a must read one.

Some excerpts: 

• During the election campaigning in Bihar in October this year Rahul Gandhi, the heir apparent of the Indian National Congress proudly claimed, "Aapki Congress party gareebon ki party hai, aapki party hai." ["Your Congress party is the party of the poor, your party."] 

• After 63 years of an independence that was hard fought, such a statement made with a sense of pride seemed pathetic to me. 

• While it mirrors the reality we live in, it demonstrates the 63 years of deliberate, orchestrated and cruel deprivation of a sixth of the world's population. It reeks of the sheer apathy and shamelessness of those that the man and woman on the street look upon as redeemers. It talks of the thick skin all of us have developed…our leaders, administrators, planners, implementers and benefactors. Otherwise, someone in the crowd should have stood up and hurled a chappal in utter disgust. Or some editor would have used the pen [or keyboard] to prise open some very bare and basic questions. 

• According to a report on Asian economic powers, in 1947 India's per capita income was at $439 while South Korea stood at $770. In 50 years India stood at $1,818 and South Korea at $13,317! So, what went wrong with us? What stunted our development and prosperity? Our population? The British rule? The multi-party democracy? The world powers conspiring against us? The 'socialist' operating principles? Over reliance on agriculture? Faulty planning? What, exactly what? Nothing. Actually nothing went wrong. Everything is according to plan. Right from the time Mr. Nehru justified that some of the poorest parts of country were the ones ruled longest by the British and systematically de-industrialised in the 190 years of subjugation, we have planned for poverty as integral to our socio-economic-political superstructure. 

• We have used 'socialism' as a term under which we have perpetrated protectionism, patronage and favouritism. 

• We conjure up programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Act that make millions of villagers slaves of projects that are alien to them and displace them rather than help them lead improve upon what they do best — farming, animal husbandry, dairy and handicrafts....... 

• Mr. Gandhi would have felt ashamed thinking of those words, leave alone gallantly using them, not once but 16 times while doing the rounds of Bihar!