First the Upsides: Becoming self-sufficient and not having to rely on other nations is a worthy objective especially in the defence sector which includes Cyber and Space domination. To this end the Atmanirbhar promotion by the government is laudable. India is blessed with most of the mineral and natural wealth required including a demographic dividend of its peoples which the government must effectively harness. The nation is better off if it can achieve economic independence and pursue its own political and cultural path with no interference from vested interests and the foreign hand. In fact the father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi was dead against “the God of materialisation” and proposed Swadeshi economics starting with the people and Panchayats at grassroots level. Prime Minister Modi has drawn a road map with the 3 Ds, namely Democracy, Demographic Dividend and Demand relying on our population of 1.4 billion consumers. With inner confidence and hopefully growing economic and industrial might, it is unfortunate that Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works, but has also showed us that de-globalisation may not be such a good idea.
The Downsides: The pandemic has reinforced the need for globalisation and brought sharing of science, technology and resources to the fore, also the realisation that no one is safe from contamination in today’s world if everyone is not safe! Restrictive emigration policies effect access to global financing, cross cultural exchanges and encourage vast income discrepancies. The poor may not get premium goods or good education at economic prices and are left out due inability to avail of the new requirements of jobs and facilities to upgrade their abilities. For example job losses and requirements of being computer and digital savvy, take part in growth of robotic and artificial intelligence operations, etc. Global chains and sharing knowledge like in space, science and technology research have been of great benefit to mankind. The chilling situation where an American astronaut coming down from an International Space Station in a Russian spacecraft along with Russian counterparts during the height of Ukrainian war tensions between the two nations is a stark example!
At the personal level, Yoga teaches that everyone should strive for a healthy mind in a healthy body with a human soul. The world’s pleasures and riches are on the circumference and striving for peace and contentment can only be attained by peaceful souls. Before politicians started dividing us, it was possible to live in peace with minimum violence and spreading more love then hate. To quote the Dalai Lama: “Only through compassion and inner peace can we spread peace in the world. A peaceful individual can build a peaceful family, then a peaceful community and then a peaceful world”.
Rabindranath Tagore tells us how: “Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with fragrant flowers. Go not to the temple to light candles before the altar of God, first remove the darkness of sin from your heart. Go not to the temple to bow your head in prayer, first learn to bow in humility before your fellow men! Go not to the temple to pray on bended knee, first bend down to lift someone who is downtrodden. Go not to the temple to ask forgiveness for your sins, first forgive from your heart those who have sinned against you”.
The new world order: We now preach “Sab ke saath, vikas, vishwas” but exhibit dominant arrogance, State patronage for vigilantes, communal disharmony creating violence, and even have priests preaching and inciting hatred and audience applauding with “Jai Sri Ram” to calls for rape of women of a particular community! Democracy has been diluted with majority in Parliament bulldozing draconian laws and passing Bills without adequate discussion, removing most checks and balances that were there in governance, to permit the ruling party enforce a new idea of India by imposing Hindutva philosophy targeting the minorities, openly provoking at their religious functions, what they wear, eat, social norms followed, language, freedom to choose whom they marry, using every means possible, like before elections inhumanely targeting and quickly bulldozing residences/shops as punishment after riots to impose their writ.
At the international level we have Russia denigrating Ukrainians not toeing their line as Nazis, invading their country with all their military might, bombing cities to rubble with killing, terrorising /inflicting war crimes and being responsible for over 5 million people mostly elderly, women and children fleeing in terror as penniless refugees seeking shelter in strange lands.
At the UNO the Russian aggression is castigated by 98 nations, but supported by 24 and there are 58 nations including India remaining neutral! The new world order is based on self interests where humanity, morality, honour, righteousness and economics take a back seat to politics. Secret international intrigues are exposed in the persecution of Wiki Leaks founder Julian Aasange. Noam Chomsky whilst chastising Putin reportedly holds if international laws were strictly implemented, every American President after World War2 guilty of war crimes! Primitive man had to create weapons to survive in dangerous jungles. Are we now savages in our own self-centred concrete high tech jungles? Unless Vasudaiva kutumbakum (world is one family) actualises, nations make just laws and all agree to strictly enforce them with deterrent consequences for non compliance, peace is impossible!
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
