-59Revival of Socialistic Thinking - A Danger signal for India Introducton Economic upheaval in USA and in some European countries

from 2008 onwards & the current dip in our growth rate coupled with wea!ening of the rupee seems to "e tilting our thin!ing towards socialistic lines# $ar!et and competition oriented approaches are "eing painted in undesira"le colours not onl% "% our communist parties "ut also "% intellectuals li!e $rs Arundhati &o% and some others# Also contri"uting to this tilt are those activists who are genuinel% concerned a"out our deteriorating environment as well as a"out the fact that displacement of 'adivasis( and others caused "% the development pro)ects has "een handled so far in a slipshod manner# *he aim here is to alert us against the li!el% danger of reversing the direction of +99+ economic li"erali,ation when stage had "een reached needing plane load-s. of our gold "eing shipped out# /et us dwell on a few "asics on this crucial su")ect# My dozen years of work experience in pu lic sector *his one million ton steel plant located in 0est 1engal never produced a million tons for almost a full decade# 1efore we have a loo! at man% reasons for this su"-standard performance over such a long period we must answer one 2uestion ver% clearl%# Should this plant have produced 2ualit% product to its full capacit% or was it 34 for it to limp along since it was providing emplo%ment to 50 000 plus people from various parts of 6ndia# 6f the plant is not generating enough returns to meet the costs leave alone generating surpluses for future e7pansion and investment in research8 is it accepta"le

-90that the deficit is met from ta7es paid "% %ou and me: ;ow long can we afford to do that: 0h% should su"-standard performance "e tolerated and encouraged : *herefore shall we sa% that each production unit each service unit must stand on its own feet "ut also generate surpluses generate wealth# ;aving said that let us now "riefl% scan the goings on in this million ton steel plant which caused such poor performance %ear in and %ear out# 3n top of the list would "e lac! of discipline among the wor!force# 6ndulging in gossip was more important than coming "ac! to wor! in time after lunch# *he pace of wor! was generall% leisurel% and lethargic# Slow downs would "e resorted to for some increase in wor! content which "ecomes inevita"le from time to time to meet some process changes or design changes# Sleeping while on dut% during the night shift was common# Stri!es too! place for an% flims% demand "% an% one of the half a do,en trade unions# Electric 3verhead <rane 3perators union having a few do,en mem"ers in a plant with a 50 000 plus wor!force could and did often "ring the whole plant operations to a grinding halt for some grievance that affected them alone# 6t is therefore no wonder that productivit% was low and the output remained well "elow the designed capacit%# A ver% legitimate 2uestion that arises is as to wh% did the managers not put their heart and soul to correct the situation# 3"vious answer is wh% would the% stic! their nec! out = increments were standard for all irrespective of performance and the )o" was fairl% safe# >ou could alwa%s pass the "uc!# ?ow this is not something unusual for a government run esta"lishment# 'An e7ample are the huge mone%-losing and mismanaged companies owned "% the 6talian government toda% and run in part as "usinesses in part to emplo% wor!ers in part as patronage for politicians and their friends# @#@the onl% countr% in which the not onl%

-9+government programmes run after world war 66 have "een successful "% & large is Aapan# 6n ever% other countr% = and in democratic countries )ust as much in communist ones = most government programmes since world war 66 have "een disasters# 6f the% achieved an% results the% were often the ver% opposite of what the% were enacted for# *his goes for the frantic efforts in the Soviet Union since 4hrushchev(s da%s to improve farm production and farm productivit%# 0hen the <hinese however privati,ed their farms8 production and productivit% shot up almost overnight#B
*he ?ew &ealities '= "% Ceter Druc!er - +989 pu"lication ++E

