Friday, December 21, 2007
Subsidies Must Go To History Books
He spoke again without getting noticed by many especially media experts when he shouted openly against all who are saviors of poverty. I call them saviors of poverty because they make policies which are helping poor to remain poor. Popular policies are keeping the poor deprived for centuries. This has to be understood by the policy makers as well as citizens. West Bengal is very right example. So Manmohan Singh, Indian Prime Minister spoke in clear terms. He said what is hurting Indian growth. He said what is needed.
"Subsidies not reaching the poor": Manmohan Singh said.
I think we spend far too much subsidies in the name of equity, with neither equity objectives nor efficiency objectives being met," Singh said while speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG).
Conveying the clear message of unlearning past, he said, "I think we need a new wave of creative thinking on these issues. Old ways of thinking have run their course." As a Prime Minister, he may not have time and support to carry out administrative and policy reforms, but he feels these needs for the development of the nation.
Singh regretted that "mixed economy' often becomes "mixed-up economy" and called for adopting new middle path for development that combines the efficiency consideration of the market with the equity considerations of the liberal economy." It is an open education for all communist way of thinkers that old ways are not going to serve humanity in 21st century. We have to find new ways.
Manmohan Singh admitted that the experiment with "mixed economy" in the early decades of independence had been disappointing. The country was unable to achieve growth more than 4% for decades. This happened when Industrialization and Automation through Electronics were at the peak all over the world. The nations which followed competitive and capitalist policies were the winners. India remained the losers and was satisfied to maintain its poverty.
Today we are spending 1 lac crores on subsidies and if they are not serving purpose, we must find the ways and means to divert this wastage. Manmohan Singh proposes to give focused attention in agriculture sector and energy sector issues. Energy sector is still worth talking but he wastes the time of the nation and its people when he tries to convince that such an approach was also necessary to address the major concerns pertaining to rural-urban divide and interregional imbalance. For that we need to focus on many other important issues.
Government needs to take some hard stand on issues pertaining to eradication of poverty. The careless talking and exposition of frustration by government agencies and that too Prime Minister is demoralizing for the people of this great nation. Prime Minister must do things which he can do. And certainly he would like to see subsidies disappearing from developed India.
We need to unlearn old ways fast to catch up with the new things are being developed everyday.
Take Hard Decision in Lighter Moment!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Time To Look Within
In India, it is almost a fashion to abuse Hinduism on the name of secularism while on the other hand, protect Muslims and other religions on the name of minority. This might have been good philosophy in the last century when people were happy to get their basic rights. But this is not the case in 21st century. Are you satisfied with your basic rights? I say no, no way. Basic rights are the thing of past. People want their basic amenities and basic privileges to grow and prosper and be happy.
Last week when Muslims protested and wasted their time to protest against Taslima, one of them who dared to write things for Muslims, I felt the miseries of deprived communities. Even leaders make use of the weak emotions to fulfill their own aspirations at the cost of growth. But it must be understood by all educated and informed people that you can never be rich by keeping even deprived and fools poor. (This is my researched statement.) West Bengal and Indian governments have to realize this. They can not keep deprived poor for long just because they are not well informed and emotional. Indian government has lost its credibility when keep focusing on trivial issues.
Similar was the case in Sudan, just over a week ago it was hard to imagine how the international reputation of the Sudanese government could sink any lower.
Accused of sponsoring the killing and rape of hundreds of thousands of its own people in Darfur and then of blocking the peacekeepers who might protect them - barely a week passed without a threat of sanctions or a new UN resolution.
But thanks to the Gillian Gibbons saga, Sudan has managed to transform its public image from pariah state to something approaching a laughing stock. Wisdom prevailed at last. But the sequence of events must be of interest to all educated Indians.
Sept: Gillian Gibbons's class votes to name a teddy bear Muhammad
25 Nov: She is arrested for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet
27 Nov: Gordon Brown says efforts are being made to release her
28 Nov: Mrs Gibbons is charged with insulting religion and inciting hatred
29 Nov: A Sudanese court finds her guilty of insulting Islam and sentences her to 15 days in prison and deportation
30 Nov: Angry protesters in Khartoum demand a harsher sentence
1 Dec: Two British Muslim peers press Sudanese officials to pardon her
3 Dec: Mrs Gibbons is pardoned by Sudan's president and freed from prison
Gillian should never have been arrested in the first place, let alone held in jail - she had done nothing wrong says Inayat Bunglawala Muslim Council of Britain
In the name of people and their emotions, shrewd leaders are making their way to the top like 19th and even 20th century but in this era of pure democracy as Imran Khan of Pakistan said once, people need better and sensible leaders to take futuristic decisions.
