I Saw Future

Around a year back one fine evening I was walking on the footpath of Cannaught Place in Delhi along with my wife and daughter. It was the same path from where I started my journey to this metropolitan city of a beautiful country called India. I originate from a very small place in India. I have seen deprivation from very close. My earnest desire to grow and witness growth has given me opportunities to see riches and successes on the way. On the footpath on that day when we were passing through a bookstall, I showed my wife the kind of books available on that stall for Indians.

In the bookstall there was not a single book authored by an Indian writer. I explained her that how I have lived my life observing this situation for last twenty years. I claimed that this situation would not continue for long. Indians need books of Indian authors. Growing Indians are impatient to read the mind of growing Indians. They need solution of their problems according to their own situations and surroundings. There is no way; I can ignore this emerging trend. If I have the capability to write, I must write whatever I feel. Young and vibrant India and energetic Indians need this. Age old Ravindra Nath Tagore alone can not quench the thirst of impatient Indians. I anticipated, within few years, Indian authors are on demand. That is coming true slowly but steadily. Even if I am not on demand, my prediction has come true. My wife is the lone witness of my path- breaking prediction. I saw future.

The courses in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and subsequent career in Air Force gave me immense opportunities to see the emerging world. I saw the great opportunities from close quarters in the field of communication and computers even though I was unable to harness the complete advantages of these opportunities because of many inherent hurdles associated with a common man. I have lived professional career life for more than twenty years and still living with all my predictions and anticipation without making much headway. The books have always been fascinating to me. They have information and knowledge. I considered books as aspiration, inspiration, motivation, inner strength, god, godfather and certainly a source of wisdom. Books have shown me the path in this long journey of lone battle. Today, I am happy that India is thinking the way I thought for last twenty years.

I moved from telecom to Information technology in last twenty years of my professional career. When I took premature retirement from Air Force, there was again a big dilemma to set course of the life. I remember adding more than five zeros in my income in my last twenty years of my earnest profession. But the question is can I do the same in next twenty years? Even if yes, shall I be able to achieve the desired contentment? What should be the future? The vision of future seen on the footpath of Cannaught Place should give some direction. Is it future? I have set some direction and moved. I am moving in blind tunnel without any light from other end. Is it future?

The new breed of writers includes VS Naipaul and Salman Rashdie. We have Tharoor, who resides outside India. I have my own doubt on the wisdom of this news article written in Delhi Times of The Times of India, titled ‘Read an Indian Author Lately?’ When reporter talks about Chetan Bhagat, Ashok Banker, Kiran Desai and others, it makes sense of Indian ness. But I am surprised when reporters talk about Jhumpa Lahiri, Vikram Chandra, and others. India still needs writers from its soil. India needs writers who have emerged from this soil to face the future world. That remains a challenge for all these reporters to search little more and wide. Reporters need to come out of their own shell of comfortable reporting.

Indian Editors and publishers are the biggest hurdle in achieving the dream of Indians. Indians can never get good books and futuristic writings till the time these so called editors and publishers are ready to lose their regionalist, religionist and sectarian views. Indian editors and publishers abhor creativity. They are on run to look for famous and beautiful to earn their bread. They are conservative. They are not ready to take risk. They have to become futuristic to see the world of tomorrow to overcome these problems. These are not hypothetical views but a real fact of the publishing industry. Since last one year, I have experienced these in my close encounter with editors and publishers in India. When, www.lulu.com provides online publishing of any written material, there is no way, why Indian editors and publishers can not enhance their resources? Why do not they see future?

In last one year, I have attended plenty of book launches at Habitat world, India International center and even at Taj Mahal Hotel when Shobhaa De gave free cocktail party open to all, I have met Khushwant Singh in his book launch at IIC, I have heard Medha Patkar and others, I have experienced the scarcity of relevant materials in Indian publication. People are in general avoiding risk. They do not believe in researching future. They are busy in researching their past. From my point of view, you can not have a better future on glorified past. We need to research on future. We need to talk about future. We need to discuss future. We need to write future. We need to see future. Future is future; no body would like to have their past as future in this 21st century. Let us concentrate on future.

English is an universal language. Even Ravindra Nath had to translate his own writings in English to garner the recognition. Still, we find hell lot of Bengalis speaking true to their core to have the love for their mother tongue. The concept of mother tongue is restricted to the poor and middle class achievers. The situation is obvious among the people of all regional languages. But with emergence of Internet, Bloggings, Networking and communication, the extinction of this love of mother tongue should not last a lifetime. Universal language should not remain in the custody of rich and privileged only. It has to reach to all educated people on this earth. Who does not want to be networked and heard? Yahoo answer provides the tool. Future relies on future language.

I consider it a crime when developing countries are not teaching their citizens developed technologies, futuristic education and universal languages. The governments of all developing countries are ignoring this obvious future. They are committing crime on their citizen. That is the reason, youths and educated people are getting frustrated, depressed and disgruntled. The rise of Indian authors writing in English will certainly improve the existing intellectual bankruptcy. The future will tell the stories of future in the language of future.