A very interesting article: “India’s model of reflective patriotism” by Anne Applebaum, has been published in ‘The Washington Post’ on the 26th January, 2010. On this very day we observe our Republic Day and naturally the article is meaningful to some extent to the Indian.
A short term visit to India set her thinking about the present scenario of India. “The Amber Fort is the same; the pink buildings still glow in the early-morning sun … The last time I (the writer) was in Jaipur, India’s capitalist revolution had not yet begun…. Tourism is a luxury, one that is now available to millions of Indians thanks to two decades of growth….:All around the world, rising prosperity and rising patriotism go hand in hand. But what sort of patriotism is India’s going to be?”—These are some of the fine scoops demand attribution.
In China the leaders “treat all internal criticism as treason, declare themselves impervious to world opinion and demonstrate their power by snubbing President Obama at a climate summit. Russian patriotism, meanwhile, often takes on a neo-imperialist tinge. Russian leaders, expressing a self-confidence born of oil wealth, indulge in saber-rattling and sometimes physical attacks on their neighbors.”
“Indian patriotism could develop in either direction. Saber-rattling is not exactly unheard of here, and nationalist sentiment has appeared in unexpected places…. Resistance to internal criticism and even the repression of dissidents are not unknown here either, especially in the poorer provinces.”
“India’s newly wealthy had ignored the continued suffering of the poor and, in particular, the ongoing violations of human rights.” In spite of such unhealthy disturbances “no one was afraid to say anything out loud. It’s that sort of patriotism, so hard to find in China and Russia, that gives India its lively novelists, its open public culture, its energetic film industry. That sort of patriotism, if it can be encouraged and maintained, will keep Indian politics diverse and democratic over time — even if its economy stops growing.”
“At the moment, democracy is out, authoritarianism is in, and it is fashionable in many parts of Asia to claim that rapid economic growth requires censorship and central political control. India presents a real alternative to that model.”
A pencil sketch of the writer claims to be original in the present scenario in India. In this context the writer pull down China and Russia in the perspective of democracy. As we all know “by the people, of the people and for the people” is something not easy achievable. Embedded with various religion and culture, so many political ideologies, India stands unparalleled till today. I would like to encourage her for an oil painting.
Being constantly disturbed by some of the neighbors, we maintain orderliness parallel to the USA. Our origin is deep rooted in Santana Dharma and we expect to thrive gradually both materially and spiritually. Stay with us; we will lead the world along with the USA. In particular, we find Ma-Mahajnan, a living deity and a spiritual genius to guide us with the Immensity of her contribution. She stands matchless as the most outstanding and original thinker.
Let Obama, US President, be given sufficient time to fight against the bits and pieces of so many hazards throughout the entire world. Here we have Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh in the fore to help him in every respect. And in West Bengal, would you please glance through the activities of enthusiast Mamata Banerjee, our Railway Minister? Amalgamated we should and must thrive in every respect.
