Secularism In Politics

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

In political terms, Secularism is the separation of religion and government. The word was first used in the year 1851 by George Jacob Holyoake a British writer. It is very likely that his reference to Christianity and coexistence of other religions, and allowing practicing of every religion with equal rights, and outside of the government as secularism. Considering that politics have been around for as long as human life, the description of the word secularism and its active use in political language is quite new to the humanity.

India is a state that declares itself as a secular society, and in general terms the country by far may be the most secular country on earth. The difficulties of day to day religious strife has come in to force just before the 1947 independence and the division of the country. Even after the communal strife with the independence and separation of the country, Indians do have great camaraderie with each other irrespective of the religion they practice and they coexist without much communal strife.

Common man in India, although belonging to different religions do not find it difficult to live together with multiple religions in a single community. Indians identify the religious differences with dignity and clarity and most times have great respect for each other, and have no issues of living together and in peace. It is rather a great mix of people, religions and castes who all live in peace and harmony, until political elements are injected into the communities. The difficulties of religion comes into play when the political elements interject religion into their politics and force the issues of differences among people.

Prior to 1947 there was little religious strife in India. The nation was ruled by Hindus and Muslims and some parts by other religions, and people were subject to same rules of the country and not different set of rules for different community. They were identified as who they are and primarily the work they did and religion went hand in hand, rather than what they practiced as a religion. The respect for every religion was a part of the greater Indian fabric and people simply lived together and practiced whatever religion they chose to embrace.

The injection of race and religion into politics in India has become common since the independence, and as the time goes by the political parties are using the religion as a political tool and delivering speeches to the insecurities of the nations population. The infiltration of destabilizing elements into to India from the neighbors, couple with terrorist activities and continues rhetoric of politicians and international elements; all of them add to the insecurities of the general population.

The political parties both national and regional constantly remind people of their secular credentials while also injecting the fear of each other into the general population. India in principal is a secular nation and before and after 1947, has continued to be a secular nation. In fact the word secular came into English language long after the greater India rulers have practiced the secularism as long as the country existed.

The current politicians are anything but secular, and their constant claims to secularism is far from the truth. For a human being to practice secularism, there is no need to reinforce it daily, as if it is practiced it is a daily routine, rather than a politicians speech. The country has a lot of other economic and real issues to deal with rather than worry about secularism, which is a part and parcel of the Indian fabric. There is no need to remind the people of being secular as they already are. What is is required by the politicians is that they avoid fueling to the religious fears of the people and stay focused on what they need to deliver to the needs of the ever growing population.

Irrespective of what happens in the country and outside of it, India will remain a secular country and people will be living happily coexistence, unless politicians interject the fear of each other. The electorate need not be fearful of itself, rather of poor politics and poor resource management by the elected representatives. We no longer live in a kingdom but in a democracy and we already know how to be secular as Indians, without being told that there are problems with coexistence.

Reinventing India

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

India and its population has been growing at an unprecedented rate, and in a decade or two India could be the largest populous country on earth. While the human explosion is not just the worrisome factor for the largest democracy on earth, it is the stagnant and stale leadership of the country and its states that has been in the dark ages for almost all of its time since the Independence from the British in 1947. The leadership, the followers and one person based build-up of the political parties and their ideology have not caught-up with the present day needs of the country and also the country's position in the global scenario. We continue to have the centuries old mindset of hero worship the leader and not put the public interest first.

Global economies and leadership are constantly changing and economic considerations and human resources drive the political and people agenda in most of the world. In most global democracies leaders get elected and leaders get replaced based on their commitment to positive change and people's agenda. India although the largest democracy on earth, still seem to be stuck in the medieval times in following the leadership, and only paying obedience to the leadership. Although we no longer have kings and kingdoms, the mentality of the elected people has been stuck in medieval times; blindly follow the leadership. Changing global dynamics and massive population and depleting resources and political greed, will not allow for the country to cater to the needs of its people first.

May be the British rule for so long and perhaps the invaders of India prior to the British, who practiced the that accepting the way of life with “baksheesh” has been well engrained in Indian culture and its people, it is catastrophic in nature for the country. Every aspect of the people and resource management of the country requires whetting of the hand at every level of the administration, its not just a small gift in return for a job well done, it is a greater portion of the resources that are lining the pockets of a few politicians than that are being invested into the economy of the country.

Even if we ignore the way of life of our religion and culture, the father of the nation constantly demonstrated and practiced Life of simplicity. We as Indians only have his name on our lips and never practice or respect his ideology. We only grab what we can and take whatever comes our way, and never want to be satisfied for what we work for. The father of the nation looking down on us must be wondering about what ever happened to his people, and more so his teachings. None of us want to worry about our neighbors and our society, we only want to worry about ourselves.

While Indians want to look forward to positive and futuristic changes to the society, individuals will seldom contribute to extending support to others. We are always looking for divine intervention, but seldom practicing the teachings from the history of the nation. Our respect for the resources and nature is seldom reflected in our day to day living. The continued and destructive natural calamities brought on everywhere in India are not really natural disasters, rather man made mismanagement that contribute to the destruction we face almost in every season of every year.

More than a billion people and growing, it is difficult to plan for controlling the demands of the population and basing them on available resources. The country will have to find the stomach to reinvent itself, and it must be through education, employment and looking forward to peace and prosperity. Politicians and people wanting power need to really look at the founding father's example of “service to people” rather than bank balances. There must be pride in representing people, rather than politics as a business enterprise.

Leadership and commitment to the people and making India First in the agenda of politicians will certainly point to reinventing India again and again, and when it needs to be challenged. We have the people power and knowledge power, and also the resources and needs to become self-reliant and self-sustaining. We just have to start by reinventing our individual attitudes to the country and our fellow-citizens, and then the country will start to be reinventing to a forward looking and progressive democracy, envisioned by the father of our nation.

God alone and prayer will not be able to solve the insurmountable issues that the country has without the greed of politicians and bureaucrats. It does require extended planning and unflinching commitment from elected officials at all levels to look for common good of all the people of the country. The nation has the natural resources and human resources to help meet the demands of its ever growing population and ever growing demands on its infrastructure. We can start with one or a few leaders who will make country first and then reinvent the process of building a happy and prosperous India that has the best interests of its citizens first.

Any Reason For Worry?

