Here are two images of Mumbai. Take a quick look at them and tell me what comes to your mind:
Next question. Which image best defines the Mumbai that you stand for?
Chances are, like most Mumbaikars, you chose the Gateway of India over the Bandra Worli Sea Link. Or the Rajiv Gandhi Setu bridge as it was christened after a lot of bickering. Why? Here are a few reasons:
- The Gateway of India is a historical monument of great significance. It represents India’s flight to freedom…
- The Gateway is a monument which reminds us of the sacrifices our ancestors made to ensure that their successors had a democracy to live in…
- It is a monument which reminds us of our past, dark though it was; a time when we were ruled by tyrants from a foreign nation. It reminds us of pain, suffering and agony…
If the Gateway is indeed a testimony to all of the above, why does it still hold a special place in many Mumbaikars’ minds? It is good that as a nation, we remember the great sacrifices that some of our ancestors made. It is wonderful and heartening to see that we are proud of the fact that we are now a democracy. And yet, we are also still hinged to the fact that we were once a slave Nation to Her Majesty’s great empire. And somehow, we are loath to let that feeling pass.
How many of us can truthfully say that we’d always choose an Indian product over a “foreign” made one? Care for a Videocon mp3 player if there is an iPod on display just besides it? Why get an M. Tech. from IIT when you can easily get an MS from Johns Hopkins? Ditto for space and nuclear technology. Why develop indigenously when we can import? Which brings me to my next question: Are we really free from our dependence on foreign nations? Have we gotten rid of our slave mentality? I think not.
The premier institutions of the country, the IITs and the IIMs refuse to accept as faculty any persons who have completed a Ph. D. and/or some Masters course within India. They give preference to a degree from a foreign nation (no matter how obscure:- Oh wow! You have completed your Ph. D. on Biochemical degradation of Cow Dung to form Biogas from Turkmenistan Agricultural Institute! You are so hired!!!) There are numerous other instances of blatant acceptance of foreign material as better – take for example the blind faith that so many of our chemical process industries place in foreign technology. A disaster like Bhopal and Union Carbide is just a stark reminder of how misplaced faith can backfire.
Then again, we are still associating ourselves with pain and misery when we look back at the Gateway and reminisce. Why cannot we let go of the past and move on?
Which brings me to the second image. What did you think of when you saw the Rajiv Gandhi Setu Bridge. (Setu = Bridge. Kind of like saying Akbar the Great, when clearly Akbar = Great). Did you think one of the following thoughts:
- Took bloody 10 years to build this. I am sure that some German contractors would’ve had it completed in three years flat
- I wonder how much money how many people “ate” to get this bridge online. I am sure some coffers have filled and overflown
- I wonder how long these chaps are going to collect these outrageous toll amounts from us
Did you stop and wonder that Mumbai now has a bridge that it can be proud of? A landmark on the lines of the Golden Gate bridge of San Francisco? OK, maybe not as spectacular, considering that the Bandra Worli sealink overlooks the Arabian Sea as opposed to the Pacific Ocean. Did you envisage for a moment that some twenty years down the line, you would be driving on the sea link, with the breeze ruffling your hair. And that you will be glad that such a link was constructed.
Time to ponder, isn’t it? Should we abandon all our links with our past and look forward to the future and the future only? Or should we take a middle path? Lemme know your thoughts on this.
/R
Nice thoughts…
Yashwant Sinha once said when he was the FM “The India of today exists in multiple centuries”. We have a huge huge spectrum – from Naga Sadhus to people who dont even know we were ruled by the British. In such a socio-political landscape, even though it has its own huge set of benefits, I think it would be near impossible to let go of the past and focus on the future.
We are a grossly imperfect democracy. I am reading Nandan Nilekani’s book now – Imagining India. And I slowly have begun to realize that although we got political independence in 1947, we are just in the second decade of social and economic independence – since the economic reforms of 1991. All of India’s progress has been only in the last 15 years. It will take time to be forward looking. It will take time to become a “perfect-er” democracy. I also agree we are running out of time and we – all of us – need to do something to expedite this process.
I highly suggest reading Imagining India. Its an amazing book.
While the Sealink is an acheivement to be proud of- asking the questions (why so long?who ate?) is perfectly correct. After all, it is OUR money that is being spent. We are a client and the govenrment a service provider. BUT, we’re thankful to have a sealink and ignore the faults- therein lies the real slave mentality- not just to the British, but to any authority. After all, you dont buy bread at the neighbourhood grocer for 500 bucks, wait a yr for its delivery- then why do we allow the government this luxury?
Also, what new thing (other than the sealink) has come up in Bombay since independence? The symbols of pride- Gateway,colaba,trains,VT were always there. SO we change the names of these symbols to feel better about this sad state of affairs. Why not build a brand new state of the art transport hub and name it Shivaji Hub. But that’s not so easy then is it.
I liked this article btw
@ Gaurav
I am too young to be reading up on Non Fiction like Imagining India!
Right now, I’d much rather focus on “doing” for India
@ Yuri
Very right when you say that we need to ask questions as to why it took 10 years. However, the questions need to start as early as the 2nd year and not after 8 years. We are as guilty as the chaps who delay the process.