The other side of the ‘shining’ coin

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The New Indian Express

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The other side of the `shining' coin

Thursday March 17 2005 16:22 IST

 

Claude Arpi

 

 

A few weeks ago, I celebrated a very happy anniversary. Thirty years

ago, I left France, my native country, to permanently settle in India.

Thirty years is a long time not only in the life of an individual, but

also a nation. In 1974, with my newcomer naivety, I had assumed that

the India that I was adopting as my new motherland was the `eternal

India' of the ages. I soon discovered the discrepancies between her

outer forms and her `eternity'.

 

Of course India was said the largest democracy in the world (Is it

still true today?). In 1976, the Indian Parliament had even voted the

Constitution's 42nd Amendment which redefined India as a `Sovereign

Socialist Secular Democratic Republic'. But frankly speaking, I never

cared for this `socialist secularism' as my interest was deeper.

 

Before coming to India, I had read countless books on this ancient

nation and had heard a great deal about the `sanatan dharma'

propounded by her sages. To me, it seemed to be the only solution for

India. The voice heard by Sri Aurobindo in 1909 after a year spent in

His Gracious Majesty's gaol was a constant inspiration: "…it is this

that I have perfected and developed through the Rishis, Saints and

Avatars... When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is the

Sanatan Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be

great, it is the Sanatan Dharma that shall be great …It is for the

Dharma and by the Dharma that India exists..."

 

Or again: "… But it is not circumscribed by the confines of a single

country, it does not belong peculiarly and for ever to a bounded part

of the world. It is really the eternal religion, because it is the

universal religion which embraces all others. If a religion is not

universal, it cannot be eternal."

 

The `human' concept of secularism has come and it may go, but my

thirty year old question remains: Does the `eternal dharma' still

sustain the land of India today?

 

In the 70's, materially nothing worked. I remember that during the

first months of my stay, some young friends had enacted a small drama.

The main character was a foreign kid: Whatever he touched would break

and each time he would shout `Made in India!'. The spectators roared

with laughter. This was a fact of daily life: India was synonymous

with `bad quality' to say the least.

 

Materially many things have changed for the better now, but it is

still not easy to catch glimpses of `eternal India'.

 

Long before independence, Sri Aurobindo had told a disciple: "The

question is what is India going to do with her Independence... The

above kind of affair (communal riots)? Bolshevism? Goonda-raj? Things

look ominous." It appears that India has to go through it all.

 

In many ways, it is true that India is shining. To give an example a

few days back I read on a French website that Narain Karthikeyan was

offered a F1 car to drive because the Tatas had given their name to

the project. Thirty years ago, who could have imagined that it would

be enough for an Indian company to lend its name (and money) to such a

venture, to have an Indian driving a F1 car?

 

Obviously, the IT boom and the role played by the NRIs have done more

than Indian diplomacy (with its boring non-alignment policy) to force

the world to recognise that India is not a third world nation any

more. That is one side of the coin.

 

However, many things still look ominous. I have to admit that when I

read my morning newspapers my (French) blood starts invariably to

boil. To cite an example, a newspaper mentioned a few days back: "the

rate of registration of births in Bihar fell from 23 percent in 1996

to just 0.8 percent in 2003 while Uttar Pradesh has not sent records

of birth and death registration to the Centre for the last eight years

because of lack of forms." Everybody in India can easily believe it. I

myself struggled for a year to get an Indian birth certificate for my

daughter. A similar certificate took only 15 minutes from the French

Consulate. Everyday, one could find hundreds of such stories. It is

probably why Mr. Advani has now realised that the campaign `India

Shining' was only one part of the truth.

 

One fact bothers me more than anything else: While becoming shining,

India has also become mercantile. In her rage to imitate the West

(there is certainly a good side to it, especially when you need a

birth certificate), India often forgets her own traditions.

 

One issue which shows this mercantilism is the Pravasi Bharatya Divas

yearly encounter. A few years ago, when India suddenly discovered that

the NRIs were doing well and could be a regular `Indian' source for

the badly-needed foreign investments, a double citizenship scheme was

quickly devised. Its purpose was to make the life of the potential

investors easier. It rightly received a tremendous response from the

NRI community.

 

But what I found terribly unfair is that the universally accepted

concept of reciprocity was not even considered. A FRI (Foreigner

Resident in India), even if he has given all his life to India (what

many NRIs have not done), cannot be considered and offered dual

citizenship. I know of many FRIs who have spent 30, 40 or 50 years in

India, served India and who have loved to be offered dual citizenship.

Unfortunately they do not represent `investment potential' and they

still have to struggle every year with the renewal of their

Residential Permit. An eminent FRI, recently awarded the Padma

Bhushan, who was born in India and has lived most of his life here,

finds himself in a similar position. The least India could do is to

introduce a Green Card system for those who have made India their home.

 

Even a China which totally unaware of the meaning of the words

`democracy' or `human rights' has in 2004 opened a bureau for the

Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of

Aliens responsible for the implementation of China's Green Card scheme.

 

When recently a Canadian NRI applied for Canadian citizenship, she was

given a beautiful certificate by the Premier of the Province of

British Columbia where she lived. On this certificate was printed a

welcome letter which amongst other things mentioned: "It is our

earnest hope that British Columbia will be enriched by your cultural

heritage and that you will enjoy life to the fullest in our beautiful

province."

 

For those who despite all appearances have never doubted about the

`eternal aspect' of Mother India, it would be only fair if they could

one day be treated at par with NRIs who immigrated to the West.

 

Probably the Government of India thinks that FRI's have done enough

Nishkama Yoga to not be attached to a small booklet. Some may still be!