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The chief minister of Gujarat, Mr. Modi has been elevated to lead the main opposition party in general elections next year, and just a couple of days ago he was announced as the priministarial candidate of BJP, if they come into forming a government at the center if the elections are held in 2014. If the elections are held in 2014 is a real question based on the history of Congress in India, but all likelihood that next 12 months will be full of political super action in India. The rhetoric and accusations and counters will equal to some of the greatest action movies of India, if not the world. The public will be spared no time to worry about themselves and will have themselves inundated with abusive coverage for months to come.

The interesting challenge for the ruling party was to present its own candidate who will become prime minister if they acquire a majority of the parliamentary seats. They simply announced that their younger leader Rahul Gandhi will be an inclusive leader who will embrace all sections of the electorate where as Narendra Modi will be a divisive force in the nation with his hinduvata feelings.

Everyone in India and everyone who follows Indian politics and government agree to the need of changes required to the policy and power of India, where as the current party in power (twice in a row) would like to remain in power while promoting a new member of the political dynasty to the people of India. The main opposition wants Mr. Modi to take the leadership of the nation, which has been struggling with internal and external pressures.

The critics of Mr. Modi target him for his links to his religion and hinduvata. The Congressmen present Rahul Gandhi as a savior of the party and the nation. Until a couple of week, Mr. Modi was a fantastic regional leader with great people, political and business skills which all has shaped his state into a model for development. If you speak to just about everyone from Gujarat, irrespective of their political affiliation or whatever caste or religion they belong they have a high regard for what is happening in Gujarat. Gujarati’s are more favorable to their state than that of any other NRIs of other states of Indian origin. Some give very high praise to Mr. Modi, and some simply praise the development in their state without acknowledging Mr. Modi, but all of them are quite fond of what is happening in their state, and full of praise for the development in the state. The fact of the matter is that in general the Gujarati’s from India and the NRI's both contribute to development of their state, and take a lot of interest in what is happening there.

Mr. Modi's skills in managing the state and its bureaucracy is highlighted through his time in politics and his ability to mobile people and organize efforts are well documented and recognized. He has worked hard within the party ranks and various channels leading to the position of chief minister, and now being elevated as the party's candidate for prime minister. Even people who dislike him will grudgingly admit to his skills to organize and mobilize. One and probably the biggest asset he has is of not having baggage to carry to do any favors for family as he identifies no family connections in his resume, and doesn't have a long list of people who might use his name to seek favors. This man is hardcore politician and sees development as a model for helping his state and people.

Mr. Modi is also quite articulate and pointed. His speeches are full of directness and wit, and sometimes quite effective in getting into the skin of his opponents. His elevation in Gujarat was never questioned nor opposed, but his elevation at the national level has been seeing a lot of opposition from not just the opposition parties but also some with in his own party. While no one is questioning his leadership skills and organizational abilities, some point to his religious views. We will all forget that every leader comes from a different community and India has historically was never influenced by a single person's views on religion. India and its people should never worry about what will be the view of prime minister on religion, rather his or her competence in managing the millions of things that are of importance to the country, and having the abilities to focus on India and Indians. He or she should make every effort to stop the scams and cheating by the elected politicians and high level bureaucrats, and do everything in power to protect the resources of the country only for the use of its people.

It is not going to be an automatic decision to make one of these gentlemen as the next prime minister of India. Indian always springs surprises on its people and electorate, and next national elections can be one full of surprises. There is a lot of drama with regional parties and their interests aligning with their local requirements, and caste, religion, sects, language and whatever other factors will be a factor in electing and choosing the next parliamentary party to lead the nation and then a leader.

Its good to have these two men identified as their respective party's candidate to run the country, but we have a very long way to go before the elections. At this point of time no party might get the absolute majority to form the government and they will have to work with a number of alliances and regional parties to form the government. All we can do is look forward to the next general elections and see how the drama plays out. There is never a reason to be concerned about just one leader of the country, rather we must focus on eliminating the corruption and eliminating the thievery of national resources.

Policing The World

vasureddy@aol.com
Vasu Reddy From Chicago

The United States once again is looking at intervening in the internal conflict in Syria. For the past couple of years thousands of innocent people have died and millions have been displaced from their homes. The images from Syria are haunting with devastated country and death and destruction all over. The displacement of people simply brings back into memory the past wars which continue to be fresh in our minds.

Why people kill each other and destroy their own belongings is really a question that doesn’t have an answer. Since the beginning of time humans are their worst enemy. We have found every which way to create differences and destroy each other, and with each passing day there is more and more hatred for our own being.

Syria is the latest human tragedy, where people are simply being killed and displaced for no fault of their own, just for being in the country. There is no rhyme or reason for the killings except groups fighting one another for whatever cause they believe in, and a government which is using all its might and brutality to kill its own people, and a bunch of groups from outside fighting and killing indiscriminately. For more than two years killing and destruction has been going on and no one wants to intervene and stop the killing. The couple of weeks ago incidents on gassing people and the videos showing the human suffering is difficult to look at, but for some reason or the other the world doesn’t want to either get involved to stop the killing nor parts of the world doesn’t want to acknowledge the killings. A lot of discussion and debate on who is doing it and how to handle the situation and threats and finger pointing, while the people continue to get killed and displaced.

Whatever the debate that the rest of the world is having the people of Syria have continued to suffer and getting killed. Kids and women have nothing to look forward to but fear, with no schools or work, no markets or homes and nothing but destruction and death. The whole world sees these images daily and just gasps, but no one wants to stop the carnage. We just don't know what to do as the rest of the world is not in agreement with the steps to intervention. We show images of suffering and we give speeches on how bad it is, but really don't agree on anything that needs to be done to help the civilians who are in the line of fire, and have lost everything they ever had.

The countries with resources don't agree on the plan of action, and even the most democratic countries are not keen on involvement. When you hear the next person saying we are waiting for UN to report something, while viewing the carnage first hand. The US President doesn’t have the support of the electorate nor the elected officials, and so is the others nations which might have to form a coalition to stop the killing. With each war and with each intervention the countries have great experience that Afghanistan, Iran and other areas have never been a happy intervention by the international community. The helpful hand that was extended has never been appreciated and the way out of the conflicts have always been bitter and, bad for the counties who interfered.

Always all the time the human interest and national or global interest is there in getting involved in other nations internal conflicts. The price paid by the international community has been enormous, while the internal conflicts certainly destroy their own country and kill their own people, unabated.

