Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Union Budget and Bush Fire
For the London School of Economics it was a moment of pride. P Chidambaram, Finance Minister of India was patted on the back by Dr. Man Mohan Singh, the Prime Minister, both from the London School. Union budget for India was being presented in the Indian Parliament. Chidambaram talked at length about an India glittering. The real Indians were curious, many confused whether there was another India. Under the watchful eyes of the Italian daughter in law of the Nehru family, who cleverly uses the Gandhi surname, the London School boys were doing well. No doubt they deserved a medal from there, Dr. Singh is famous for his obsession with the London School days, as exposed in a leaked biodata he wrote for Madame while applying for the post of Prime Minister.
That the day the budget was presented there was another news story, of large number of tribals killed by the Naxalites. It is the other India that the London School boys do not know about. That was not in the syllabus there. What is included is ways and means to manage the colony. Started for the western imperial motives, economics itself a tool for imperialism, it is difficult to tell the old London School alumni how the world is a different place. Trapped in the statistics of development and indices Chidambaram is a happy man as his paper records of the country show a glorious India. The media personnel, paid by the major business tycoons, faithfully serve their masters. Here Chidambaram showed some generosity. His Khadi mask hides many things, the globe trotter hero has never seen the plight of the Indian villages. Or he cannot care less, the new brown sahib Macaulay talked about long back.
Now where is India heading for, how far is India self sufficient, how much vulnerable Indian sovereignty is, how far we have drifted from the Gandhian ideals. Is it becoming a satellite of the western imperial interests, who can be swayed by the masters of neo-colonisation. These are debates that the London School boys do not understand, how can fish be aware of water. In a country flush with loans no one knows how much money is taken as debts by the various government agencies, departments, NGOs and undertakings. How much India owes the western agencies, what reminds one about the East India company long back. Now when the US President George Bush is visiting India these are becoming important isues for the people. Bush, like the villains of comic strips, has made his demands before reaching India. The naughty looks and loveable gaits of this gentleman hides sharp teeth behind. What has seen Iraq bleeding, perhaps soon will see Iran follow that.
It was only few days back that the French President Jacques Chirac visited India. A mature country and a mature leader. But with Bush the cacaophony generated shows up another face. That the American continent once belonged to the native races, who were wiped out and the present people claimed all rights, is part of history. That this, like Andamans in India, was a place where the criminals from Britian and Europe were once sent on exile is forgotten now. Great Britian is itself bowing before the old deviants. The policies of the United States show up this trait, no wonder Bush is their hero. How Bush before his arrival has made demands from India. Not for a moment thinking that this is an ancient civilization, where he has to walk the soils with humility. That for the sages of India, who transcend time and space, this man is not more than a mosquito.
Enslaved people running a great land, who do not know what India is, are thus giving a red carpet welcome to this man. That he is coming to Hyderabad as a top destination, now ruled by a converted Christian Chief Minister, is a message. There are others, like his statement that India is a friend and Pakistan an ally. He loves the friend no doubt but when it comes to a serious conflict he is bound by the ally is the inner meaning. It is another attempt to put the Hindu India against the Muslim Pakistan, naive Hindus and Muslims get fooled easily. What has been a strategy of the Christian west through out history. That the leftists who give support to the Sonia dyansty become laughing stock in all these matters is a matter of concern. They have no concrete agenda to pursue, had their revolutionary hero in Calcutta given a dressing down by the American envoy here. That the London School boys are going to give in, whether it is the nuclear issue, selling American products to the semi-starved Indians, or the other demands of Bush can be easily forseen.
Chidambaram's budget and George Bush coming to India point to a dangerous trend. The conditions within India have been made favourable and the aggressive inroads from outside are crashing in. What all happens beneath is not known. What if the American companies like Monsanto have driven thousands of Andhra Pradesh farmers to suicides, through their seeds and products, what if there are allegations that the skewed trade regimes are killing off traditional sectors in India, the glitter of India shining gets the full marks from the westerniseed media. That the real India which Gandhiji wanted to empower remains under the carpet is nobody's concern. How in Hyderabad thousands of poor in the city streets were herded off to jails and adjoining villages. That George Bush is not seeing the uglyness of India. A poverty caused by the western imperialism, now in the garb of WTO, India's debt servicing. But all said and done India knows that all Americans are not like Bush, the large population of Americans in India, in its ashrams, present another face of America, where there is hope.
