India's Tryst With Destiny

India’s tryst with destiny

India’s tryst with destiny Uday Dandavate Three important dates in the month of August hold a special place in my memory. August 1st is the anniversary of the death of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, whose famous proclamation, “Swaraj (self rule) is my birthright and I will achieve it,” inspired the nation with an indigenous vision for the development of India. Mahatma Gandhi articulated the concept of Swaraj in his thesis, Hind Swaraj, "Independence begins at the bottom . . . A society must be built where every village has to be self-sustained and capable of managing its own affairs . . . It will be trained and prepared to perish in the attempt to defend itself against any onslaught from without . . . This does not exclude dependence on and willing help from neighbors or from the world. It will be a free and voluntary play of mutual forces. In this structure composed of innumerable villages, there will be ever-widening, never-ascending circles. Growth will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom, but it will be an oceanic circle whose center will be the individual. Therefore the outermost circumference will not wield power to crush the inner circle, but will give strength to all within and derive its own strength from it."

Gandhi believed that the overall impact of the state on the people is harmful. He called the state a "soulless machine" which, ultimately, does the greatest harm to mankind. It was for this that he developed the two-pronged strategy of resistance (to the state) and reconstruction (through voluntary and participatory social action). Gandhi’s ideas on Swaraj were greatly influenced by Lokmanya Tilak,

who he considered his guru. The dream of Swaraj remains unattained even 65 years after independence.

Another significant day in the month of August is August 9th – August Kranti Divas. For several decades every year citizens of Mumbai participated in a silent procession from the statue of Lok Manya Bal Gangadhar Tilak standing tall in the sands of Girgaum Chowpati, to the August Kranti Maidan, where on August 9th 1942 Mahatma Gandhi gave a call to the British rulers to “Quit India”. The marchers would hold up placards carrying portraits of freedom fighters drawn by artist V.N. Okay. Upon reaching August Kranti Maidan, the marchers would disperse without making any speeches. It was a moment to remember the sacrifices of the freedom fighters who brought us independence. Even today I have fond memories of the solemn atmosphere that surrounded the event.

Six days after August 9th India celebrates its independence day. On this day every year, the Prime Minister emulates the ritual started by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru 65 years ago by unfurling the Indian flag at the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi. The video clips of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous, “At the stroke of midnight when the world sleeps, India awakes,” is played on television sets to remind the nation of India’s tryst with destiny. With the passing years, as I watch corruption creep into the political system and the nation’s resources be stacked away in Swiss bank accounts of self-serving ministers, the ritual at the Red Fort increasingly appears hollow. A documentary film, “Yeh Kaisi Azadi hai”

((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1T5aYzYxoU) directed by Pravin Misra, vividly articulates the frustrations of millions of marginalized Indians who find their dream of Swaraj slipping away. India’s tryst with destiny has now turned into India’s tryst with Nehru dynasty. India’s hope for Swaraj is sailing through rough waters.

As I watched Anna Hazare leading a cry of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi last week on TV, I started thinking about the contrast between my positive emotions on August 1st and the 9th and a sense of frustration I experience on August 15th. I started missing the solemn atmosphere of August 9th from decades ago. I was overcome by a sense of concern for the anti-corruption movement, which seems to be caught in the storm; a movement that left the shores to a great aplomb is now struggling to stabilize and set its direction. I felt concerned because I am one of those who stood on the shore and cheered the Team Anna crew as they sailed into the waters. Just as the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus’ voyage in search of the East Indies took him to the Americas, I have always hoped that the current anti-corruption movement would ultimately find a shore that would open up a new land of opportunities for those of us who believe in their mission. Those of us who cheered the Mission Anna want it to succeed because the mood of an average Indian today is closer to the spirit of August 9th than in the ritualistic celebratory mood of August 15th. For many of the movement supporters who draw excitement from the images of protests on the television sets, the anti-corruption movement may appear like a

Bollywood movie plot with a guaranteed happy ending. However, for seasoned political activists there is a real reason to be concerned about the perceived focus of the current movement on theatrics over disciplined action and on media manipulation over cadre building.