Countries are not indifferent to human suffering, but the politicians have no support from their constituents to go and get involved in conflicts that perhaps have no end, and will only bite the future of the helping hand. People although being killed and displaced by their own rulers, most times are not receptive of others coming in and getting involved in their internal conflicts. There is always a call for international intervention, but the after the intervention reception has been always hostile. Syria is begging for help, along with nations surrounding Syria with the flow of refugees, but when the leaders of international community look for support from their constituents, very little support s being extended.

The reluctance of the international community is based on more than just lack of public support, but also what will transpire once you intervene and how do you get out? Get out is not just withdraw but also the after effects of the intervention, and almost assured negative reaction of the country you thought you were helping. While the leaders of the world who want to intervene are probably sincere in their public speeches, their public is reluctant to police the world. While we want to stop the carnage, we also are wary of the long term and negative consequences of the helping hand.

Minding My Own Business

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

There is absolutely nothing I can do or add to the crisis of dividing my state in India. Absolutely nothing. Since we all heard the announcement from the Congress leadership that Andhra Pradesh will be split into parts, there has been a lot said and written for and against the division by all people of the state all over the world. I too have written several weeks on the confusion that has raised from the decision to bifurcate the state, and it is absolutely and utterly confusing at best and there is no plan, process or people's involvement into how to go about dividing the state, except Congress have to split the state, and that's it.

I can't seem to mind my own business about the decision to split my state, and however much I discuss this with whosoever who may want to discuss it, and however much I write about the decision and its haphazardness and what might happen to my brothers who live in the state; a plethora of issues that I am incapable to even thinking about, and everyone else in India and outside keep talking about and discussing on the decision to separate my state, by there is not a thing we can do about it, except talk and talk.

While the non resident Andhra folks have been looking at the internet, watching every possible Indian channel on cable television, and burning the telephone lines with their friends and family (some with even total strangers), and a few NRI even going on hunger strike in the USA and some other countries in support of a united Andhra Pradesh, the center's decision as communicated has been as stated, and no change in the posturing of the ruling party. The folks that used to go on hunger strikes, and destruction and suicides and constant saber rattling have gone silent as their demand for a separate state has been accepted by the central government and they are now making new threats and demands on the so called settlers. The whole exercise has been quite television worthy, and for those who are living faraway, it is a reminder of helplessness and what is happening in the good old state.

From ten thousand miles away I have absolutely no influence on even making a case for anything that people are fighting for in the state. There in no discussion happening amongst the leaders with any influence that seems to appeal to the general public in the state, and the center after making the wild decision to separate the state is unable to present a plan that can appease the people. It is a guarantee that whatever the central leadership announces or decides next will further make a mess out of a already messy situation. No one will like it, and everyone will simply dismiss it as a heavy handed and political decision made for survival, rather than in the best interest of the state.

The whole mess is fodder for news magazines and television channels and great business for telephone companies and internet providers and anyone who can transmit the situation. Its an overload of useless and unwanted information that increases anxiety of the audiences. I try not to worry about the ramifications of a separate state and next trip to my home state, I might have to land in an airport that is no longer in my state. Not that the airport makes a whole load of difference but it will sure fell strange, for the very fact that the last time I left it was my state's pride possessions with a brand new and shiny airport, and now I will have to land in another state and then travel thru a couple districts to get back into my state. I really want to mind my business and not get too excited about the ramifications of the division, but I keep thinking about it, and it makes no absolute sense to keep pondering the situation.

People of the state have already started discussion on how best to deal with the separation and probably want this thing to be done and over with. The kids are not going to school and people don't want to work anymore, and everyone is protesting about something or the other. So, the difficulty of leading a normal life has really become difficult. The guessing game on what might happen to the new state and its capital, and its water requirements, its infrastructure and its everything is up in the air and no one has answers to the real questions. All you hear is we will do justice to both of the divided regions of a state.

It is a constant reminder that life will not be the same for my folks, and for some of my family and friends who have relocated for work and business and have made new home for themselves, and their kids who are all of a sudden being told that they might have to relocate to their parents native place, but it is not theirs. No one for sure knows what to expect after the division as the politicians continue to create as much noise as they possibly can, without any answers on the questions people have. Everyone is worried and that’s exactly what is probably the reaction wanted by the central government. They have no idea of what they have planned to do except keep people on the edge while they figure out how to get more seats in the parliament to be in power. The government at the center want to mind their own business; which is try to get back into power for one more term, and here we are trying to figure out what our business will be in the future, or if we will have anything left for doing business.

Splitting Because of a Rookie?

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The state continues to be in turmoil and in agitation, and several weeks after the announcement of splitting Andhra Pradesh the tempers continue to be high. The children going to school and the workers going to work and the vendors and buyers and travelers and tourists; everyone is agitating or agitated. There is continued destruction and strife amidst the uncertainty of what will happen next with the division and what will be the consequences of separation?

The discussion on the main reason for separation being the influence of Jagan leading into the next election is discussed as the foremost in all the decisions made by the ruling party. Over decades of separation sentiment no party in power at the center declared their intention to separate the state, and Andhra Pradesh remains untied despite the sometimes real and sometimes mild discussions for separation of the regions. Politically it did not suit anyone in the center to support the division of Telugu speaking people.

The state delivered the parliamentary seats to the current ruling party in the last two election cycles along with the state government, and there was no reason to contemplate the separation of the state with things in favor of the party in power. The current state of affairs are very unfavorable both in the center and in the state, and status quo will probably be a zero benefit to Congress. Something has to be done to win the parliamentary seats and also possibly retain power in the state. The announcement to separate the state was going to bring support from the region agitation for separation, and also position the party in positive light in the region against the split, but the outcome of the announcement has been exactly the opposite. The appeacement of the separation movement did not workout as anticipated and the merger of the lone party that has been driving the separation has not been forthcoming, rather it has become a more contentious. The ruling party's decision has not been welcome in any region of the state as there are so much ambiguity in the process, no one is sure of what will be the reality when the state is divided.

Few people in leadership have come out and said that the decision of the ruling party has been made to counter Jagan's growing influence, and the near certainty of his part's victory in the upcoming elections; both at the state and central elections. This week there is one leader who has come out and said, that the congress had only one reason to declare the separate statehood; Jagan and his party. There is no doubt in this assertion and politically it may have back fired on the Congress losing out across the state. The the Telangana region the region if the regional party doesn’t merge with Congress, the ruling party will score Zero, and in the rest of Andhra Congress will score a Zero whatever its decision on the state.

