Rising India: What the Hell???????????

Firstly, this post must not be interpreted as something against India. I am proud of being a citizen of India. The people of India are one of the most refined bunch in the world. India does have a lot of good things, and they are rightly because of the people in the country. But, sometimes, the public can be misled into a false sense of security, and this can go against them. I was just going through www.ibnlive.com and their campaign of the Rising India. It is a celebration of India's achievements in the 60 years ever since Independence. I am perplexed by this campaign, for there were similar campaigns done about three years ago, and the public and moresoever the Media rejected it.

For me, the ordinary Citizen, I cannot see what is the distinction between the 'India Shining Campaign' by the BJP in 2003 and the current campaign of the News Channels like CNN-IBN and Times Now campaign of 'Rising India'. Is the media taking us the public for a ride? Who should we believe and can we believe that India is a superpower to be reckoned with? The economic estimates are that India's growth is going to be about 9.2% in this fiscal year, and that in the next decade, India will be a power equivalent to the US and China. India has made rapid strides even in diplomacy, with the signing of the Landmark Indo-US nuclear deal, thus enabling India to join the Nuclear club and thus bring forth the nuclear age here. Indians everywhere are making big strides, may it be Laxmi Mittal's Arcelor bid, Tata's Corus deal or Pepsico Chairman Indra Nooyi and Astronaut Sunita Williams. Certainly, looking back at things 20 years, things may seem better on the surface now, but there are problems plentifold that the country faces.

India and the Elite layers in the country have a tendency to sweep all the dust (problems) underneath the Carpet (Ignorance). The same thing is what will lead to the stagnation of the country. The Media blasted the India Shining campaign into bits, now I, the ordinary Citizen, am ripping apart the Rising India campaign. How on earth can India be a superpower when there is a clear presence of Two Indias? This was the same argument used against the India shining campaign in 2003. The situation, if it has not changed, has only become more visible this time. So, now where is the Media vigilance on the situation in the heartland of the country?

If India is a country made up of only the coastal sections, then it is definately booming. But, in the heartland of the country, things are on the verge of collapse. Farmer suicides continue inspite of both these campaigns. This is a clear indication that the peasent Agriculture base in the country is on the verge of disintegration. The blowback to all this leads to the formation of the Red Corridor. The Naxal menace continues to plague the interiors, with the Corridor, stretching from Andhra Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh. When the situation there is desperate, how can the Media say that India is rising?

Incidences like Nithari have exposed the inefficiency of the Law process. I am still very pessimistic about the Justice system in this country, for it can only be sorted by Media activism, and that too if the victim is a high profile celebrity. With a defunct Law process and a still slow Justice system, how can India be rising or shining? Indian psyche in most sections of society is dangeroulsy leaning into Communalism. The prospects of a riot between Hindus and Muslims loom ever so close, and with this scenario on, things look grim for the social facbric of this nation. Renegade elements within society can use communication technology to their advantage and spread Propoganda around, which will make this extremely counter productive.

In the end, it is upto we the Citizens to ensure that India indeed rises. For, in this case, we cannot shy away from the problems that are facing this country. The Media can be in the mood for False Campaigns like India Rising, because for them the prosperiety is ever so visible. Maybe, their India is really Rising, for the situation here in Bharat is that the Sun is setting on them, and they are helpless. I guess the elite have accepted that there is an India within India, for there is enthusiasm for the India Rising Campaign.