The mob demanding the execution of Gillian Gibbons — for allowing her seven-year-old pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammed — may have been government prompted. In any case, it represents the latest example of one type of Islamist aggression. Most Muslim-majority countries have rules against insulting the Islamic prophet — most notoriously, clauses 295 and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Islamists capriciously use such laws as a weapon to hound free-thinking Muslims and non-Muslims. And I feel that Muslims leaders are doing this at the cost of the growth of Muslim communities.
In 2002, for example, 105 people were killed in riots in Kaduna, Nigeria, following the publication of an article suggesting Mohammed would have approved of a beauty contest. These incidences across the world, including what happened in West Bengal, are the shame for civilized society. Mobs are howling for the death of Taslima Nasreen, the Bangladeshi author critical of Islam. If India has to developed, it has to learn to respect intelligence. It may be true that India can be ruled by not so intelligent people but can not be run without it. Statements coming out of the West, from the Salman Rushdie affair in 1989, to the Danish cartoons, to Pope Benedict's speech in 2006, have inspired multiple violent eruptions.
These Incidents point to two of the deepest problems in modernizing Islam. One is permitting freedom of speech concerning Mohammed, the Koran, and other aspects of religion. The other concerns the right of Muslims to leave Islam. These twin transitions must be accomplished for Islam to leave its current backward and oppressive situations.
The way Hinuds have been marginalized in their own nation, it is not good for anyone who respects democracy. But thanks to the broad heart and social brought up of Hindus, the country like India, China and others are growing astronomically. We all need to take a lesson or two from emerging events. This is the time of consolidation. This is the time to look within.
Can this informed world be made fool like this at the cost of their basic amenities? Why do not we move from our basic right to basic amenities? Indians need to look within. All deprived people across the world need to look within. All those people who feel emotional about growth of deprived and poor should look within. This is the time to act not just react.
Take Hard Decision in Lighter Moment!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Taslima - A India Prestige
Society has its own way of evolution. I do not have doubt about the evolutionary processes of human beings. Every human being wants time to grow. Every human being wants time to get educated. That's why even learning took 1900 centuries to be made as basic human rights. Education was not prevalent just three generations back. Today when even educated Muslims and secular Hindus talk and discuss about right and wrong of Taslima, I feel pity on the evolution process of human being.
Can human beings learn things faster? In this 21st century and a more clearly global world, why should we take so much time to learn good things? Why we are still continuing with so many bad and fatal thinking and actions? We have some serious problems of fatal thinking. That's why an author like Taslima is insulted. The only known female author in 21st century who had courage in poor, illiterate and deprived Muslims are being treated badly. Why poor do not learn more than doing fatal worship at the cost of their own life?
Taslima has become 'Harijan' of Muslims. What an irony of an educated society? Every body wants to study, get educated and learn but no one wants to unlearn conservativeness and ugliness of society. How can you insult educated author in a civilized society? After such incidence, can Muslim society ever think of producing a vocal and outspoken author for generations and decades?
Is it surprise when Muslims are struggling to get democracy in Bangladesh or even Pakistan? Why should anyone? In a society where you force educated and learned to run away from pillar to post, you will have to die of bomb attacks. You can dream of democracy and good governance but you can never get. You have to be controlled and manipulated by Western power or developed powers. A conscious Muslims and secular Indians must awaken to face the challenges of growth and wisdom.
It is shame on the part of West Bengal and Indian government who call themselves on one hand secular and on the other hand work for terrorists. Can not we respect law and order? Are law and order in India for majority only?
On the other hand what is happening in Malaysia or even Burma? They are the result of brutal ness. All educated and claimed secular people must speak against fundamentalists. The people who believe in human rights and democracy must come out and fight these fundamentalisms at the core of their heart. Why do not Shahrukh or Shabana speak in favour of Taslima? Why we have so much distinction between M F Hussain and Taslima Nasreen?
It is a golden opportunity for India to respect the democracy and individual freedom of people across the world. Taslima is the symbol of liberty, knowledge and humanity. Taslima must be preserved for dying terror world. If MF Hussain can live in UK, Taslima can stay here in India?.
I am surprised why Mayawati or Jayalalita have not offered Taslima a place in her state especially when center is in doldrums. But sooner or later Indians irrespective of caste, creed or religion will welcome such dignified scholar on this land which is going to be developed shortly. India will develop by welcoming such intelligence at their soil. India will become developed at the cost of conservativeness of its neighbours.
How can India hide its boldness? India must have courage to face fundamentalists. This is an opportunity for India to provide full protection to Taslima and make her a symbol of its secular philosophy.
