If Market is to define development, if GDP is to define progress then disparities will be the result, violence a plausible outcome. The gap between GDP and HDI is a harrowing tale of negligence. The difference between the two is the difference between progress that is seen and progress that is real. GDP is a cosmetic indicator and has short term benefits the reason why market economists and politicians get excited about it. If majority of Indians eke out their lives in pittance, and are vulnerable and malnourished then there is something seriously wrong with the system. Yes there has been lots of progress in last few decades but it seemed to have been mostly accrued by certain section. The lack of distributive justice has seen that progress has led to majority section getting increasingly vulnerable while a small section getting increasingly opulent. They call it merit, quite clearly merit as defined by market lacks competence. Merit here hinges on crude nature of competition and so what we get is justification of crasser world. Subjectivity of reality is insisted to get the vulgar in. In this quaint world TRP driven orangutans (read market media) are expected to be watch dogs. Some kind of joke this one. How do you expect people to be sensitive or empathetic in such a crude system, by its very nature these subtlelities lack any usefulness. The intricate nature of different societies and surroundings are sought to be bludgeoned by a system that lacks any element of egalitarianism. The goodness of profit as defining nature of human aspiration or relations is a limited understanding. Is it this that they are trying to globalize?. Is this globalization?.
If it is then people will react and so do nature. When nature degrades and cannot take it any more it becomes violent, the issues related to global warming are culmination of a process that started with lopsided understanding of progress. Similarly when people react then societies become violent. When disparities are acute they organize and retaliate, it is a sign that democracies have failed. This also is a culmination of lopsided nature of development that fails to reach majority (despite the best intentions.
This blogger doesn’t support violent means adopted by some sections of Naxals (or Maoists) and sincerely hopes perpetrators of heinous acts are brought to justice (and yes Mister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya should learn to keep his arrogant mouth shut. He cannot “teach lessons” to Naxals or Maoists, he can only deal with them. Our man is at it again he is only spoiling it further as he has done earlier). There is a need for space for civilized intercourse, clearly the disparities fueled by crudeness of market has reached a point of no return unless the system rectifies it. Also mineral rich land belongs to the people who occupy it and they should have the right to sell it or should be given the share of the companies that sort to exploit these (ever wonder why mineral rich regions are the poorest and exploited?. And not coincidentally all the naxal/maoist activities are in this region. Clearly things have gone seriously wrong). Better would be a corpus fund dedicated to their basic needs initiated development and not exploiters understanding of development (read market). And yes it should be in millions if not billions. Tribals and Dalits have been pushed around for too long, this time it not going to be easy. If the same understanding of development that is around for sometime is sort to be imposed then the reactions are going to be severe.
This blogger wonders how corporates get raw materials at relatively cheaper rates wherein the inhabitants loose their habitat, livelihood and everything that is precious. This is also posited as sacrifice for bigger cause. (Really so they know what sacrifice means!!. I thought it was taboo word
). Anyway why is only one section asked to perform these, it’s been happening for ages here. Time to stop is now. This blogger has had a hand on experience not only at NBA (wide range of articles-particularly by Arundhati Roy and Gail Omvedt were helpful as also many discussions on Development during those walks was enlightening…on the lighter side we guys got bottle of Mahua and don’t recall much after that!!!) but also when I went all around the country tracking the exploitative products (Coca Cola and Pepsi). How is that they get these natural resources (and electricity in the name of investment) so cheap when people’s livelihood and surroundings are threatened?.