!hy did the econo"y of #SSR collapse $ 6nstances li!e the following were common to read in the news papers and )ournals during the seventies and earl% eighties# A tourist saw in a side alle% in a "ig cit% the rear wheels of a ta7i )ac!ed up with engine running# *he response to the 2uer% with a wide grin was ' 6 am completing m% 2uota of miles for the da% #( Surel% concern for effective pu"lic service was not his priorit%# Another instance was that of a group visiting a factor% in the interior # As their vehicle approached the% saw a festive atmosphere with colourful flags and "untings all round and the emplo%ees milling around with hardl% an% wor! going on# Answer to the 2uestion '0hat is "eing cele"rated:( was prompt '*oda% is our Feneral $anager(s "irthda%#( 3"viousl% the management was colla"orating in this fun at the cost of productivit%# ?o where else 6 presume F$(s "irthda% can "e cele"rated in such st%le# 6n one factor% it was noticed that the consumption of vod!a would start well "efore the shift closing time# 3ne wor!er was seen with his coat tails tightl% s2uee,ed in a "ench vice as he could not stand straight and when the siren sounded he was escorted out "% the colleagues#

-926n another instance the foreman came out with the list of wor!ers who were "as!ing in the sun out in the open after the lunch "rea! was over and started calling out names one "% one# 3nl% that person would get up and proceed inside to the wor! station whose name had "een called out# *hus the last name called out would get su"stantiall% e7tra time under the sun when he should have "een operating some machine inside# >ou would(nt sa% that the concern for productivit% was high among the wor!ers or the foreman# 0ould %ou: <oming to the farming sector let us peruse what went on in china G

HIollowing the <ommunist Cart% of <hina(s victor% in the <hinese <ivil 0ar control of the farmlands was ta!en awa% from landlords and redistri"uted to the 500 million peasant farmers# 6n +952 graduall% consolidating its power following the civil war the government "egan organi,ing the peasants into teams# *hree %ears later these teams were com"ined into producer cooperatives enacting the Socialist goal of collective land ownership# 6n the following %ear +959 the government formall% too! control of the land further structuring the farmland into large government-operated collective farms# 6n the +958 HFreat /eap IorwardB campaign initiated "% $ao Jedong land use was placed under closer government control in an effort to improve agricultural output@## <ollectives were organi,ed into communes private food production was "anned and collective eating was re2uired@# *he farming inefficiencies created "% this campaign led to *he Freat <hinese Iamine resulting in the deaths of somewhere "etween the government estimate of +K million to scholarl% estimates of 20 to K5 million# @@@@ 1% +98K when a"out 99L of farm production teams had adopted the Iamil% Croduction &esponsi"ilit% S%stem the government "egan further economic reforms aimed primaril% at li"erali,ing agricultural pricing and mar!eting@# /ater in +995 the government a"olished the K0-%ear-old grain rationing s%stem leading to more than 90 percent of all annual agricultural produce to "e sold at mar!etdetermined prices#(
MinternetE

-95So"e %onclusions that Stand &ut *he evidence thus far of empirical e7periments lasting over man% decades in various parts of the socialist world can help us to draw some ver% useful conclusionsG +# Human beings perform, face hardships in pursuit of success, display high tolerance to frustration and take risks primarily in Self Interest # E7ceptions sphere# Dov Seidman, in his book entitled, How : Why do we do any thing, Means everything a 2007 tenden"y to hel !bli"ation talks abo!t em iri"ally tested henomenon o# altr!isti" hel ing being a biologi"al rin"i le ) a li#e long henomenon$ %es, & "an vis!ali'e o!r innate "an be a li#e long ear have "een in the areas of religious faith or patriotism# ;owever our focus remains on human "ehaviour in the economic

others in some sit!ations( b!t whether it

ra"ti"e in all sit!ations where one s!bordinates ones own

interest and that o# the #amily day a#ter day , year a#ter year , does not a long e* eriment$

realisti" to me$ &t did not s!""eed in the so"ialist "o!ntries over a seven de"ade

<ollective farming introduced in <hina cannot "e said to have "een a success as seen a"ove# 6n fact some millions seem to have died out of famine# Strong doses of propaganda over long stretches of time did not succeed in people accepting collective gain as a good enough motivator# ;owever farm productivit% cultivate some tracts of land and reap the "enefits# 2# *he socialistic pattern of the government or government st%le wor!ing pu"lic sector shot up once individuals were allowed to

getting directl% involved in providing goods and services to the societ% is not the right path for generating wealth# 6t did not wor! in USS& it did not wor! in 6ndia it did not wor! an% where# Iew instances of the '?av &atnas( and 'mini &atna( companies in the pu"lic sector in 6ndia are an e7ception to the rule of wasteful deplo%ment of material and human resources "% them# Even among these '&atna( and 'mini &atna( companies utili,ation of resources cannot "e called to "e in the range of e7cellence though "etter than other pu"lic sector units# *his is "ased on m% personal o"servation#

