Let there be Million Indias but No Hungry Child in One India

Huston we have a problem! However, this one is not for Huston to resolve.  It is a Himalayan problem, that we, the dweller in the shadows of Himalayas, have to comprehend, come to terms with and fix.

The problem is "Unity in Diversity". I expect a question, why is that a problem, is that not a virtue? Exactly, that is what we have been told and taught all thru' our school, and is now ingrained in our brains. We are a land of diverse cultures, multiple languages, different faiths, blah blah blah and yet we are united. Really? Common, really?

Even at the height of India's dominance of the world (at that time India controlled approximately 33% of World's GDP), India was not the geographical India as we know it today. India was multiple independently ruled states that stretched from Indian Ocean in the south, to Himalayas in the north, and from today's Afghanistan on the west, to today's Bangladesh on the east. That kind of independent states structure did two things to our region (if I were to call India as a region rather than a country)

a) it brought a lot of prosperity to individual states, within this region, and the region as a whole.

b) From time to time it allowed external forces to invade this region and loot the wealth, since individual states were not all very militarily strong, and sometimes played one against the other, ultimately leading to Britishers subjugating the entire region.

So, what is the take away from history?

a) By uniting we have solved the problem of security, we are a much more secure region, that can not be subjugated in bits ad pieces, as was possible earlier, when the region was divided

b) Uniting these diverse parts, means we are living a common minimum program. Which essentially means, we as a united nation, only do those things, run those programs, that are acceptable to all.  In a setup where there are diverse set of cultures and creeds and faiths and different development levels, you know what happens, there is very less that come out as common, and lot of good things of different geographical areas, cultures, faiths are left out, since they are not acceptable to others. So, what has it done to the region? Well, it has left us with sub optimal growth. It has wasted multiple generations in this region. It has spread poverty equally!

It wont be an exaggeration, if I were to say,  we are not united, we are bound together. We have tied our hands and feet to each other so that all of us can sink together!

What we must do. We must overhaul our federal structure. Make each state autonomous. In the new structure, center should have control over only three things - Defense, Foreign Relations and Monetary Policy for the region's currency, everything else should be run by the States. Each State must choose its Prime Minister, these Prime Ministers can then choose a President for the entire nation. With a center that is only responsible for Defence, Foreign Relations and Monetary Policy, the buck will securely be with the respective States so as far as development and growth is concerned. Let there be no ambiguity in who is responsible for children going to bed hungry.

Women - How frustrating it must be!

How frustrating it must be, when one realizes that most of your decisions are not yours to make, that most of your life choices are picked by someone else, that you have a voice, but someone else speaks for you. That, in short, is life of a woman in India.

It starts right from birth - whether a female foetus will ever see the light of the day, to growing old respectably - whether she will be taken good care of or not, and everything that happens in between.

The birth of girl child is dependent on the sex of other children the parents may have, the beliefs of in-laws and the society that she is taking birth in. The chances go down considerably, if parents already have girl child and the in-laws are overbearing.

Once born, whether she will get good food or good education depends on whether there is enough left after male sibling's needs have been taken care.

Nearing marriage age, whether she gets a compatible partner or not is all about chance. In our arranged marriage system, it is true for the boy as well, but in case of girl, it is more so. She has to really count on her good luck to land into a good, considerate and loving family. She does not marry a man, she marries an entire family. Hence forth, it is not just the husband who makes the decisions for her, but his extended family members consider their right to do so too. Whether she is able to pursue her ambitions, interest or professional carrier, as she desires, is dependent on how others in the family feel about it. When to have children, when to go to her parents house, when to relax during the day, what day to wash clothes and hair, what to cook, how to cook, what to wear and countless other items, are handed down to her as advice, that "must" be followed. If she dares to not follow the advice and the so called "culture" of the family she married into, she opens herself to cold stares and barbs, at the least, and unspeakable consequences, at the worst.

The most frustrating, I guess, is the time and stage when the oppressed takes on the role of an oppressor. This happens at middle age in life of a woman. During world war II, Nazis had appointed Jews as guards at the concentration camps, these Jew guards were many time more ruthless on their fellow Jews than the Nazis. Something similar plays out here. The executioner however can never be at peace, can one?

Later stage in life, the roles reverse one more time, now the oppressor is again weak and meek. There is new lady master in the house, and the cycle goes on!