Take Hard Decision in Lighter Moment!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Exposition of Indian Lady
So it is quite clear in my mind that I am contradicting you at two places:
1. Mallika Sherawat's decisions are appreciated in the book.
But it could have been some other example who had done something good to the society. This is what I felt. How can a girl who has contacts with many men can set an example for the society? If the society grows in that direction, can we call it a healthy society? Or is there any peace of mind and good health possible, if the society takes the path of such lewd examples? How about Kiran Bedi? Definitely, she can set a wonderful example in all facets of her personality! She has revolutionized the concept of disciplining the criminals in Tihar jail through Vipassana meditation.( For your kind information I am also a vipassana meditator but not regular in my practice !) She could have become a good testimony for all your good words. This is what I feel.
2. Parents should not be heeded at all.
What I felt was that they need not be heeded in the matters they are not at all familiar with. Like the example you had given about a pilot who took the advice of his mother for his career in flight and about which the mother knew nothing! That is why I appreciated that the examples you have given "are very strong" and really valid. (Personally speaking, when I was not allowed to go to college to pursue my higher studies and faced storm, all the relatives "kindly" adviced me to stop my higher education. Discouraged me as much as they could. Otherwise I was known as the only child who heeded the words of elders so well. So they wondered that my rebellion in this regard (higher education) was quite contrary to my good nature. But I never listened to any of their "advices.")
Good, it really paves way not to listen to the parents or elders in certain things. But is it adviseable to come out of their house? Even here I could reallly agree with you. Because, if I had settled there with my parents and relatives I could not have been what I am today. So my own examples were too strong to support your views. That is why I called you a real saviour of women in my earlier comment sometime ago. This may not sound good for gents. Because they enjoy good amount of freedom from their parents and their small sense to underscore the thirst of women to achieve and grow may not allow them to agree with you or me at all! I have no concern for such words at all! I don't even waste my time in listening to such empty and hypocritical advices given by such narrow minded gentle men.
Where I contradict with you? Leaving them behind and forgetting them to settle in a developed environment! Of course that is shocking to me. We may do it in order to change their mind for sometime. But is it good to keep ourselves completely forgetting them? How far we are thankful to these good human beings who had sweat for us till we got our wings to fly?
To tell you something very frankly, after this contradiction, when I pondered for sometime, I did not fail to see the weaker side of my argument. That is, if the parents are so egoistic to deny settlling in a better environment where their children are ready to embrace them without any objection, why don't they change their mind to go and settle with them? If they bring damnation to themselves because of their own negative and narrow thinking who is responsible? Good. Let's all go ahead.
But definitely, the children also should not take any chance of neglecting their parents even when they are ready to settle with them. Here I am strong. Children,(ie. young generation) in the name becoming developed, should not discard their parents as if they are the objects of "use and throw"! Certainly, if they do such negative unlearning they are bound to be condemned. Your book should have insisted on this point, I researched and felt.
Your book is a wonderful and daring attempt to put your index finger on the nose of the conservative ignorant and even educated but hypocritical society! You really deserve a big accolade for your daredevilry. Go ahead wing commander! Command the world to UNLEARN! Here is one such spirit by your side! Thank you.
With loadz of thanks and regards,
Dawn and Dew.
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My Reply to this daring response from an Indian lady,
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Dear Dawn and Dew
I think you are correct. We contradict at two places.
1. Mallika Sherawat’s decisions are appreciated in the book. As far ‘unlearning’ is concerned, this is correct. However, I have mentioned about the contributions of Kiran Bedi in generating wisdom else where in the book which you must have noticed. But then as far as unlearning is to be discussed, I could not get any better example than Mallika at that moment of time when I wrote these lines in 2005 middle. If I had to write these lines in 2007, I could have thought of another Mallika who grew on Mallika and now competing with her and she is Rakhi Sawant. In recent Hot Times of The Times of India, she declares she has better brain than Mallika. Keeping it short, I had no other daring example than Mallika as far as unlearning is to be communicated.
2. Parents should not be heeded at all. This may be correct in most of the cases but certainly I have never said that it is to be done in every case. I have own logic to put across this point. But if parents are ready to unlearn and follow the path of growth and prosperity, there are no contradictions. So I think you have explained with many of your daring examples which many of Indian ladies feel shy in narrating. But you have done it and I hope your messages are going across many Indians ladies for a more conscious and prosper society where parents have a choice of better life. This is the responsibility of all educated children to provide developed life to their parents.
I have commented few of these in Matheikal blog too. I hope you may have seen them.
http://matheikal.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/11/unlearn-before-you-learn/comments.htm
I do not know whether I am savior of women but thanks for calling me so.
I agree that the book should have been researched further. I hope to do it if I get time and money.
Contradictions are part of learning. It could be the part of unlearning too. So feel free to contradict if you feel so. I respect the emotions of human being. I understand and appreciate individual choices. But then I only say one has to be aware of own potential.
And that is what is unlearning!!
kamekish
Take Hard Decision in Lighter Moment!