Independance Day, not just 15h August

A lot of things cross my mind this independance day. And I feel inexplicably relaxed today. Perhaps, its all the reading over the past couple of weeks. I read:

1. The Lexus and The Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman
2. 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Alexander: Child of a Dream by Valerio Massimo Manfredi (Book 1 of a trilogy)

Somehow, reading a book really makes me think. And numbers 1 and 4 are closely related to the world, politics, economics and independance.

First of all, what model of independance are we looking at? As we step into a global village, we are more and more interdependant rather than independant. A fisherman in India may be affected if the Nikkei nosedives, or the Hang Seng shoots up. We are no longer masters of our destinies, we are the collective masters of the destinies of billions of people. Each of our actions could potentially affect the whole world!

The most potent of course are the business satraps, whom Friedman calls the Electronic Herd. They have the power to move capital around the world in a matter of seconds. But are they free and independant? I am not sure. They are slaves of their own greed, of money, of fame, of power. They are like King Philip, the father of Alexander, slaves of their own success. They are like the geishas - bought as slaves to live a life of drudgery, of exploitation, but once they grow up, they can no longer forego the same life.

Nevertheless, it is money which is the world's most potent weapon today. Trade and industry have lifted millions of people above the poverty line in China and India. It is business interests which made the US suddenly change its stance towards India. It has prevented many a wars in the last few decades. The Lexus, a symbol of this economic power [as symbolized by Friedman], is now driving around the world, picking up passengers it deems best, in whichever country in the world. And this multicultural, multiracial environment is not limited to a single city or country. From New York to London to Frankfurt to Dubai to Bangalore to Shanghai, people of all kinds live together and aggrandize wealth together. Because that is the only way to succeed in today's world.

Getting back to the issue of independance, I would believe that true independance today lies not just in determining your government, but also your destiny. True independance is when you have a kid in a village of Bihar growing up to be an engineer and bringing light to his village. True independance is when a peasant's daughter in India can become a teacher in the US. Independance would be when opportunities are equally available and anybody can come grab them. Independance would be when we can provide education to all the millions of children being born everyday, empower them to choose their own destiny. Independance would be to provide retirement benefits to all the millions retiring every year [We promised them retirement benefits in their heydeys, we cant leave them in the lurch now that hey are old and decrepit].

Independance would be when we could unshackle all the millions born to "small" ancestry, enable them to live a life of dignity. Independance would be achieved when we could begin to respect every job whether it is a truck driver or a furniture mover or a cleaner. It is not all that difficult considering such egalitarianism already exists in many of the western countries.

At the same time, however, we must reaffirm our faith in the Indian way of living - our family values, our sense of belonging, our languages, olive trees which keep us firmly grounded in our civilization. The lexus, however, modern needs a garage to park in, to refuel, to be reforged into the modern beauty it is. Leaving our parents in old-age homes to leave a life of debauchery and hedonism is no form of independance.

We have a long way to go before we can realize the dreams of all those who laid our lives to ensure a honorable life for us, but it is a tight rope we walk, we have to make sure that we balance ourselves well, we make sure that in our hurry to cross the chasm, we don't forget all those who brought us till the bridge, because one thing is for sure - India is going to cross the chasm in this generation.