The opposition parties have no loss or gain from the separation, except Jagan might have had the hold on the united Andhra Pradesh, instead of a separated state. The assumption that the congress will come into power in both regions by a simple virtue of its decision is at best the worst political blunder in the Indian democracy. The state has lost all its normal functioning and destruction everywhere, and no one is happy with the consequences of the decision. Work stoppages and property destruction continue and there is no stopping from rhetoric against everyone and everything. The state is unhappy with one decision or the other and the gloom of doom is all over the place, simply because of the way the decision was made and announced.

If the state was being divided for one single reason; avoid putting Jagan in power then the results have not yielded what was expected. The assumption of the separation movement will disappear and it will get merged into congress also seem to be farfetched. The entire state is unhappy with the regular announcements that come from the center and the posturing of the state leadership. It did not produce the desired results rather has created uncertainty and mistrust amongst the people.

Congress has run out of steam and ideas for leadership in the state, and perhaps need to be wise in the future steps leading to separation. The decisions made for Andhra have started demands in the other parts of the nation for separation, and a lot of fodder for the opposition parties. Its a no win situation, and if the announcement had any bearing on an individual politician who is new to politics, the ruling party has missed the boat by miles.

Rama's Bridge

http://timesofindia.speakingtree.in/spiritual-slideshow/seekers/mysticism/ram-setu-fact-or-fiction/29790
 

Playing to the Audience

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The politicians of Andhra Pradesh are really trying hard to keep their constituents in good cheer, by playing to their fears and apprehensions. Since the division of the state has been in the news, there is more openness in their opinion on where they stand with the division of the state. It is not a new decision for the politicians to make, as their stance on the united or separate state is aligned with the region of the state they come from, and now that the Congress in the center has decided to announce its intention to divide the state, politicians have to come out in support of, or dividing the state; simply to play to their constituents.

The biggest drama is from the ruling party itself, as its leaders have always thought that the central leadership will continue to waffle on the decision making, were caught with the sudden decision to announce a divided Andhra Pradesh. They were always proclaiming to be abiding to the decision of the Central leadership, and once the decision was made their constituents did not like the decision made by the leaders in Delhi. Their leadership did not take the state leaders into confidence while announcing the decision, and no matter what the state leadership presented to the powers to be, did not help in the announcement.

The center has only one agenda, to survive in the center, and whatever consequences of their decision doesn't really matter to them. They were only counting how many seats they might win in the next election which is coming up in 2014. The issues of people have seldom been on the agenda of INS, and this decision too was not an issue of the government rather a decision of the politics.

Now that the center has gone ahead and announce their decision to split the state, the elected politicians have to pay the cards to keep their constituents still interested in voting for them in the next elections. They have to now think of a new act for the public to view and reelect them, while they have to keep the central leadership also pleased in their public support of the decision made for their state.

Congressmen have always suffered the humiliation meted out to them by the central leadership, and this instance is nothing new to them. Someone who is interested in continuing in power, and faraway from the people of the state will make decisions that are detrimental to the state, and there is absolutely nothing that the leaders of the state can do to support it. The claims to abide by the central leadership is only true if the center makes decisions in support of the local leaders and their constituents, not when the local constituents are 100% opposed to the decision of the center.

There are supporters of the separation, and their voices have been quite vocal until the announcement was made to split the state. The voices of people who want a united state have been mute until the elected politicians who represented them were blindsided by the decision to divide them. Now they have to play to the voices of people to keep their elected office at least for the current term. No one in the electorate is supportive of the congress politicians and their positions and posturing taken within their party, and nothing can save the party in united Andhra Pradesh as people of all regions are disenchanted with the party and their decision making. It might be likely that Congress might form poll alliances with the separatist parties and might also be able to play to the tensions of all of the people of the state. It is certain that they will not be able to retain the current number of seats in the parliament. It might also be possible that the alliances that congress anticipated might not happen, now that the decision to separate the state has been announced.

Elections are a year away and anything can happen between now and the next elections. For sure the congressmen will have to come up with a brand new set of script to play to their electoral audience. It will be quite interesting to see what they will tell people. The dramas of resignations has run out of steam, and their current voicing of anger has already been heard by the people. It is worth the wait and watch to see what these congressmen will enact for the people.

The Divided States of Andhra Pradesh

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Within days of the announcement by the Congress government on splitting the state into two regions, the people of Andhra Pradesh have simply forgotten their common bind having been a united Andhra Pradesh. Everyone is simply in favor of a separation or a united Andhra Pradesh for different reasons; which seem to come out of nowhere and only after the announcement of breaking up of the state. All of a sudden there is nothing in common for the same people who have lived together for generations. There are no common interests, no common identity, no common politics, and no common anything; if you listen to the rhetoric or read the news papers. Andhra Pradesh has become like two countries that seem to not coexist as one people, rather two states that simply loathe each other.

All of the bickering is fueled by the politicians who probably will have nothing to gain but a term in the office, and survival just because of the rhetoric that fuels the hatred in people. There is a comingling of people from the different parts of the state, in fact from all parts of the nation; over decades of working together, marriage and migration, education and employment and many other normal and natural aspects of human existence. It is not just people of the same state, but people of all states and all countries adapt to their environment as it best fits the needs of the land. It is not a foreign concept for people to migrate and adapt to their new home. The kids grow up to become entrenched into the new place much faster than the adults, and in reality it is their real home. People of all walks move constantly, and for a fact some statistics in the USA refer that 20% of the population moves every year, which is a normal and natural way of life which takes people wherever there is opportunity and need.

The situation in Andhra Pradesh is fueled by emotion and rhetoric rather than common sense. Every politician is claiming the injustices done to their region and how they will make it better or what might be worse for their region, thus fueling the fears of the public. These are the same guys who have represented people of the state for a long time, and the injustices meted out to their regions were not an issue for their time in the office to date? What were they doing in Hyderabad or in Delhi if things were so bad that other regions of the state were stealing from them? Why did they not raise the issues in public forum as elected representatives of their individual constituencies on a regular basis to make sure that they received the necessary allocations to meet the demands of their people? There are a thousand questions that come into mind on the idiots who are elected to represent the interests of the people. Each one of the elected representative is better off monetarily after getting elected to public office, and not a single one of them can claim that they are not better off after getting elected, and their family and friends get favors bestowed on them that are not available for the common man.

