My Demands for My Country....can anyone deliver?
Technology, potential, resources, youth we have it all and
yet the joke is that ‘the Chinese grow because of their government and the
Indian despite it’. How do we manage to gather so much ridicule as a people and
as a nation when as individuals we are amazing?
The world’s biggest democracy has elected its leaders and
the world is watching with interest what it will do with itself. Having become
the world’s 3rd largest economy what happens in India has the
potential to make or mar the fortunes of many across the globe.
The energized questioning atmosphere has made me think about
what I would really like our leaders to talk about and the direction we as a
country ought to take to ensure that we develop truly and not just in the
breadth of our roads.
Here’s my wish list:
1. Truly
Secular: we need to learn to live with the Other in camaraderie and not
just co-exist in the same space but in separate mental ghettos. For that to
really work our only hope is to start with the children. From stopping schools
from politely putting in a line (only veg tiffin) to the hounding out of the
‘other’ from ‘majority’ schools all of it needs to be aggressively followed.
How a person eats, dresses and prays should not, must not be dictated by
another nor should he be judged on the basis of it.
2. One
country One Law – Let there be a single law for everyone. Religion should
not dictate law. Whether its marriage, divorce, property or something as basic
as wearing a helmet the law should be the same for everyone. No exceptions
made. This law however needs to be a revamped one which includes martial rape
as punishable and doesn’t have obsolete sections like 377.
3. Urban Development
and Environment Consciousness: the government must realize that the
development seeker and the environment activist can also be the same person. By
creating a scenario where one becomes pitted against the other the only
possible outcome can be a deadlock on progress. Let a joint team with equal
representation decide on the feasibility of contentious projects.
4. Women’s Empowerment:
women will have to break away from the mould of the mother, daughter, and
sister bracket and men and society will have to learn to treat her as a person
in her own right. The present parliament has a better representation of women
than ever before this should be utilized to provide better healthcare,
education and job opportunities. Merely designating seats for women on public
transport will not help.
5. Drop all
Reservations – reservations for backward communities began as a means of
bringing them up to speed with the rest of citizenry. However very soon it
became a means of vote bank politics. Every election time saw the addition of a
few more communities to the ever growing list so much so that today in a given
class the number of seats under ‘General’ could be just one. To my mind instead
of minimizing class distinctions Reservation sharpens the divide more with
resentment building when a general category student doesn’t get a placement
even at 80% while a reserved category student in the same class is good to go
at 33%.
What do you think of my list? What is on yours? Do share.
By questioning, sometimes criticizing, applauding and poking we can help the country achieve its true potential. Lets not get complacent again. Lets keep the curiosity up. Lets ask those difficult questions and demand answers.
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