The founder of Air Deccan, a retired army man, farmer, activist, and author, Captain Gopinath’s book, Our India, provides a 360-degree view of the complex mosaic of the country.
Speaking about the book’s business section, Sushila Ravindranath explained, “Although we talk about the government not interfering and letting the entrepreneur do what they want, no country can survive without government help.”
Answering a question from Narayan Lakshman about the country’s future, Dr. Sumanth C. Raman said, “I do not think we were ever a totally liberal democracy, but we have moved towards elected autocracy. The hollowing out of institutions started before 2014, but gradually, institutional autonomy is being chipped-away on a daily basis, across institutions that are supposed to strengthen democracy.”
Captain G. Gopinath, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Dr. Sumanth C. Raman and Sushila Ravindranath in conversation with Narayan Lakshman at The Hindu Lit for Life at Music Academy in Chennai. | Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
Speaking about the issues farmers face, Captain Gopinath narrated an incident from his experience of being a farmer where he took his crop to Hassan and couldn’t enter the town as farmers had lined the roads with their produce in protest.
Addressing Narayan Lakshman’s query on who the common man today or woman today is, and where they feature in the broad question of how the state treats people, Gopalkrishna Gandhi said, “There is a common condition which marks society. I do not know if it is a common man or woman, and the condition goes like this — it is one of puzzlement, of not being clear or not being able to see the path ahead, or not knowing the following: are we a country which has some kind of divine protection where no one can harm or hurt, or are we a country that is so utterly base as to have to put up with horrors of the kind that cannot be described?”
The session ended with the speakers answering questions from the audience.
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The Hindu Lit for Life 2023 is powered by Life Insurance Corporation of India in association with Ajay Toothbrushes. The Associate Partners are NITTE Education Trust, Hindustan Group of Institutions, State Bank of India, Sai University, and Vivek’s. Jewellery Partner: Joyalukkas. The Mobility Partner is Hyundai, Banking Partner is Indian Bank Realty, the Author Lounge Partner is VFS Global, the Realty Partner is Casagrand, the Knowledge Partner is SSVM Institutions, the Bookstore Partner is Higginbothams, the Gift Partner is Anand Prakash, and the Water Partner is Repute.