To divide or not to divide the state is not a common man’s issue. It is a political and power issue. The common man goes where there is opportunity and also looks for a stable and well managed economic situation, and not wanting to be in a constant state of fear and posturing by the few individuals who seek to further their personal ambitions by stoking the flames of fear amongst the people. The media channels constantly feed on the negative coverage and sensationalizing the statements of the politicians, which in turn create constant uncertainty in people. No one knows what is true and what rhetoric is.

India is famous for its fights about division of family properties and we constantly have examples of how brothers fight with brothers, and families kill each other over division of what is left behind by their ancestors. Siblings turn into enemies and friends become foes overnight when the time comes to dividing wealth. Dividing the state is no different, and our inherent attitude to keep everything for our own self is not going to go away with the division of the state. It is engrained in us, that we want all the wealth and give nothing to our siblings. The division of the state will face the same separation issues as we face in our family properties being split. There will be a lot of bad mouthing and bickering and nothing will be polite and gentlemanly.

We are at a point of no return and are heading for a split, and as we can see from the last few days of destruction. It is difficult to separate the state and satisfy all involved, and it has also become increasingly evident that the people in high places will not allow us to be together. This is going to play out like any other family situation embroiled in separation, with a lot of acrimony and animosity. It is our age old practice to divide and live by destroying each other and fighting within family.

United States of Andhra Pradesh

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

If we have three people from Andhra Pradesh, we might have several factions and groups, which might be aligned with everything under the sun.  One has to wonder how we can be called Telugu people with so much uncommon in our attitudes towards each other, and so much animosity to each other, even if we don’t belong to different districts of the state.  We can be neighbors and still don’t like each other.  Our differences are with everything from language, slang, caste, religion, and even street to street, from the regional differences.  Even our language has its own nuances and there is nothing that holds us together as one people and one state, and it is hard to imagine how the Telugu language survived such animosity between people that speak the language.

The late and beloved NTR fought for pride of the Telugu People until his death and his success as a politician was primarily based on the self determination and upholding the pride of Telugu people.  We Telugu people somehow were in one state of Andhra Pradesh for more than five decades and most of it strife ridden and un-cohesive as a unit of one language speaking people.  If there was a group of people who really lived together in indifference to each other, there is no better example than people of Andhra Pradesh.  Within their native places in India and when they migrate to other states or countries, we are so divisive in projecting ourselves as one unit.

The current situation with declaring the division of Andhra Pradesh into two separate states by the central government should come as no surprise to the people of Andhra Pradesh.  It does not behold the wishes of the common man, but is true to the politics of congress (divide and rule) and a few politicians in the state that keep driving the wedge of hatred on the regional basis of the current state.  We the people really believe in the constant badgering of hatemongering through every media outlet, and some innocents have given their life to the cause of separate statehood.  No amount of blood and destruction and hatred has been instrumental in declaration of separate statehood for the regions in Andhra Pradesh, but a political decision by a party that clearly doesn’t care about the socio-economic issues of any state, but only self-interest of its survival at the center.

We have destroyed enough infrastructures and killed enough innocents and spoke badly of everyone and anything in the world, and then come this unilateral declaration by the center without consultations and relevance to the state.  No one seems happy about the division once it was announced and the pro-division leaders and parties will no longer have any relevance to existence, and the anti-division leaders have no plans for a divided state.  The people are so polarized amongst themselves they have no idea of the impact or relevance of the division of the state and how and what needs to be done to make anything better in their environment.  The pro-division forces have already made comments on sending people to their original regions and the reactions from opposition have been swift and with some more violence.

There is no place for anyone to look from ten thousand miles away and make a recommendation on the separation or unification of any state or people.  The well being of a language and its race is more important than politics or people’s agendas.  The current state of the Telugu people is really up in limbo as their best interests or their economic considerations have not been fully thought out, and the leadership that might lead the divided state is not really showing any inclination to a partition that bears fruits to the people.  All this looks staged and political and has not put Telugu people first.

Goodbye Henry

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

Henry was put to sleep on 24^th of July 2013.  The Greek term” Euthanasia” or the good death was upon him as he was no longer able to function on his own.  Animal euthanasia (from Greek, meaning "good death") is the act of humanely putting an animal to death or allowing it to die as by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to continue supporting the animal, or laboratory test procedures. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress. Euthanasia is distinct from animal slaughter and pest control, which are performed for purposes other than an act of mercy, although in some cases the killing procedure is the same.

In domesticated animals, this process is commonly referred to by euphemisms such as "lay down", "put down", "put to sleep", or "put out of its/his/her misery".  When he was put to sleep, Henry was 12 ½ years old when he really was unable to survive on his own and was very sick.

Henry was a yellow Labrador, and he was runt of the litter when Jamie picked him up from the owners’ of his parents.  Jamie was there when he was born, and since his adoption has always lived with Jamie and his family.  Jamie and his three children; Alex, Andrew and Alison and their cat Milo were a team.  Jamie is my brother and friend, every day I would get an update on how the guys were doing and never forgot Henry and Milo’s update, until last week when Henry’s time has come to go.  The kids are on holiday and they are away visiting grandparents and still don’t know of Henry’s passing away, and Jamie has not yet figured out how to tell them.  It will be hard to tell them that Henry who has been a part of their entire life is gone, and will not be around to watch them.

I have never seen Henry in person, but he was very much a part of Jamie and his family and they were very much attached to him, and he towards them.  I never had a dog, as I did not live at home most of my life and when I grew up never made an effort, but always admired the animals and their love of humans.  Dogs, cats, horses and domesticated animals in India such as cows, buffalos and chickens and goats, and whatever we chose to raise and care for, and at the same time they have their undivided devotion to their owners.

Henry’s loss is deeply felt, and also brings into the question of Euthanasia.  The doctor, the owner and the surroundings determine the final decision to put down the animal, and it must be a difficult choice to make for the humans involved.  It is just to see that the suffering ends in a kind and gentle manner, albeit a very painful and heartfelt decision to make.  Good bye Henry.

Financial Reality

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Last week the newspapers highlighted that the City of Detroit has declared bankruptcy.  It’s a major city that is renowned for it its car manufacturing; being the home of the biggest car manufacturers in the world including GM, Ford and Chrysler along with many other auto businesses, and their suppliers and support services. This is the motor city which is the capital of auto manufacturing in the world, and just went bankrupt.

Detroit not only lost its good credit, but also a major portion of its population.  Only in America this happens that a major city is allowed to follow the natural course of correcting its financial abilities, and Detroit declaring bankruptcy should not be regarded as a shameful event, rather the nation facing the reality with changes to population, jobs, infrastructure and a slew of financial and accounting issues that are a fact of life.