-9KAnd wealth must "e generated "% efficient and innovative use of resources followed "% effective mar!eting# *o what use it is put to and how it is done is the legitimate role of the government# Fovt# intervention through pu"lic sector ma% "ecome necessar% sometimes when private parties are sh% of entering the field li!e steel during the +950(s needing high investment with long gestation period# ;owever in such cases a getting out plan and strateg% should "e clearl% laid out "efore hand# 5# Profit is not a dirty word. Profiteering is. $a!ing profit "% an enterprise engaged in

production and deliver% of goods & services to the societ% is a crucial foundation that must not "e maligned# Crofit is the onl% valid measure discovered so far to assess if the enterprise is using the societal resources efficientl% and is adding value to the e7tent that the pu"lic is willing to "u% and use the output time after time# Crofit must "e large enough not onl% to sustain the enterprise and protect the livelihood of man% emplo%ees and their families8 "ut must generate enough surpluses for future e7pansion investment in research and garner ade2uate reserves for a rain% da% without an% need to lean on the government # 3ut of this scale of profits the amount needed to satisf% some whims and fancies of the entrepreneur should "e peanuts# Fovernment can see to it that this does not include presenting an aero plane as a "irthda% gift to one(s wife if that seems relevant# Entrepreneurial spirit must not "e !illed# 6t is one man(s strong desire for success coupled with talent that "reeds innovation and ris! ta!ing "ehaviour without which surpluses do not get created# After all <hinese super economic success followed onl% after +9N8 li"erali,ation# K# Crofiteering occurs when Self = 6nterest turns into Freed and the entrepreneur

resorts to unethical practices li!e manipulating the mar!et !illing competition offering su"-

standard 2ualit% product as a champion product corruption etc# And that(s where the government role of regulation comes in# *o m% mind what -95went wrong in USA & some parts of the western world leading to the economic malaise seen 2008 onwards 8 is that Freed was allowed to have a field da%# *he concerned governments had not ta!en enough care to see that the Self = 6nterest motive sta%s within the circle of 'Enlightened Self = 6nterest ' and does not degenerate into Freed# 5# Apart from defense foreign affairs education healthcare etc other ma)or role of the

government ought to "e to regulate the entrepreneurial activit% within ethical guidelines8 rather than waste its talent in production and distri"ution of goods and services needed "% the societ%# 6t must remem"er that talented people onl% can ma!e difference and the% are alwa%s in short suppl%# And the talent availa"le with the government must "e deplo%ed for high priorit% areas li!e regulating the entrepreneurial activit% in the countr%# 1. 6n a nut shell the role of the government is Fovernance which means to sustain

an overall economic s%stem conducive to ade2uate generation of wealth8 its regulation to ensure that the profit motive does not degenerate into greed8 and to prudentl% invest that wealth for Cu"lic welfare covering health care ade2uate nourishment education sanitation suppl% of pota"le water 8 for Defense8 6nfrastructure8 care of environment and research in all a"ove areas to meet challenges of change in the %ears to come including threats to climate change# And it is a "ig enough role# And it is paramount that to perform well in this role the government must not waste its talent "% getting involved directl% or indirectl% through pu"lic sector in the manufacture and deliver% of products and services including distri"ution of food grains to the societ%# Fovernments are not designed for that !ind of role# 1est option to improve matters related to mostl% 2uestiona"le trac! record of our Cu"lic Distri"ution S%stem for food is what is alread% under plan and "eing tried out in poc!ets i#e# cash su"sid% to the need% people = "etter cash going in the hand of women to prevent "eing consumed in li2uor = through Aadhar to ma!e it practicall% lea!age free#

