I keep an eye on a couple of Indian blogs, mostly because I like to keep an eye on the future. I realise that India has a long way to go, as do we all, in forging the new century, but some things that give me hope are captured in recent comments by the country’s political leaders.
Here is the Prime Minister, Manhoman Singh:
Open societies enable the full flowering of our individual personality. Open economies provide the space for the fruition of our creativity and enterprise. Open societies and open economies empower those who live and work in them. Being an open democratic society and an open economy empowers India. Provision of effective social safety nets for the weak and needy will ensure that all sections of our population will participate in processes of social and economic growth, making for a more inclusive society.
Some people think nations are empowered merely by their military prowess. They pursue mindless militarisation. Some think nations are empowered by their command over resources. They pursue greedy aggrandizement. Neither military prowess nor economic resources can by themselves ever empower a nation for any length of time. A nation is truly empowered only by the brain power of its people.
Amen brother. Meanwhile the country also has a president that is not sticking his head in the (Arabian) sand, when it comes to future energy requirements. Might India be the nation that cracks the carbon-fired energy lock? The comments below sound like a national call to action to me, and India surely has more smart engineers available than almost any nation on the planet (the most, perhaps) to make it happen. Here is President A P J Abdul Kalam:
Energy independence has to be our nation’s first and highest priority. We must be determined to achieve this within the next 25 years.’’ Terming this as a ‘‘national mission’’ that must be formulated, the President urged that funds be guaranteed and leadership entrusted without delay.
In fact, Kalam did not limit it to the goal of energy security. Rather the goal he defined was ‘‘energy security as a transition to total energy independence’’ for which he outlined a detailed roadmap, even going into the potential savings the country could make through increased efficiency.
So the country wants to focus on open society, open technology, open culture, “social safety nets” and finding solutions to the long crisis of peak oil. Where do I sign up?
Of course pollution, water scarcity and social inequality are still huge problems for India. But then again, they are for all of us.
Is India emerging as a model for Nation 2.0… 😉
No Comments