There is a need for consolidating the anti-corruption sentiment and translating it into an organized network of informed and inspired citizens. Bringing clarity to an alternative vision of modern India will alone help bring about necessary reforms in the Indian political system. In his recent article, Shri Pannalal Surana, Chairman of the Parliamentary board of The Socialist Party of India, has succinctly pointed out the true “reform” India needs – not the one championed by the agents of Global Corporations – but by social reformers such as Jyotiba Phule, Tilak, and Agarkar. I notice that Arvind Kejriwal often refers to the “Total Revolution” that Jayprakashji dreamt about. I have also heard Anna Hazare refer to Jayprakashji and Gandhiji as his inspiration. I hope and trust that the facilitators of the current anti-corruption movement will clarify to their followers the true meaning of the total revolution that Jayprakashji envisioned or the reforms that Pannalal Surana refers to in his article. Now that they have chosen the path of entering the political process, there is a need for the leaders of this movement to rise above slogan mongering and dedicate time to building a sustainable organization by aligning itself with people of integrity and ideas for innovative ways of building a modern society of responsible citizens. The concept

of Swaraj will serve as the template for developing a manifesto for the new political platform.

I am aware that the concern I have for the sustainability of the current movement is shared by many other friends who feel disappointed by team Anna’s ambivalence on defining a clear ideological framework. Some of our friends are disappointed at Team Anna’s decision to establish a new political platform; they would rather want the movement to remain a grass-root-level watchdog and stay clear of the corrupting influence of the electoral process. It is important to remember that, despite his views on the limitations of the state, even Gandhi thought it necessary to evolve a mechanism to achieve the twin objectives of empowering the people and “empowering” the state. Veteran Leader Late S.M. Joshi often referred to electoral politics as a “Coal Mine”. He would say, “It is important to get into the coal mine to harness the energy, but then one is bound to stain one’s clothes. This is where people like me are needed. My job is to remain in the coal mine and send my colleagues to the cleaners when they are tainted by the corrupting forces of electoral politics”.

Though it is not clear yet whether Team Anna envisions formation of a new party, alignment of likeminded parties, or poaching talent from existing parties, it is clear that the support the movement has received amongst masses is significant. Today, misplaced development agenda has already pushed the poor and the marginalized sections of the society outside the ambit of India’s “tryst with

destiny”. There is a growing resentment amongst people in the decline of public institutions and rampant corruption at every level of interface with the government. Anger and violence is growing amidst the poorer and marginalized sections of India. It won’t be long before Naxalism crosses the relatively insulated doorsteps of urban India. The current atmosphere provides a perfect opportunity to educate masses about what it will take to undertake sustainable political reforms.

New vision for political reforms must rise above anthropocentric view. Problems of inequality, poverty, and international conflicts today stem from human’s greed of consuming natural resources. A market-centric model of development has been largely responsible for unleashing human greed for consumption. Rapid urbanization and increased pace of life has benumbed people from using humanscale capacities and sensitivities endowed in us by nature, and has turned us into slaves of technologies. It is necessary to restore the ecological balance and alter our behaviors in a manner that allows humanity to survive in harmony with nature’s principles.

On India’s independence day, I hope that those of use who believe in social justice and humanity’s responsibility in preserving ecological balance harness our current anger against corruption and translate that into a new vision for Swaraj. People of India have lost faith in the Congress party and the BJP, and are looking for an alternative political platform. Anna Hazare has announced that he

will not contest elections but will travel around India to awaken the youth around a new purpose. I hope that Indian youth will rise above the sense of resigned acceptance of corruption in daily life, and contribute their energy and ideas for developing a new model of Hind Swaraj. I hope that India can serve as an example to the rest of the world in redefining a new framework for progress. We need to shift the measures of progress from achieving efficiency, productivity, and speed to enabling equity, justice, and creativity. We need to shift our focus from consumption to preservation (of natural resources) and from conflict to collaboration. While maintaining a balanced perspective on human craving for personal gratification, it is important to cultivate in our children respect for social justice and responsibility. We need to build tools that match the skills, capacities, and imagination of different sections of the society.

Anna Hazare will serve the country well if he embarks on a Pad Yatra and galvanizes the imagination and energies of the youth, who are eager to participate in the political process. Unlike many of our friends who feel skeptical of the anti-corruption movement or have misgivings about the secular credentials of some of the members of the Team Anna, I still harbor a hope that Anna will facilitate creation of a new dream for India through a participatory process. He may not have the erudition of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the clarity of Ram Manohar Lohia, or the organizational discipline of Jayprakash Narayan, yet he has empathy for the marginalized people of India, and masses hold him in high esteem. In the eyes of the average Indian, Anna Hazare stands taller than any other political leader today. Anna has the opportunity to respond to the respect

he has earned in people’s minds by attracting youth to a new platform for India’s development. India’s current mood for eradicating corruption from public life is a perfect opportunity for pursuing the dream of Swaraj in an organized fashion.