-66-

India and

%hina - a 'ourney

egun together

>es together = in +9KN and +9K9# And see how well the two giant nations have done in the economic sphere and other spheres and what loo!s li!e a prognosis for the future# 1ut wh% "ring in <hina here when the "asic theme of the "oo! is 6ndia# And the response to that 2uestion resides in what has "een mentioned in the Creface = the seeming attraction of our %oung elite towards the wa% things are done in <hina the wa% things are run in china # Cerformance of an individual or that of a group of people to m% mind does depend considera"l% not onl% on their competencies "ut also on the culture the overall mindset and disciplined conduct of people which in turn gets influenced not onl% "% the present "ut also "% the deep rooted ha"its formed in the conte7t of the past histor%# 6t should therefore "e an interesting e7ercise to ta!e a "ird(s e%e view of the !ind of historical influences that have "een shaping the two people over the last man% centuries#

-9N<E?*U&> 6?D6A
9*; 1< 1irth of Jainism & Buddhism !"#S, $mperor of Persia con%uers parts of &' India. A)atshatru murdered his father 1im"isara "ecame !ing of $agadh Ale7ander the Freat con2uered some parts of ?0 6ndia# <h Fupta $aur%a usurped the ?anda throne defeated Selucus married his dtr ;elena empire from 4a"ul to $agadh $mperor (shoka) adopted Buddhism

<;6?A
Jhou d%nast% from +02N 1<# onfucius - O /et ruler "e the ruler & su")ect a su")ect# Fovernment & social stratifications are facts of life to "e sustained "% ethical standards#O -do-do-

5th 1< Kth 1<

5rd 1<

Pin d%nast%# Unified for the +st time centrali*ed control legal codes & "ureaucratic procedures# 1anished Q !illed man% dissenting <onfucian scholars# 0or! started on +reat 'all of hina
Mfinall% competed during $ing D%nast% 9N00 !ms longE

2nd 1< +st 1< +st AD 2nd AD 5rd AD Kth AD 5th AD

Descendants of Ale7anderRs Fenerals ruled parts of ?0 6ndia# +st Sha!a 4ing in ?0 6ndia Sha!a 4ing S 4adphis# .ission of St /homas to India &udradaman the Sha!a !ing ?0 &ule of Sir Sen ?ag capital $athura## Fupta d%nast% 0alidas died. &alanda uni,ersity set up. Birth of (ryabhata ) astronomer# ;un control of ?0 6ndia 1irth of 3arahmitra, the astronomer# Defeat of ;arsha Sardhan "% Cula!eshin defeat of Cula!eshin "% $ Sarman Ara" con2uest of Sind Shankaracharya, the philosopher 0abul ruled by Hindu Shahi dynasty. 4efeated by !a%ub <hola power in south

;an D%nast% i,il ser,ice e-amination system started In,ention of paper & porcelain. &iddled with corruption characteristic of the d%nastic c%cle# ;A? empire collapsed Era of dis-unit%# Iour centuries of war lords domination started -do6ncreasing popularit% of 1uddhism# In,ention of wheel barrow & gun powder 1used only for fire works2 SU6 D%nast%, ompletion of grand canal a monumental engineering feat *ang d%nast%# ;igh point of <hinese civili,ation# 1uddhism flourished# Block printing in,ented. Scholar officials strengthened to offset dependence on powerful aristocratic families and 0ar /ords# *rading all over the world# <ollapse of *A?F d%nast% # Iragmentation into +5 !ingdoms

9th AD Nth AD 8th AD 9th AD +0th AD

++th AD

&aids of Fha,ni contd# *he onl% 6ndian !ing who defeated him twice was <handela !ing RSid%a DharR in cele"ration of which another temple was constructed at 4ha)uraho# Crithvi &a) defeated "% $uhammad Fhuri# RPuta" $inar- "uilt "% Sultan# ?alanda Uni# destro%ed "% 1a!htiar !hil)i# Slave d%nast% Putu"udin Ai"a! &eign of 6ltumish ?asiruddin 4hil)i 1al"an Allaudin 4hil)i &eign of $uhammad-"in-*ughla!# 0abir, +uru &anak , haitanya Accession of 1uhlul /odi at Delhi Arrival of Cortuguese in 6ndia +st "attle of Canipat start of $ughal d%nast%# &ule of Shah MSuri d%nast%E *he Dutch "egin to trade in 6ndia# &ule of A!"ar the Freat# Folden *emple in Amritsar construction of &ED I3&* completed &ule of Shah)ehan capital shifted from Agra# Aurang,e" fought & !illed "oth "rothers imprisoned father# ?adir Shah defeated $ughal arm% ordered general massacre 6n a single da% +50 000 la% dead# 5rd "attle of Canipat Ahmad Shah A"dali defeated a large $aratha arm%#<live wins "attle of Classe%# 3ne earl% conse2uence of that was the great famine in +NN0 in 1engal & 1ihar !illing la!hs# Fen Ferard defeated $aratha arm% at Catpargan) & enterd Delhi# $a)or revolt of 1ritish 6ndian Arm%#

