tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post5055242885120931715..comments2024-03-27T10:36:39.504+05:30Comments on tantu-jaal: "Present regime... as part of the problem"Sunil Mukhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155823169161030174noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-44021429625649284332011-04-25T14:31:09.742+05:302011-04-25T14:31:09.742+05:30Dear Sunil,
You summed it up so well: &qu...Dear Sunil,<br /> You summed it up so well: "I don't see why the Indian political class shouldn't get some credit for this stability." I also think that the 'success story' of India is more due to its political success than its economic growth! I am still not sure whether it is a success-story or success-facts, but that is a different question all together! We, as educated Indians, have accepted the 'the most difficult part' as 'obvious' and never ever give credit to past/present politicians for that. I rarely see people who even try to know how the country was formed, what are the difficulties we have overcome! I find my friends saying "I don't care about politics, but want my clean water in my house!" This is just contradictory, in my opinion! In any case, thanks for your post.Koushik Duttahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12138756895367274444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-88460653291746204712011-03-03T23:38:19.817+05:302011-03-03T23:38:19.817+05:30@Cheeta: It was Vbalki who suggested that self-dis...@Cheeta: It was Vbalki who suggested that self-discipline was necessary for India to reach a "stable and satisfactory level of success". I merely pointed out that it wasn't a sufficient condition.Sunil Mukhihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05155823169161030174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-72697456160265341082011-03-03T21:07:12.088+05:302011-03-03T21:07:12.088+05:30The people of Thailand are undoubtedly Buddhist (9...The people of Thailand are undoubtedly Buddhist (95%) and do indeed smile very frequently; and everyone comments on their generally very polite and gentle ways. In what way, though, are they noticeably more self-disciplined than Indians? And even if they were: just how would any such self-discipline contradict or prevent or be an obstacle to their current, often violent, political struggle? Self-disclipined people can't disagree? Don't fight?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13256268880832397268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-78717893137690743842011-03-02T21:21:42.857+05:302011-03-02T21:21:42.857+05:30@WebMiner: I approved all three of your comments, ...@WebMiner: I approved all three of your comments, but only one has appeared on the website so far for some reason. To respond to this one: "Equally" is a figure of speech with a particular meaning, which isn't any of the ones you've suggested.<br /><br />@Vbalki: You're right that self-discipline is largely lacking in our country. However I'm not sure this is a key to stability. The famously gentle, smiling, self-disciplined, Buddhist people of Thailand are locked since several years in a political battle that virtually borders on civil war. Case closed?Sunil Mukhihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05155823169161030174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-80773511980563517222011-03-02T20:44:22.632+05:302011-03-02T20:44:22.632+05:30Sunil, Your points are well taken. It IS remarkabl...Sunil, Your points are well taken. It IS remarkable that such disparate forces have managed to keep the country together for so long, and yes, the political class does deserve some credit for this. <br /><br />But it cannot have escaped your attention that the very large inertia present in such a ponderous entity as the Indian nation is itself a strong factor on the side of over-all stability. While the political class can be given credit for not having (as yet) caused the country to fragment, much of this is a serendipitous effect, or at least not a direct result of some deep, well-thought-out, long-range policy eolved by politicians. THAT sort of deep thinking stopped a little after the founding fathers composed the Constitution of India. After that it has largely been ad hocism, as the cliche goes. <br /><br />The other factor that has not been mentioned, and that is absolutely crucial (in my opinion) for the experiment called the Indian nation to reach a stable and satisfactory level of success, is a little thing called (self-)discipline among the people of the country. Without it (and the evidence seems to point to a rather glaring lack of it), it is not clear to me that we will ever "make it", not even if a billion people are able to buy (and do buy) designer jeans and nike shoes. I find it strange that this vital ingredient's absence has not attracted much attention from analysts.vbalkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16190962127952161679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-73693684877764241822011-03-02T13:05:52.459+05:302011-03-02T13:05:52.459+05:30"I don't deny, of course, that everything..."I don't deny, of course, that everything could be better. Equally, it could all be worse."<br /><br />What exactly do you mean by "equally"? Political equality of the participants of the discussion, or equality under some measurable domain of "betterness" and "worseness"? I.e., are we at some approximate "median" status?<br /><br />I am not quibbling, this is important.Ungrateful Alivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07536084262681072181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538874342968130652.post-17629351817146572102011-03-01T17:27:24.424+05:302011-03-01T17:27:24.424+05:30Sunil:
I would like to know a bit about your opin...Sunil:<br /><br />I would like to know a bit about your opinions [and convictions], if you have [and hold] any, concerning the science and research establishment in India, in as much candor (possibly including honesty) and brevity as possible to you. In particular, regarding how it treats what it considers an outsider or a newcomer to the fields it considers its own.<br /><br />Really.<br /><br />--Ajit<br />[E&OE]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com