The Freedom Revolution – Part II

It has been nearly 70 years since we became free from British Raj. We have progressed ahead since then – The Green revolution, economic liberalization and more recently, the technological wave that is markedly changing the lives of every single India from the white collared professional to the rural farmer. Yes, India with its 1 billion population is all set to live out the economic downturn that has hit the world – It is among the last frontiers left for western economies to participate in and fuelling their own growth

Over the last few years, the key question that has vexed me – What do Indians really want? It must be sounding naive as there is no straight or one answer to this question. But nevertheless, this is the very question whose answer all of us should be seeking and working towards – Politicians, bureaucrats, Media, corporates, start-ups, industrialists, farmers and everyone else. The real answers lay hidden not in political speeches or media uprisings about inconsequential issues but in coffee chats with colleagues or visiting the rural hinterland and talking to the villager about the real issues faced by them. We should aim to get honest answers backed by facts keeping aside political idealogies or media stories. After many discussions, I have been able to describe this in few words – A Valued and Happy Life. Sounds too obvious, na? Yeah..

Live the Change

Our country witnessed two historic events over last year – (1) The overwhelming victory of BJP in the Parliament and (2) almost exclusive mandate for AAP to lead Delhi for 5 years. This is clearly a sign of people want to place their faith and belief in people who can deliver. Hence, my open letter to Arvind Kejriwal

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Arvind,

I have a lot of respect and regard for you. I really admire your guts to come and form a political party to deliver change for the people of this country. Your crusade against corruption is impeccable to say the least. To me, AAP coming to power in Delhi is probably the single most important event since our freedom from British – it is a clear sign of change from the two old parties which have long since outlived their legacy and more importantly, people’s faith and trust. It also marks a remarkable shift in the mindset of youth towards politics. Despite the hiccups along the way, I wish you the very best to govern and deliver for change. Having said that, I wish to provide you few humble suggestions that you should focus amidst all the media and political distractions

1) Abandon traditional political philosophies if you sincerely wish to drive change in your language and minds. Words like “Party”, “High Command”, “Committee” etc. which are frequently used by your colleagues in the media demonstrate a 19th century attitude to solve the problems of the 21st century. This country has 70% of people under the age of 35 yrs – they have different value systems, attitude, ambition, aspiration. These are the people who are watching your colleagues on TV. Respect and embrace that. Else AAP is in danger of becoming another Congress or BJP in 10 years from now

2) Focus on delivering a better standard of living to the people of this country as they deserve it as much as the citizens in any developed country. We deserve better roads, better education, better transportation, better housing, 24×7 power, better jobs, better broadband connectivity, more green areas, better lifespaces and a better lifestyle irrespective of which strata of society we belong to. Countries like Japan were ravaged by a nuclear bomb during the 2nd world war while South Korea got freedom as late as 1945. And look at where they are today – this could not have happened if the govt did not believe its citizens deserved the best standard of living. The minimum standard of living in even the best cities in India leaves a lot to be desired – forget about rural areas. South Korea has ~50 mn population and they have infrastructure that can service atleast 3-4x that population. India’s infrastructure is not enough to provide a decent standard of living to 10% of India’s population. We need to build a 120 feet road instead of a 30 feet road. Visit other countries to understand how nuclear power can be harnessed in a safe and cost-efficient manner to generate electricity rather than abandoning it altogether and allowing our citizens to live in darkness. A lot of social evils (caste, religion, gender based) & citizen apathy towards state can be alleviated if the government can just consistently focus on this one problem – without political distraction and otherwise.

3) Continue your focus on eradicating corruption – Cost of living in India is now comparable to developed markets primarily due to the cost of corruption. Corruption is not simply about taking bribes but also about making bad economic decisions which can impact the lives of millions of people. This needs to follow a scientific & professional approach – fact based, transparent and open to criticism / validation. Somewhere, the leaders of the country wish the country continues to remain “poor” & “divided” so that they can always play the role of the messiah. By eradicating corruption, automatically the governance of the country is transferred from the hands of the politicians into the hands of the Aam aadmi – this will also mean politicians can focus on developing this country rather than waste time with meaningless discussions in the House.

4) Focus on valuable job creation across the board. Only when household income is impacted in any meaningful manner can we expect to bring about change. Corruption drives price higher and takes people below the poverty line – as much as valuable job creation moves people out of it. Let every job command the right price in the market so that quality of service improves across the board. The people of India deserve better quality of service – from education, healthcare, power – even it means it has to come at a higher price. A highway should never have to be dug again!! Subsidies cannot solve problems in the long run – Only improvement in productivity and ensuring the right quality of service (delivered at the right price) can ensure this. If this requires privatization, so be it – people have families to feed and take care of. Honestly, I still think government can bridge a huge gap here before private sector is onboarded

Please treat anything else as a distraction – You have only 5 years in power. Please do not get caught in political and bureaucratic wrangles. Nobody will remember how many morchas & rallies you held. This is the time to deliver so make it count. Make the most of it by impacting the lives of people. People will remember you only and only for that – If you achieve that, AAP won’t need to canvas for another election.

Thanking you,

Best Regards,

Arvind Shastry

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