Printing and $ducation spread, private trading flourished merchant class grew#

+2*; AD

+5th AD +Kth AD +5th AD

S%nthesis of <onfucian Q 1uddhistic Q *aoist ideas "ecame official imperial ideolog%Stressed obligations of obedience to rules, child to father, wife to husband, younger brother to elder. >uan d%nast% 4u"lai 4han grandson of Fenghis 4han# $ongolian interlude# *ravelogue of Senetian $arco Colo to 1ei)ing astounded Europeans# &oads Q granaries# $6?F D%nast% from mid +Kth <on2uered Annam M? SietnamE# Admiral <heng ;o large fleet man% e7peditions in <hina seas 6ndian ocean east coast of Africa# <onstruction of sea going vessels "anned Strong belief that hina had achie,ed most satisfactory ci,ili*ation on earth and nothing foreign was needed or welcome# End of $ing empire PU6?F D%nast% $anchus Mnot ;anE# <ontinued previous s%stems & philosoph%#

+9th AD +Nth AD

+8th AD

<on2uered outer $ongolia control of central Asia *i"et and *aiwan# Cortuguese at $acao monopoli,ed foreign trade followed "% 1ritish Irench & Spaniards# #

+9th AD

4ing prohi"ited opium trade destro%ed 20000 chests of illicit 1ritish opium# 1ritain started opium war # 4ing was defeated# 1ig powers divided <hina into spheres of influence# 6sland of ;ong!ong ceded 99 %r lease Aapan defeated <hina *aiwan was ceded#

20th AD

6ndia gains independence into a 4emocratic "epublic # &on),iolent struggle marred "% horrible mutual massacre huge migration of population# Iive %ear plans to "uild industr% & infrastructure# +9N+- ;elped East Ca!istan emerge as 1angla Desh +99+ - Economic li"erali,ation helped economic growth#

Democratic revolution "% Sun->at -Sen a"olished feudal monarch% and esta"lished &epu"lic of <hina# USA gave massive aid to nationalist govt of <hiang -!ai-she!# <ommunist part% won the war esta"lished RCeopleRs &epu"lic of <hina & pushed <hiang 4ai She! to *aiwan# +992 = Attac!ed 6ndia +9N8 - Economic li"erali,ation open-door polic% ending 5000 %rs seclusion#

'&igvedic Ar%ans( "% &ahul Sans!rit%a%an#M+2E M+5E M+KE internet

0e can clearl% see how centur% after centur% for more than 2500 %ears <hina has "een ruled "% a local d%nast% after another local d%nast%8 e7cept for two episodes G one $ongolian episode in +5th centur% of a few decades rule of 4u"lai 4han grandson of Fenghis 4han and the second episode of western domination after the 3pium war in the +9 th centur%# ;owever over a long stretch of time there had "een no foreign domination in <hina# 0hereas from the 6ndian column centuries it is evident that out of 2900 %ears "ut for five

that of $aur%a Fupta and ;arsh periods some or large

parts of 6ndia have

continuousl% "een under foreign rule for over 2000 %ears famines terror coercion to migrate to another religion etc#

with people suffering miser%

*here was no pan-6ndian move to colla"orate and fight this menace# 0hat did that mean for "ul! of the 6ndian people: 3"viousl% survival = me and m% famil% and m% communit% first# 6t included ha"its of flatter% it included not "eing straight forward in tal! and in dealings with others and the li!e# 6n <hina it stands out that there was cultivation of deference to central authorit% and o"edience to the rules the ruler and the elders in the famil%#

