Reflections

This week, just yesterday as a matter of fact, our Prime Minister landed in Israel  - the first ever Prime Ministerial visit to that nation from our side. This is a seminal event; yet, it was saddening to see some voices being guarded, as opposed to openly welcoming this move. In a democracy, it is perfectly fine if you don’t support the ruling party, having voted for the other side; it is accepted as well as expected that you criticize – but when the Government does something laudable – you should welcome it. This move by the NaMo Government stands in that list; a fully laudable move, one that we would do well to welcome, leaving our apprehensions aside for the time being. On that other hand – this is not a time for chest-thumping either; let us reflect what this move means for us as a nation, and analyse the pluses and the minuses of this new equation. Whatever else we look at, this is not the time for misguided moralistic analyses – Geopolitics is not a field that lends it...

Our love for NRIs – especially the variety who go to the US has always been paramount in our society. This is something I hold dear to my heart and my core reality. It has always been a bone of contention for me; why should an educated person leave India to settle abroad? Lets be practical; the modern job can carry you abroad for certain lengths of time. This is unavoidable; in fact, it has its benefits. Those benefits are beyond argument; that is not the point of the article. The Media feeds this national past-time, engorging themselves on NRIs and their achievements nearly every day; the same Media who would not recognize a local success, or find him or her worthy of placement on their august and hallowed sites.  The people in turn, in a funny circle, simply adore reading about these people, including even PIOs – people who didn’t even care enough to retain the citizenship. A person doesn’t even care to remain Indian, and still we create a hero or heroine! Why cant the Medi...

BUILDING AN ASPIRATIONAL HALO AROUND LOCAL SUCCESSES One of the most surprising aspects of our collective behavior, as collectively expressed through the organized as well as social media, is the ever-present phenomenon of the Abroad Dream… the dream of at least some Indian parents and children alike, to go and settle abroad, or work abroad. Another aspect of this is the penchant to give undue importance to NRIs / PIOs in our media; a third aspect is the near-devoted tracking of PIOs success-stories, especially in the realm of politics… the fact that the Media gives prominence to these is mute evidence of the fact that we, the people, give importance to them THE POLITICAL NRI… Let us consider the third case, and examine it a little more clearly. It is near-certain that having a number of prominent PIOs in positions of power has been of benefit to us in the realm of Business, wherein it is a win-win situation… the PIO is better aware of how to do business in India, and ca...

Concluding part of the series "Being Indian" - previous part found here :  Being Indian - 4 : The Ultimate Triumph Of The West India is a land that, as all of like to repeat ad-nauseum, is known for its diversity as well as its unity both; in fact, Unity in Diversity is the justified by-line for our Nation, our national ethos,  that is what, essentially, India stands for, and our ethos, our culture is what we are exceedingly proud of. This unity rests on the unique Socio-Cultural fabric of our nation, which has been crafted out of several Millennia of inter-mingling, living together, interacting and even fighting together. While India the nation, the political unit, may be a relatively new construct – Hindustan, or Bharat or Hind is a concept as old as this land itself, as is borne out by the scores of period documents as well as in the writings of the visitors to this holy and blessed land. But, if you dig deeper, one can easily spot a narrative that is at ...

In the previous article, the theme was of inclusiveness and openness in the internal and external context, and how India has always been a land where everyone has found a home. In that article, I emphasized a differential approach, recommending a differentiation between us and the rest of the World; wherein I advocated being closed in the external cultural sphere, while being completely open in the internal cultural milieu. I am saying be open; I am also saying be closed. One can be both at the same time. How do you define being open? Open to all - to what extent? There has to be a line. I draw that line - Black, Thick and Hard: The Line Of Citizenship. Externally, on politics and economics, I am defensive; true - but that is because the situation dictates defensiveness, - but more of that later in the series.   Externally, on culture : I am completely open, and for the reasons listed out in at least 17 full articles, maybe several more. { http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.i...

It is said by many that one of the highpoints is the excellent personal rapport NaMo has with other leaders, and how it will benefit  FP. Maybe, maybe not; again, time will tell. As on date, the result is zero. Precisely zero, and hoopla, based on myth and an incomplete understanding and media hype. I do not deny benefits of a personal rapport; but let us not overstate it. Personal Rapport and Cultural Ties are only door openers, and are completely useless when the door is already open, In Foreign Policy, the $ and the Bullet {meaning brute power} reigns supreme. Further, it is noteworthy that the same Prime Minister of India, before he became a Prime Minister, was targeted and branded {almost} by Western Nations as something less than nice. And now, the moment he becomes Prime Minister, the same nations’ leaders’, who previously branded Mr Narendra Modi without any proof whatsoever, flouting all international norms – which tantamounts to intervention in Indian affair...