War cries abound. The middle class in India, unthinking and superficially angry because of an incursion by Pakistan into a secure area on the border, appears to be driving the 'policy' towards India's neighbour. The middle class, ignorant of the complex ground realities, is being fed on rhetoric and jingoism. Too much of this kind of loose talk dilutes serious responses towards acts of terror. Politicians are now keen on gauging the mood of the middle class in order to secure the votes for another spell of governance. The frightening aspect of this situation is the limited understanding of where India stands on all these issues, both in the immediate neighbourhood and across the world. India's 'preparedness' on diverse fronts, all of which need to be in perfect alignment to 'win' any war, needs to be analysed.
Failure of good governance in almost all nations has led to 'uprisings' - they have developed into conflicts - that have erupted, simultaneously, in different parts of the world, killing innocents and depriving a new generation of 'life'. All this and more are being waged in the name of god. These conflicts are often laced with greed and symbolize a competition for supremacy. Equality and fraternity have been abandoned and abused. Humanity and culture, civilization and all that is fine and creative, have been buried in the quest for polarized, dictatorial positions that are alienating. It is the lack of intellectual supremacy and the desire to develop the mind by looking at alternative solutions through discourse and debate that has made leaders insecure. The easy option, therefore, is to adopt a combative posture, which would lead to an eventual revolt by those who have been mercilessly exploited. In the end, people always win. Vietnam is proof of that. Dictators pass on, leaving generational scars and bad omens.
In trouble
If one looks at the world today through the eyes of a dispassionate voyeur, it resembles a troubled and brutalized planet. The natural environment has been exploited by greedy and powerful States and their potentates, who operate ruthlessly under the veil of democracy and equality. When there is retaliation, in self-defence or for any other reason, the powerful States define it as 'aggression'. In circa 2016, patience has been shattered. What we see around us is the volatile reaction to decades of top-down exploitation. The crises will continue unabated till stalwarts rise out of the mire to define a new path and help humanity survive.
The gross national happiness index, the ruling mantra of Bhutan, should be the model for every constituency in India. It is the only way to rectify a faulty and failed model of governance that has debilitated growth and development in the subcontinent. Rajiv Gandhi was absolutely right when he gave priority to the panchayat system of bottom-up governance because that alone can correct the folly of top-down governance, a trait that has scarred the entire planet.
Indian politics has become manipulative and untenable. The introduction of unacceptable, quick-fix formulas has impaired democratic principles and values, pushing the ethos of this vibrant civilization into a temporary coma. The political class, which has walked the talk for decades in this uneasy and intellectually polluted environment, has turned arrogant, self-serving and abrasive because it is increasingly becoming disconnected with the realities of a changed world in villages, towns and cities. Soon, there could be volatile assertions here as well. Therefore, India needs to enforce, with great urgency and within a carefully calibrated blueprint, the corrective before the nation begins to drown in a tidal wave of violence.