0hile traveling in a train from Shangahi to 1ei)ing a few %ears ago we had the goods fortune of sharing the compartment with a <hinese couple in their forties# *he% were "oth "us% in loo!ing after and pampering their %oung son of a"out 5 or K %ears# 6n halting English the% -N0could ma!e it clear that this one was their onl% child and if "% mista!e the% get another the conse2uences will "e 2uite severe ' 6 will lose m% )o"(# See the 2uiet deference to the authorit%# 6 do not thin! that such a rule could have "een enforced successfull% in 6ndia# ?ot that this was a ver% wise move on the part of <hina# 6t seems that in a few %ears <hina would "e loaded with an aging population# Another thing that we learnt in that )ourne% was some thing worth cop%ing# *he railwa% trac!s "oth at Shanghai and 1ei)ing railwa% stations were un"elieva"l% spotlessl% clean compared to our situation where the trac!s are usuall% dirt% and filth%# *he secret of this achievement was ver% simple and anchored in their rule "ound "ehavior# As soon as the train is a"out to enter a railwa% station all toilets are closed and these get opened onl% after the train is a few !ms out of the railwa% station# Puite an innovative solution to the pro"lem# Another t%pical "ehavior that hit our e%e was a highl% cultivated "od% language of aggression = "e it the Durwan trape,e artists on the stage# <hina we see has to its credit huge infrastructural pro)ects much "efore the current technolog% = the Freat wall grand canal# <hina also has to its credit or discredit committing few territorial aggressions including one on 6ndia in +992# 0here as 6n 6ndia personalities li!e 1uddha $ahavira Furu ?ana! 4a"ir <haitan%a Fandhi focused on promoting a softer message of non-violence and 1ha!ti well as intellectuals li!e Ar%a"hatta Sarahmitra mathematics# /et us now have a loo! at what the well !nown author Irancis Iu!u%ama has to sa% on the priestl% class of the two countries and the !ind of impact it had# focused on
M devotion to FodE Msecurit% guardE

saluting %ou as %ou enter the hotel or "e it the

which is in fact great competed over man% centuries and the

as

pursuits of astronom% &

' *he intellectual in2uir% is honest# Iu!u%ama is a "rave western scholar who "egins his e7ploration from 6ndia and <hina rather than Athens Sparta or &ome # ;e points out 4arl -N+$ar7(s error in clu""ing 6ndia and <hina into a single 'Asiatic( paradigm# Unli!e <hina "ut li!e Europe 6ndia(s institutionali,ation of countervailing social actors = an organi,ed priestl% class and the metstacisation -spread. of !inship structures into the caste s%stem acted as a "ra!e on the accumulation of power "% the state# *he result was that over the past 2200 %ears <hina(s default political mode was a unified empire punctuated "% periods of civil war invasion and "rea!down8 where as 6ndia(s default mode was pett% political units punctuated "% "rief periods of war# 6t is not merel% geograph% or warfare that contrasts 6ndia(s political development from that of <hina(s# *he "iggest differentiator is religion# 0hile <hina(s thrust was on ancestor worship 6ndia too! the idea further through the s%stem of varna or social classes#( Irom the standpoint of politics Iu!u%ama writes ' this was an e7tremel% important development "ecause it separated secular and religious authorit%# 0hile the <hinese priests were emplo%ees of the state 6ndian 1rahmins were a separate varna from the 4shatri%a M warriorsE and recogni,ed as having higher authorit%#( 6t is from this he argues that India5s relati,ely greater thrust on the rule of law germinates. It also e-plains India5s greater democratic leanings.5
M*he origins of Colitical orderB "% Irancis Iu!u%ama a senior fellow at Stanford universit% = "oo! review "% Fautam <hic!ermane as pu"lished in the ; *imes of +#T#20++E