It is quite commonplace for individuals and companies to face bankruptcy and restructuring the balance sheet to get back into facing normalcy of the day, after going thru tough economic times.  It is also fact that not having the foresight forces bankruptcy, and the country allows for restructuring and reentry into a normal financial status after a period of time where you are allowed to restructure the balance sheet, and start fresh and start contributing to the economy once again.

What is a cultural shock is to read about a major city like Detroit declaring bankruptcy.  It probably is a long time coming for this city and perhaps a few more big and small cities that have lost a large portion of their tax revenues and also population.  Detroit is still a great city with a big suburban population which is still very much blustering with people and jobs, it is just that the city of Detroit that has lost its people and revenues beyond a reasonable rate to sustain its cost structure.

The news papers cover the story in front pages and display the empty streets and boarded-up homes, and lost population.  They also highlight the imbalance with the balance sheet and the city no longer able to pay its bills, and also highlight all the wrongs of the situation now.  No one wants to take into account that a major or minor city cannot go bankrupt overnight.  The support for borrow and spend attitude of the people in power goes from Washington to states, major cities, small cities and small towns and villages.  Everyone wants everything on earth and the best services to be provided, but no one is willing to pay for the benefits that they are asking the cities or states and the country.  The gap between incoming revenues and outgoing expenses along with the demand for services (along with growing dependence on the state and national support for services for the new population) only gets wider and wider as people don’t want to pay for the demand for services by the new population, along with the old commitments that are already on the books.  It should come as no shock to people who are leading the city to bankruptcy, and everyone wants services but don’t want to pay for them.  As drastic as bankruptcy sounds, Detroit declaring bankruptcy should be an an eye opener for both people and administrators.  You cannot have a good thing going on forever and not account for it or pay for it.  No free lunch.

As bad as it sounds about a major city going bankrupt, it should serve as an eye opener for managing the resources and also the people.  Jobs, relocation, immigration, changes to economy, demographics, management and whatever else is required to manage the resources of the entire nation needs to be in focus, rather than a single city facing bankruptcy.  All People in the country, politicians and the administrators; all as a group needs to start to look at this as an exercise to live within available means.

Equality for All

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The democratic nations are still undergoing the metamorphosis of acceptance that all people are created with equal importance and equal rights.  Granted that women and men are biologically different, and people come in all shapes and sizes and colors; all said and done; we humans are equal to one other.  Over centuries of cultivated traditions and cultures and the human behavior to make rules that best suit the powerful, many things we know as norms have been followed by societies.  In varying degrees men and women have different behaviors and roles in daily life, and the society itself over time has made up some way of life for men and women.

In the recent decades there has been a gradual detachment to the age old rules and traditions laid out for men and women, and people in some parts of the world have been embracing the equality aspect of all a bit more progressively than others.  Democracies have also been fostering the equality for all a little more actively than other forms of governments.  Many of the democracies such as UK and India, along with many others have already had women national leaders, demonstrating that women can lead large nations and do so effectively.  There is no question in the equality aspect for humans when it comes to intelligence and dedication; just that we must be in an environment that fosters education and dignity.

Civil rights movement, gay rights movement, fighting for religious freedom and minority rights movement and many other instances where a certain group of people raise their voices to achieve equality in the society have been done and will continue to be in force as long as human beings exist.  We as a clan disagree often and show individual preference for way of life often.  There is nothing wrong in individual choices, just that we don’t want to trample on others right to exist.

Although India is the largest (and probably going to be) democracy on earth the differences of opinions of people are rampant.  We are a country which fosters secularism, and thus a greater variety of disagreements within the population.  The languages spoken, the caste system, the parochial attitudes and whatever human fragilities we can imagine are engrained in the population of the country, which is at best difficult to have any kind of consensuses.  We constantly argue and debate and disagree more than any other human population, and just about every Indian wants to see the other guy be a fool rather than achieve.  We seldom have praise for our fellow citizens, and rarely have one voice against our nation or our people.  We squabble over everything and disagree on just about everything.  The sates and districts, towns and villages and even small gatherings of people typically are against something than for something.  Granted that democracy offers people a choice of opinion, but we are so opinionated; we have multiple opinions on everything.  We as a society thrive on argument rather than unity.

The nations around us; big and small step on our people and policies and we simply argue internally about non-issues rather than act as a unified nation in response to the unprovoked aggression.  When disasters happen we try to blame someone or the other, rather than lending a helping hand.  We have many laws and regulations, but we only want someone else to follow them, and none of us feel that all laws are equal to all people, but we still want equality for all.  Such a dichotomy for our nation but wanting equality, but will not want to follow the rules.

How we can have equality for all if we only want the other person to follow the rules and we ignore the obvious?  A nation of vast population and equally vast values and traditions but people of the nation who disregard the laws and think they are only made for others.  The politicians and leaders who fume the people’s passions based on hatred and distrust continue to feed on the intolerances built into our society, and will continue to want to have people fear of something that is not really there, but believe that it could happen.

We are a very long way from equality for all in the society, and it is difficult to fathom when we can foster such a democratic country.  The politics and policies are continuing to be more regressive to the best interests of the nation, while focusing only on being in power.  The country will be pretty soon out of scams as there is not a single field that has been untouched by some form of a scam.  We are quite some time away from equality for all, as the current crop of politicians and leaders have forgotten what it means to strive for equality.  They are all too busy in trying hard to be in power, and those who are not, trying very hard to get into power.

Divide and Rule

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

From the ancient Greeks to the British until they ruled most of the world use the divide and rule concept quite effectively.  The concept refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller power groups from linking up.  After the British split India 1947 before leaving the Indians and Pakistanis to their own self governance, (later Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1971), they also left Indians with Indian National Congress (“INC”) to govern the newly independent India.  Along with the independence the INC also inherited the divide and rule policy of the British, so well learned were the congressmen in the policies of British, they have continued to follow the divide and rule administrative polices even after many generations of independence from the British.

