In today’s global economy a country’s status is determined by the share of brands that it commands and the share of brains that it uses. Our plight as a nation in failing on both these fronts has a dichotomy. In two E’s. Economy and Education.
Economic reforms that we tried to bring upon had an effective yet a limited role. For example, when government liberated internet from the monopoly of VSNL, it liberated millions of young minds and thus harnessed million of young brains. Soon India saw a gigantic rise of Infosys and many other Indian enterprises followed the suite. Today in IT sector India has a long standing. With recent telecom revolution in terms of internet data and it’s increasing utility, in governance in general and in welfare schemes in particular; we are on verge of something really incredible. It all had started with freeing internet from govt control.
Similarly, if we would open the trade in agriculture, it would harness million of farmhands. But the problem is that many vested interests misguide mass on such reforms of vital nature. Reforms like any other change bring initially pain. Vested interests often use this pain to blur the vision of people to see the fruits which lie ahead. They could do so because of our unforgiving failure in building a just and equitable education system in last 70 years. Only an un-informed one can be misguided. And the most powerful way to make people well informed about things is through education.
Recently in his ‘man ki baat’ PM has said that in new india no one is VIP but everyone is EPI (Every Person is Important).
With full understanding of the nobler values with PM has said this, I beg to differ. In new india everyone is not important equally. The ten most important indians are the education ministers of ten largest states. The next ten most important ones are secretaries to these ministers. Unfortunately they do not realise their historic mission. Mr PM, our drive for ending VIP culture in our political and bureaucratic circle is all well intentioned, but for God sake more important is to wake them to the fact that they have a massive mission on their shoulders and they must have to accomplish it. for this they off course can feel themselves a little important ones (though now without red beacons ;-))
– Abhinav Shankar
अनिकुल के कलम से 