That the day the budget was presented there was another news story, of large number of tribals killed by the Naxalites. It is the other India that the London School boys do not know about. That was not in the syllabus there. What is included is ways and means to manage the colony. Started for the western imperial motives, economics itself a tool for imperialism, it is difficult to tell the old London School alumni how the world is a different place. Trapped in the statistics of development and indices Chidambaram is a happy man as his paper records of the country show a glorious India. The media personnel, paid by the major business tycoons, faithfully serve their masters. Here Chidambaram showed some generosity. His Khadi mask hides many things, the globe trotter hero has never seen the plight of the Indian villages. Or he cannot care less, the new brown sahib Macaulay talked about long back.
Now where is India heading for, how far is India self sufficient, how much vulnerable Indian sovereignty is, how far we have drifted from the Gandhian ideals. Is it becoming a satellite of the western imperial interests, who can be swayed by the masters of neo-colonisation. These are debates that the London School boys do not understand, how can fish be aware of water. In a country flush with loans no one knows how much money is taken as debts by the various government agencies, departments, NGOs and undertakings. How much India owes the western agencies, what reminds one about the East India company long back. Now when the US President George Bush is visiting India these are becoming important isues for the people. Bush, like the villains of comic strips, has made his demands before reaching India. The naughty looks and loveable gaits of this gentleman hides sharp teeth behind. What has seen Iraq bleeding, perhaps soon will see Iran follow that.
It was only few days back that the French President Jacques Chirac visited India. A mature country and a mature leader. But with Bush the cacaophony generated shows up another face. That the American continent once belonged to the native races, who were wiped out and the present people claimed all rights, is part of history. That this, like Andamans in India, was a place where the criminals from Britian and Europe were once sent on exile is forgotten now. Great Britian is itself bowing before the old deviants. The policies of the United States show up this trait, no wonder Bush is their hero. How Bush before his arrival has made demands from India. Not for a moment thinking that this is an ancient civilization, where he has to walk the soils with humility. That for the sages of India, who transcend time and space, this man is not more than a mosquito.
Enslaved people running a great land, who do not know what India is, are thus giving a red carpet welcome to this man. That he is coming to Hyderabad as a top destination, now ruled by a converted Christian Chief Minister, is a message. There are others, like his statement that India is a friend and Pakistan an ally. He loves the friend no doubt but when it comes to a serious conflict he is bound by the ally is the inner meaning. It is another attempt to put the Hindu India against the Muslim Pakistan, naive Hindus and Muslims get fooled easily. What has been a strategy of the Christian west through out history. That the leftists who give support to the Sonia dyansty become laughing stock in all these matters is a matter of concern. They have no concrete agenda to pursue, had their revolutionary hero in Calcutta given a dressing down by the American envoy here. That the London School boys are going to give in, whether it is the nuclear issue, selling American products to the semi-starved Indians, or the other demands of Bush can be easily forseen.
Chidambaram's budget and George Bush coming to India point to a dangerous trend. The conditions within India have been made favourable and the aggressive inroads from outside are crashing in. What all happens beneath is not known. What if the American companies like Monsanto have driven thousands of Andhra Pradesh farmers to suicides, through their seeds and products, what if there are allegations that the skewed trade regimes are killing off traditional sectors in India, the glitter of India shining gets the full marks from the westerniseed media. That the real India which Gandhiji wanted to empower remains under the carpet is nobody's concern. How in Hyderabad thousands of poor in the city streets were herded off to jails and adjoining villages. That George Bush is not seeing the uglyness of India. A poverty caused by the western imperialism, now in the garb of WTO, India's debt servicing. But all said and done India knows that all Americans are not like Bush, the large population of Americans in India, in its ashrams, present another face of America, where there is hope.
