Life without celebration is like a long road without an inn, said the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus. As his pregnant saying hints, celebrations are not just occasions to uncork the champagne, but also junctures to pause, relax and take stock. New Year has become one such moment in the flow of time for the world as well as India.
An average Indian cannot be faulted for grimacing, and perhaps even sighing, on New Year’s Eve, for when one casually sums up the year that has passed what will float into the mind are words like scam, spectrum, Radia, Raja and Kalmadi that together create a bleak collage. But taking stock means stepping back and looking at the big picture. And the big picture is not as dreary or dark as one might think (unless you are an incorrigible pessimist). People who cry hoarse about scams would also have to admit that it was the robust institutional mechanisms of the country that brought them to light. Some journalists had egg on their face after Radiagate. But that does not obscure the fact that it was other journalists who unearthed the scam in the first place. Strange as it may sound, the exposure of corruption and the noisy rows it creates are a sign of a vibrant polity in a neighbourhood where the dread silence of dictatorship is common.
The year that passed also saw the increasingly belligerent antics of many right-wing conservative groups, whether it was the Sri Ram Sena that attacked girls in the pubs of Mangalore or the khap panchayats that snuffed out of the lives of many innocent couples for daring to love outside their clans and social class. But, again, the general populace has given such fanatical moral policemen the treatment they deserve by ignoring them and going on with their lives. Ironically, the frenetic spasms of right-wing groups actually show that liberal space in India is growing. Their posturing invites derision rather than delight these days for the priorities of Indians have changed. Despite all the scams and shams, there is a perceptible increase of confidence in Indians — especially the middle class. Perhaps the new economic environment has something to do with it. Nothing symbolises this new-found confidence as does the sprightly arena of sports. From Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang to Somdev, Saina Nehwal and Tintu Luka, there is a long list of remarkable talent that has done the nation proud this year. They represent more than the games they play.
The decentralisation of governance and political empowerment of depressed classes have had an effect on other areas too. For instance, there has been an increase in the number of dalit entrepreneurs who have done well. The average citizen now uses the Right to Information Act boldly to take his rulers to task. Recurrent Assembly elections have shown people re-electing performing chief ministers and ignoring caste and communal slogans. The much-awaited Ayodhya verdict triggered not a single clash. All these signal a new mindset wherein people are not ready to be confined to narrow identities. Chauvinists, beware.
But one cannot be too gung-ho. There is also another India, which feels left out and dejected — the India of the poor. It was in 2010 that the UNHDP released the sobering statistic that India ranks only 119 among 169 countries on the human development index. A government panel also shamefacedly admitted that more than 70 per cent of Indians live on less than `20 a day. The rise of Maoism is a consequence of a large chunk of people being left out of the growth story. The task before the country in 2011 and the years to follow will be to stop the useless self-flagellation over scams and work optimistically for more inclusive growth.