MARCH 2

Towards Reconstruction

In his book ‘Victory without War’, former American President Richard Nixon, commenting on the scene in India, made this observation: “Those who believe India is not governed well should remember how miraculous it is that India is governed at all.”

Richard Nixon’s remark on the Indian social set-up is no doubt harsh. We would be wise, however, to take this as a challenge rather than just simmer with resentment over it. Instead of venting our anger on Nixon as an unfair critic, we would be well-advised to devote our entire attention to the internal construction of our country. We must struggle to raise our country so high that never again will any Nixon dare pass such remarks against us. Japan could be our model in this matter. At the end of the second world war Japan had reduced itself to insignificance in the eyes of the world. But after a hard struggle lasting forty years it eventually raised itself to such heights that no one now dare cast aspersions on it.

The need of the hour is to give fresh thought to our national problems. Then, without the slightest delay, we must begin our journey in the right direction so that our future may be better and brighter as compared to our present.

A senior Indian journalist, S. Mulgaonkar, has made some very penetrating observations on the Indian situation in his article entitled ‘Can systemic changes provide the entire answer?’ (Published in two installments in the Indian Express of February 7 and 14, 1987).

He pointed out that forty years had passed since we gained our freedom. We had made progress too in many fields, but our problems were many and serious, and on balance, appeared to outweigh the progress we had made.

Mr. Mulgaonkar did not subscribe to the views of those who talked of a change in the system. To him, ‘in the final analysis, a system is only as good as those who operate it.’

I entirely agree with Mr. Mulgaonkar on this point. I would like to add that it was Mahatma Gandhi who gave our country its political base. Later, when power came into the hands of Pandit Nehru, he gave the country its industrial base.

Now the third urgent task is to provide the country with a moral base. To me, this third base—the moral base—will be the decisive factor in the course, which our national life will take. This is a reality admitted by almost every right-thinking person.