*he su"mission therefore is that the two societies of 6ndia and <hina emerged into independence in mid twentieth centur% with a different set of "eliefs and values with different cultures with different mindsets# ;ere is a sample of what some <hinese thin! a"out us 6ndians G Ior ordinar% <hinese there were visi"le s%m"ols of this 6ndian self = degradation in their own midst G Carsi "usinessmen from 1om"a% who acted as middle men in the 1ritish opium trade with <hina8 and Si!h policemen in treat% ports li!e Shanghai ;ong 4ong ;an!ou whom their 1ritish masters periodicall% unleashed on <hinese crowds# 6ndian soldiers had

done the "ul! of fighting in 1ritish wars in <hina for nearl% a centur% after the + st opium war in +8K+@@@@@## -N2As the <hinese saw it foreigners had ruled the countr% continuousl% since the $ughals esta"lished their empire in the si7teenth centur%8 there was no native ruling class capa"le of unif%ing the countr%# $using on the fate of Asia /iang Puichao identified 6ndia as a horror stor% a"out a H /ost <ountr%B that had failed misera"l% in the international struggle for e2ualit% and dignit%# '
An e7cerpt from ' *he ruins of empireG *he revolt against the west and the rema!ing of Asia( "% Can!a) $ishra pu"lished in the 3utloo! of Aug +5 20+2 M29E

*he prognosis a"out the future of <hina M alwa%s a highl% ris!% venture E to m% mind is that that <hina will continue to move faster than us in the sphere of econom% and "uilding huge infrastructure pro)ects li!e the railwa% train into *i"et or the ama,ing string of "ridges# *he onl% ma)or pro"lem that 6 foresee for them is that with growth of affluence and education among the people in <hina the demand for certain freedoms is going to gain strength# ;ow <hina copes up with it will "e a challenge worth watching# *he happenings in the *iananmen s2uare onl% a few decades ago do not "ode well# 3n the *S screen onl% %esterda% 6 was surprised to see pu"lic in <hina protesting against the installation of a refiner% in their area# *his was unthin!a"le a"out a decade ago# *hings are changing# 6ndia ma% catch up with <hina if <hina(s aging population pro"lem caused "% the one = child polic% "ecomes a drag on its economic performance and 6ndia is a"le to encash the so called demographic dividend timel%# /et us not !eep comparing things# 0e in 6ndia have what Sunil 4hilnani descri"es G ' the onl% tena"le normative aspiration in modern politics can "e to ma!e states more trustworth% to all who must live under themG to ma!e them more graceful and civili,ed in their

dealings with their citi,ens and with one another# 6n that pro)ect of civili,ing political power the model of institutional democrac% has proved the most -N5relia"le instrument availa"le to modern populations # 6t is not the finest product of the desiring human intellect# 1ut it is certainl% more practica"le than other more promethean conceptions# 6t has proved reasona"l% effective in the struggle to create and sustain a degree of identification "etween states and its citi,ens#( *hat
M+5E

however does not mean that the !ind of democrac% we see toda% in 6ndia with

mone% power "eing used unashamedl% for elections the parliament sessions "eing disrupted for wee! after wee! has reached desired level of maturit%# 6t is still a wor! in progress which needs to mend itself fast# /et us treasure that legac% "e2ueathed to us "% the founding fathers of our constitution strengthen it and !eep on moving ma% "e a little slower "ut steadil% and surel%# 0e are currentl% highl% e7ercised a"out the corruption in high places and rightl% so# /et us view a sample of the same disease in <hina# ' At his +st news conference as <hina(s prime minister 0en Aia"ao introduced himself@@#M<hinese leaders normall% hide "ehind the smo!escreen of 'collective leadership( @ "ut $r 0en wa7ed elo2uentE@6 am a ver% ordinar% person# 6 come from a famil% of teachers in the countr%side@# $% childhood was spent in the turmoil of war# 3ur home was literall% "urnt down@ so was the primar% school which m% father "uilt with his own hands# *he untold suffering left an indeli"le imprint on m% tender mind# As a tour de force of investigative reporting "% the ?ew >or! *imes $r 0en(s famil% circumstances have a changed a lot since those da%s# 6t sa%s the Crime $inister(s relatives including his wife have controlled assets worth U2#N "illion# *he famil% mem"ers of <hina(s most powerful politicians cash in on their connections comes as no surprise# @ 6n Aune 1loom"erg shed remar!a"le light on the fortunes of relatives

of 7i A6nping

the man who ne7t month will "e appointed as the Feneral Secretar% of the

<ommunist part% and in $arch the Cresident of <hina@# 1loom"erg(s entire we"site has "een "loc!ed ever since@#(
MEconomist = 3cto"er 2N 20+2E