There is very little of INC and British influence from 1947 on the current crop of politicians.  The ideals of the original founders of INC might have been noble in the cause of driving out the British invaders out of the occupied land, but they rarely thought of self-governance of a large country with diverse religions, languages and agendas.  India is and was very diverse from its original existence, and the land was always of different cultures and traditions.  Prior to and with the invasion of the British, French and Portuguese and others the larger Hindustan was nothing but a loose confederation of kingdoms that coexisted with each other.  They fought with each other and the invaders from the time of Alexander the Great, and even before.  Before the invasion of occupying forces of the Europeans, the greater Hindustan survived and flourished with their kingdoms coexisting with each other and each with great diversity and tradition that is still etched into the societies of today.

Many hundreds of years of invasions, and occupation and the eventual British rule prior to the modern day India, and countries around it, have kept the people and their traditions and languages intact.  The changes in geographic boundaries and technology that allows for instant communications have not been able to wipe out the age old bickering, which was instilled by the British pitting one Indian against other for their gains, and long after the British and other invaders have left India, the bickering continues to exist among the various groups of Indians who are segregated by language, culture and traditions.

The current crop of politicians are continuing to practice the policies of divide and rule even today, while the people seem to be oblivious to the politicking which is continuing to erase the importance of using the limited resources of the nation to build the future, rather keep themselves in power.  There is no question in not being able to meet the demands of many sections of Indian fabric, as each of them have their own fascination with what was wronged to their particular community by the country, ignoring that it is impossible to get representation of every person in the nation at every planning stage.  The politicians who are in power typically try to take care of their own constituents to make effort to represent their electorate, and that is typical of any elected politician.  Some politicians try to play to keep their positions and play to the national leadership and ignore the voices of their constituents, and if the requirements of a certain section of the population get ignored there is bound to be dissatisfaction in the regions that feel ignored.

India for more than a couple of decades has been grappling with center verses states issues that continue to plague the national governance.  The population is getting so large, even a very small percentage of the people are a fairly large vote bank.  Everyone is disgruntled at the leadership, and the leadership really doesn’t have the resources to address the issues of the people.  The bigger issue for the government is to retain power and they continue to only do enough to be in power.  There is no planning to meet the growing population and its needs; rather the government is busy full time in surviving.  The large number of scams in every level of the country and states eat up most of the resources that the nation has, and the government is unable to curb the scams at any level, and they keep cropping up every day.

Now Congress is going to use the divide and rule policy once again, as they have done many times in their rule.  If this one occasion was the only time they have contemplated the division of a state, there could be merit to the decisions heeding to the demands of the people, but the decision making is being contemplated only to keep one party from coming into power, and retaining the power at the center.  Although no decisions have been publicly communicated, the INC seems to adopt the policy of divide and rule once again, but doesn’t seem to take into account the needs and requirements of the population that will be affected by the decisions it will make for the sake of being in power.

Learn and Rebuild

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The devastation caused by heavy rains is continuing to raise the human casualties along with unimaginable loss of property.  There is really little evidence on how many people have been lost in the floods due to the way the Indians keep track of their near and dear ones.  One might never know how many people might have perished in the floods and the loss of livelihood in the aftermath.  One can only imagine about the number of people who perished in their path to devotion.  There is also a lot of talk on the loss of businesses around the temple along with washed away guest houses and other areas that were built around the temple premises.

Now that the devastation has already happened and the human fragility has been completely in the open, it is perhaps a great time to do the right things to necessitate the rebuilding that will allow for the holy places to be intact for thousands of years to come.  To start with these places of worship have been standing the test of time and weather for hundreds of years and they have seen every possible natural causing that we can possibly imagine.  The holy shrines are not new to severe weather; be it snow, rain or any combination thereof, and have been free standing in their pristine surroundings for centuries.  The weather has always been unpredictable, and trying to fight the might of the weather gods has not been possible for humans from the beginning of time.

The devastation caused is not just because of severe weather, but stripping the natural surroundings of the cover it provided to the holy places, and as well as the areas surrounding the mountains and rivers.  Human greed and unplanned development, and me syndrome are the causes of stripping the natural surrounding that protected the pristine places of its protection from flash floods and severe weather.  It is not just the remote and pristine places that are being bulldozed by humans but the entire nation is being abused beyond repairable stage by people, and they simply don’t care about what might happen to their surroundings and what will remain for generations to come.  

The nature has a way of reinventing itself and despite the harshness shown by humans it can typically bounce back with its beauty by rebuilding its natural surroundings by getting a little care from who occupy its surroundings.  The cost of what has happened is immeasurable to both human and natural environment, but steps can be immediately taken to help both the natural habitat and human workforce.

Instead of the country’s politicians bickering over their helping hand to the affected population and the environment, they should immediately adapt to the idea of conservation and reforestation, along with planned development along the forests and rivers.  India has an abundance of people power and intellectual power to develop and execute to preserving the environment and saving the human life; both simultaneously.

With so much rhetoric from the politicians, no immediate actions are taken to help with the physical and psychological aspects of the devastation.  The plan can be very simple to find eminent and experienced people in conservation and have them devise a plan for India’s rivers and forests.  Every nation has natural calamities, and typically the nation comes together to help and restore the environment, while lending helping hand to those who suffer natural calamities.  India with its vast population and fairly reasonable resources should seek the expertise of its people to rebuild its rivers and reforest the nation.  There is no lack of political support to help the people and save the holy places, just that the focus is more on political one-upmanship, rather than helping the needy and saving the environment.

The government and the opposition parties should simply use every resource it has to help rebuild the rivers and canals, and deploy all its resources to reforestation, along with curbing illegal building and development.  While the idea might be simple to say, it will be difficult to practice in India as the national interests will be rarely put ahead of personal and political gain.  When you see the coverage on the plight of the pilgrims compared the coverage of the politicians bickering and taking credit is given more prominence, which clearly shows that idiocy is television worthy.  The nation should react to the disasters as a whole; the volunteers of India can always outnumber the politicians to take charge of protecting the country’s wonderful and pristine landscape, by simply taking steps to help protect the environment.  Before and even after independence India and its population are capable of putting nation first, and putting India’s natural resources first is not out of bounds for the citizens.  It is time to start respecting the precious nature and our surroundings and every able person can help a lending had to rebuild and recreate the magic of India that it was.  God will certainly smile on us when our environment turns back to green forests, wild life and humans coexisting, flowing rivers and pristine and unpolluted nature all around, along with people having respect for each other and mother nature.  Each and every person can help in rebuilding the beautiful country that was and can be with a little bit of effort from every individual.

What Can God Do?

