Though communists in West Bengal did try to run a doctrinaire administration, Kerala communist government did a much better job.
Congress , on most part , ran a liberal looking government, which balanced even communal and communist elements in the polity. It was a remarkable achievement.
Didn’t devour this brilliant essay. I chewed it slowly - the writing too beautiful to swallow whole. Please read this essay how liberals spent most of their time on puerile vacuity while either the commies or the fascists run the state.
India is a very young country. younger people tend to be liberals; they turn into fiscal conservatives when (and if) they have to get a job, pay taxes, and buy a house/car/etc. many turn into social conservatives when they have kids or become old/sensible enough to disapprove of new fashions/marketing campaigns.
there is a lot of media focus on the youth and future of the country. decades of bawlywood violins have made many Indians an emotional lot. it doesnt take much for many in India to start looking at hollywood movies for a sense of normalcy and escape from the emotionalism/abuse of bollywood. hollywood actively markets its celebrities to the Indian middle-class and yuppies. its like bollywood's purpose is to disgust Indian middle-class into watching western cinema.
added to this volatile mix is goonda crony-capitalism disguised as religious revivalism funded by state- and non-state actors whose objective appears to perpetuate a narrative dictated by countries that have historically shafted India.
young population + emotionality + state-funded history-blinders = a generation of Indian yuppies who think Americana is the epitome of liberalism.
the danger, imho, is when fiscal conservatives become a controlling majority. they might declare India capitalist country and millions will die due to lack of state support.
maybe a solution is to talk about past benefits schemes to show where the money went and what could/should have been done better. this educates people about the pitfalls and loopholes that need to be closed. has to be done at a grassroots level for it to have a lasting effect.
it would certainly help to have an alternate movie industry that makes realistic art school type films instead of escapist abusive nonsense.
I agree with you about the Communist capture of economic policy-making under Indira Gandhi. But you have not accounted for the radical leftward tilt under the Janata Party. The expansion of the list of items reserved exclusively for manufacture by SSIs expanded hugely when George Fernandes was industries minister. He also forced MNCs to dilute their equity to 40 percent. Coca-Cola and IBM fled the country. (2) Communist trade unions created solidarity among the working classes, regardless of religion or caste. The ascendance of the right-wing owes much to the weakening of the trade union movement across the world, not just in India. (3) The private sector is deeply unpopular in India; it is regarded with suspicion. Except for a few companies and business groups, the private sector is seen as a thieving sector. It is low of ethics. This is why the nationalisation of the banking and insurance sectors was not unpopular. (4) The Hindu majoritarian tendency has its roots in pre-Independence India. It was not just a reaction to Communism. It had support even when Gandhi was alive. We must locate the resurgence of religious majoritarianism in the reaction against globalisation, the self-aggrandizement by globalised elites, and the communications revolution brought about by social media.
Not expected from a seasoned political commentator who does some research...trying to superpose the Russian Revolution on Indian Communists and declare them illiberal! Private armies in West Bengal communist party? You serious? You have not understood the concept of the bhadralok at all.....anyway, one is entitled to one's own views, but deliberate inaccuracies take away the credibility from an otherwise good body of work. Sadly disappointed!
Indian communists esp few states never followed true ideology of marx. It was in wrong hands and they exploited. When they tried to become liberal for eg singur , didi opposed it and gave them their medicine. That was the end. So however good is the ideology if it is in wrong hands ,will perish.
You are branding nearly half the country as fascists. That is quite amusing. But apart from that, largely a good article.
Though communists in West Bengal did try to run a doctrinaire administration, Kerala communist government did a much better job.
Congress , on most part , ran a liberal looking government, which balanced even communal and communist elements in the polity. It was a remarkable achievement.
Didn’t devour this brilliant essay. I chewed it slowly - the writing too beautiful to swallow whole. Please read this essay how liberals spent most of their time on puerile vacuity while either the commies or the fascists run the state.
thanks for the eye-opening article.
India is a very young country. younger people tend to be liberals; they turn into fiscal conservatives when (and if) they have to get a job, pay taxes, and buy a house/car/etc. many turn into social conservatives when they have kids or become old/sensible enough to disapprove of new fashions/marketing campaigns.
there is a lot of media focus on the youth and future of the country. decades of bawlywood violins have made many Indians an emotional lot. it doesnt take much for many in India to start looking at hollywood movies for a sense of normalcy and escape from the emotionalism/abuse of bollywood. hollywood actively markets its celebrities to the Indian middle-class and yuppies. its like bollywood's purpose is to disgust Indian middle-class into watching western cinema.
added to this volatile mix is goonda crony-capitalism disguised as religious revivalism funded by state- and non-state actors whose objective appears to perpetuate a narrative dictated by countries that have historically shafted India.
young population + emotionality + state-funded history-blinders = a generation of Indian yuppies who think Americana is the epitome of liberalism.
the danger, imho, is when fiscal conservatives become a controlling majority. they might declare India capitalist country and millions will die due to lack of state support.
maybe a solution is to talk about past benefits schemes to show where the money went and what could/should have been done better. this educates people about the pitfalls and loopholes that need to be closed. has to be done at a grassroots level for it to have a lasting effect.
it would certainly help to have an alternate movie industry that makes realistic art school type films instead of escapist abusive nonsense.
I agree with you about the Communist capture of economic policy-making under Indira Gandhi. But you have not accounted for the radical leftward tilt under the Janata Party. The expansion of the list of items reserved exclusively for manufacture by SSIs expanded hugely when George Fernandes was industries minister. He also forced MNCs to dilute their equity to 40 percent. Coca-Cola and IBM fled the country. (2) Communist trade unions created solidarity among the working classes, regardless of religion or caste. The ascendance of the right-wing owes much to the weakening of the trade union movement across the world, not just in India. (3) The private sector is deeply unpopular in India; it is regarded with suspicion. Except for a few companies and business groups, the private sector is seen as a thieving sector. It is low of ethics. This is why the nationalisation of the banking and insurance sectors was not unpopular. (4) The Hindu majoritarian tendency has its roots in pre-Independence India. It was not just a reaction to Communism. It had support even when Gandhi was alive. We must locate the resurgence of religious majoritarianism in the reaction against globalisation, the self-aggrandizement by globalised elites, and the communications revolution brought about by social media.
Not expected from a seasoned political commentator who does some research...trying to superpose the Russian Revolution on Indian Communists and declare them illiberal! Private armies in West Bengal communist party? You serious? You have not understood the concept of the bhadralok at all.....anyway, one is entitled to one's own views, but deliberate inaccuracies take away the credibility from an otherwise good body of work. Sadly disappointed!
Indian communists esp few states never followed true ideology of marx. It was in wrong hands and they exploited. When they tried to become liberal for eg singur , didi opposed it and gave them their medicine. That was the end. So however good is the ideology if it is in wrong hands ,will perish.
India cannot do without Social Inclusiveness ...you may call it Communism, which is so, so, so DEAD...please change the Narrative...