After a decade of being in self congratulatory mode and singing praises about the emerging economic superpower, it seems the India story, glorified in the Western and Indian media might be grinding to a halt. Economic growth has slowed down, inflation is on a high, the rupee is on a freefall against the dollar and a policy paralysis seems to have affected the Government. Mark Tully, who has covered India extensively for almost three decades for the BBC and has authored “Non-Stop India”, a series about India post the freeing of the licence raj in 1991, says, “It is not the end of the India story. India has made impressive strides over the past 20 years. However, issues like inequalities in distribution of wealth and resources continue to pull it down.” The book was launched at the Landmark bookstore in the city recently.
He adds, “To be a superpower in any sense, a country must be able to provide high quality of health and education to all citizens. This is the area that India must focus on to emerge on top of the heap.”
The changing India perspective
The book is a result of the travels Tully undertakes across the country, visiting Naxal-held areas, villages torn apart by caste issues and also makes an attempt to study the influence popular culture has on Indian society.
“‘No Full Stops in India' was a collection of short stories that dealt with Indian society before the reforms happened. In this book, I have made an attempt to bring into fore the stories of the companies and people who have changed the manner in which India was seen by the rest of the world.”
“I talk about the Tatas, who despite having the resources at their disposal could not invest in any property abroad. That has seen a massive change, with the Tatas now holding properties in many countries across the world, including India. Liberalisation has also unleashed an entrepreneurial power that is helping reshape the country. The benefits are numerous, but care must be taken to ensure that people on the fringes do not feel left out. It is the lack of adequate governance that is responsible for issues like the naxal movement. The book also has stories on whether reservations have helped in lessening the social divide and the effect of serials such as Ramayana on Indian popular culture.”
Another topic he has discussed in detail in the book is the word Jugaad , the Indian word used to state that everything will fall in place at the last moment, by hook or crook. “Everything seems to hinge on Jugaad . I do not feel that such a spirit is good for a country like India. What is needed is not jugaad , but better governance and accountability.”
As a foreign national, did he face any issues in getting information from his sources? “On the contrary, I felt that India was friendlier and open than England. The people wanted their stories to be told and published.”
Tully says that a functional democracy is one of the best features of India in the past 64 years.
“Some sections of the middle class may see military rule as the best way forward. However, the fact that India, despite its multitude of religions, regions and languages continues to be more stable than its neighbours like Pakistan and Bangladesh is living proof of the worth of democracy.”
He says, “A scholar I once interviewed told me that India is a flailing state. He said that the government does want to help the citizens, but in many cases is unable too. Money is pumped into the backward areas, but seldom does it find its way to the rightful recipient. To pass a single file, a person has to pass nearly 40 levels of officials and bureaucratic redtape. India must eliminate these issues very soon.”
However, he contends that movements like the Anna Hazare campaign for the Lokpal bill will not help beat corruption alone. “Eliminating corruption is a very difficult process and I do not think a bill can help eradicate it. We need to work from the grassroots to eradicate this scourge.”
“Non-Stop India” has been published by Allen Lane, and is priced Rs. 499.