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The flash floods and devastation caused by the melting snow and continuous rain in the holy places in India has been long time coming.  Human greed, human neglect and encroachment, and unplanned development, careless attitude towards nature and every imaginable use of natural resources is the cause for devastation that is unprecedented.  God has always chosen to reside at faraway places which are pristine in nature and hard to reach for thousands of years, but man who with his greed and animosity and utter disregard for the environment and nature is the cause of devastation which is becoming a common occurrence not just in holy places, but the world over.

Far off and pristine places where god chose to reside have become places of worship for everyone, and have become commercial enterprises with roads and buildings, shops and restaurants and hotels and motels; and whatever needed to have humans visit these once faraway and remote places with relative ease.  Everything around the holy shrines once protected by nature and trees and hills and wildlife has been converted to tourist spots with total disregard for the ecosystem and environment.  The holy shrines have survived for hundreds of years without floods or avalanches and natural destruction, but have always welcomed the devotees who were willing to trek to the holy places in faith and devotion, and also taking the most difficult path to see the lord.  Sometimes it took days or weeks by foot, and through the forests and only at a certain time of the year to visit these holy places, but devoted pilgrims made the effort needed to pay their respects to the almighty despite the difficulty of the way to see the good lord.

The last generation or so have made a tourist trade of visiting the holy shrines, and even the remotest of places are being bombarded by tourists who want to be quick pilgrims.  As much as the human indifference to the almighty and the nature surrounding the lord, the encroachment of the surrounding areas of the shrines and deforestation and unplanned building has continued to contribute to the demise of the natural habitat that protected the shrines in the remotest parts of the country.  Everywhere you go, and every place you visit the sea of humanity over powers the feeling of devotion.  People push and shove and shout and spit and have very little regard for people around them.  If you have a little bit of money you use the holiest of the shrines as pleasure trips and bribe your way through the line to see the lord.  The concept of religion and devotion has been taking a real beating by human greed and disregard.

Whatever is happening with Kedarnath, Badrinath and other holy places is truly the causing of the humans.  God cannot help with stopping the human greed and human disregard for fellow humans and nature, god can only point humans to do the right thing.  We; humans are solely responsible for the destruction and devastation of the resources on earth and now we are even targeting the solar system.  We only think of ourselves; just me and me and me, and no one and nothing else.  The greatest gift god gives us is our life, and we choose to destroy and abuse our surroundings and environment, and have no remorse in causing destruction.  We have in a span of four or five generations have destroyed the natural wealth of the earth to extinction, and now are looking for far away planets for occupation and further destruction.

God can’t help us with thinking and planning, as when we are given life we are given the reasoning to do the right things and live the right way.  We seldom adhere to the human reasoning and human nature, but only to use and utilize the surroundings around us.  The man upstairs made us smart but we choose to be too smart for our own good and others around us.  God can’t save us, we have already abused every aspect of life and nature and we really don’t care about what happens to others or even ourselves.  The common phrase “only god can save us” is a thing of the past, as no one can save us from us.

Limitations of Being an Indian Politician

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Although there are opposition parties in India that are simply opposing the Indian National Congress “INC”, the main opposition party that has come to force has been Bharatiya Janata Party “BJP” that has come into existence as a political party of national stature in the 1970’s.  There are many regional parties that align with a language and or a particular caste or sometimes even a leader or a family.  The main political parties typically rely on a leader and typically try to follow the personal philosophy of the individual.  The biggest asset for the party and its followers is the philosophical and ideological inspiration that comes from the leader, and during the lifetime of the leader he/she influences inordinate influence on the working of the party and its cadre.  The utmost respect that is bestowed on the party leaders is unparalleled anywhere among the free societies of the world.

India although continues to embrace western economic theories and open markets for wealth creation and somewhat of a modernization of its infrastructure, still lives in age old habits of living and following traditional attitudes.  Albeit the country has its share of hooligans and wasted individuals who rob and rape, kill and do all things that are anti-social and anti-people, by and large the country which wants to be very modern in life still continues to live in the olden days of traditional and religious structured society.  Repressed people who live in constant stresses of daily life where culture does not meet development, where people who want to progress verses people who want to intimidate, so much clash of all types of life styles and attitudes; all of them account for news worthy items of 27/7/365 badgering on viewers and readers.

There is no dearth of material for scribes in India, and in all languages.  With all the news worthy stories, politics and politicians remain constant front page news to keep the channels occupied.  Politicians have such a narrow outlook on their views of the world, their constituents and the nation, and often have no comprehension of the needs of the people they represent.  The whole nation is so parochial, to the extent it simply has no ability to look beyond the political bosses of the party they represent.  The special parochial attitude is no engraved in the INC, they leaders have absolutely no individual style, substance nor thought process.  They get into the party because of their background or money, and then pledge undying sub-severance to the leaders of the party.  For the third generation of politicians and their followers for generations simply follow the leader, and don’t have a people agenda.  The leaders only want to be in power, and run the nation irrespective of what is happening to the day to day needs of the people of the country.

It is well documented that a few people/families have been highly successful in building vast business enterprises in infrastructure, and some in information technology and telecommunications, but the majority of the Indians still have the greatest parochial attitude that has existed on the earth.  For some reason we as a society continue to look at the same leaders again and again for direction and leadership to bring better days and better living standards.  The world itself has constantly evolved with one revolution or the other, one development or the other, one technology or the other, and something that keeps making advances for a better society.  For some time during the information technology boom, India seem to have caught on the global economic boom, which was also fueled by the telecommunications industry boom, which seem to have fizzled as quickly as it took off.  The world constantly evolves with ideas that impact the life of the global population, and often when deployed and effectively adopted; it benefits enormously in reaping the benefits of the technological or philosophical changes.

We as Indians always are looking for either adopting technologies that are already extensively in use, or try to copy other economies, sometimes follow them at the end of the adaptation cycle where the benefits are not as typical as of early adaptors.  The country keeps boasting of individual brilliance, but will seldom push for a nation-wide plan of education, planning and successful indigenous processes and technology.  The parochial attitude of our leaders seldom allows for the nation to look for opportunities beyond normal.

The love for the nation and its wellbeing is seldom put in front of the national agenda, due to the blind and often narrow outlook of the politicians.  The difficulty of thinking beyond the political leaders and their interests will not allow the politicians to do anything beyond self-interest and keeping their leaders entertained.  In a democratic society, parochial attitude will not allow for forward thinking to help build plans and executing them to the good of the people.  Indian politicians have 100% limitations in just being what they are, and until we move away from the parochial attitude, we will never be able to focus on the needs of the people.