I know of a 20-year old boy in my close circles, who has become more or less like a criminal. He is too weak in studies, so he abandoned them. He does not earn anything and depends only on parents’ income (baap ke sir par aish – enjoying on the income of his father). Most of his habits are bad. Instead of improving upon his bad habits, he is falling more into them. Poverty is one thing – but having good values is quite another. It is eminently possible for a person to be poor but yet have good values. But, this 20-year old has apparently failed on all aspects that could be termed positive.
Whom would you blame for this young person not becoming a good person? Who should take the main credit, or rather the main blame?
Should it not be his parents? After all, it is the initial environment that can make or unmake a person after he is born. True, there may be other factors too, like friend circle, school environment, and so on. But, the main blame must definitely go to the parents who could not impart good values and good education to their child and make him a good human being.
Most of the habit-formation takes place during the childhood – the early days. It is extremely difficult (though not impossible) to break the earlier habits (especially, the bad ones) in the later part of the life.
Whether a person would become Sachin Tendulkar or Dawood Ibrahim, is decided mostly in the childhood itself. There may be exceptions to this rule, but they would rather prove the rule itself, as it always happens.
India got its rebirth in 1947. After about 1000 years of slavery under invaders’ rule, India became independent. It had to make a new beginning. It was up to its mentors to shape it.
Today, India is 71 years old as an independent nation. It is riddled with corruption. There are caste wars. Merit is not recognized. India is still under-developed, unlike many of its cousins who got independence or became free nations during the same period when India got it.
Even today, about 66% of the Indians have to be provided almost free food-grains (courtesy – National Food Security Act of 2013), viz., coarse grains (millets) at Re. 1 per kg; wheat at Rs. 2 per kg; and, rice at Rs. 3 per kg.[1] This is so because they are supposed to be incapable financially to buy them at market rates. So, Indians are being made to do - baap ke sir par aish – enjoying on the income of the father – here read “Government” in place of “father”. Make Indians dependent on freebies instead of making them learn how to earn themselves.
Farmers cannot survive without farm loan waiver after every few years. The cycle of loan waiver goes on. A large number of them are reported to commit suicide every year.
Forget developing fighter planes, we have to import even the rifles – the personal weapon of a soldier – because we are said to be poor at doing that too.
You look at education, health, infrastructure, agriculture; any sector, for that matter. We are mediocre.
I can go on and on. The list is long. Not possible for me to give an exhaustive list.
So, who should get the main blame?
Should it not be the first Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru? He spoiled the childhood of India to such an extent that now it is becoming extremely difficult to get rid of the bad habits that India adopted during those early days.
Firstly, our first PM gave us the cancerous cells in the form of wrong-handling of Kashmir – Article 370, Article 35A and approaching UN on Kashmir issue. Due to these cancerous cells, the beautiful land of Kashmir (which was equated with heavens on earth) has now developed a terminal-stage cancer, which is continuously bleeding us profusely for last 70 years, which needs an urgent surgery which may perhaps even be fatal at least for some body parts. We are continuously at war due to the disease that was given to us.
Our first PM gave us the gift of socialism, of licence-permit raj. Even if one wanted to manufacture needles, a licence was needed from the government – which would generally be not granted. All our development got stalled.
People don’t get tired of praising the public sector units and IITs that our first PM created. Have you seen a tiny earthen lamp in a complete darkness? No doubt, it shines. But, it shines only because it is kept in complete darkness. Bring the sunlight – direct light from the Sun – and then look at the contribution of the earthen lamp! So, first you create complete darkness, by not allowing anyone to setup industries or rather stopping them by controlling licences, you control spread of education by licence-permits. And, then, claim – WOW!!! PSUs! IITs!!
It was during our initial days that we sowed the seeds of reservations. And, today, everybody wants reservations. Even the advanced castes. Where is the merit? Without merit, how will India develop and stand tall among the league of nations?
Licence-permit raj gave birth to corruption. Can we remove this cancer from our society?
Our foreign policy, our defence preparedness (remember, 1962?) all took wrong turns during our infancy days.
Our first Government could have made us or unmade us. By choosing the right policies or by adopting bad policies. No doubt, subsequent governments could have changed the things. However, first 17 years of our nation’s childhood days and adolescent age were spent under the same PM. This was sufficient to cross the minimum time required for habit-formation. Habits rather became rock-solid as 17 years is a very long period during childhood days to spoil any child. Old habits die hard. More so, if the habits are bad ones.
If India has become a bottomless pit, where instead of reducing the depth of the pit we are increasing the depth of the pit – endlessly (consider the reservation issue, for example) – then who is responsible for that? Who is responsible for making India a bottomless pit in the first instance? We started as a clean slate in 1947. Who spoiled it in the first instance by throwing it in mud?
Yeah – India was a poor country in 1947 – it had a difficult environment – I know some of you might be saying. But, I go back to what I said at the outset. Poverty is one thing – but having good values is quite another. It is eminently possible for a person to be poor but yet have good values. Unfortunately, India has neither.
I would not mind if India had continued to be a poor country despite its best efforts. But, the kind of bad things and bad habits that we have? The kind of efforts that we have put in?
By the way, did I hear you saying that it was Nehru who introduced democracy in India and established it? Or that, he established freedom of speech (remember, the award-wapsi ceremonies)?
Well, firstly, it would be like denigrating the other makers of the Constitution – including Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, if the credit for all this is given to Nehru alone.
Secondly, the democracy in India was killed in its infancy itself when ignoring the democratic principles Pandit Nehru was anointed as PM instead of Sardar Patel, in spite of the fact that in 1946, twelveprovincial Congress committees had nominated Patel for the presidency; and only three had nominated Nehru, and thereby Patel could not become PM.
Thirdly, is forcing a dynasty on a nation promoting democracy? The dynasty rule is one of the biggest problems created by Nehru for India. (Motilal Nehru), Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, (…wait for more names in list in coming days…). Is this democracy?
Fourthly, how many of you are aware that the freedom of speech and expression was drastically curtailed (from the one that was originally guaranteed under the Constitution) by the First Amendment to the Constitution passed in 1951, courtesy Pandit Nehru, our first PM, which drastically changed Article 19 of the Constitution?
So, my verdict for the worst Prime Minister of India so far – goes in favour of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. With a distinction, by a wide margin, he beats all others – including V.P. Singh who was my second choice for this honour.
Bharath Mata Ki Jay.
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