The Persistent India initiative needs to be appreciated not for its portrayal of the present morass but for its optimism, which itself is very difficult to garner, let alone advocate, in this time of complacency.
The reasons which have led the Indian polity to this sorry state of affairs are not alien to the intellect of the Thinking Indian. However, the glim reality remains that in the sovereign-democratic-socialist-republic of India, despite of our freedom to think, object and express, the pillars of power continue to coerce our conformity and solicit our submission. The fear of failure has got the best of us. Compromise has corrupted our reason and robbed us of our common sense. Someone more guilty than the inefficient politicians, corrupt bureaucracy, opportunistic alliances and media-persons busy with the cow-flying-in-the-air, is the person in our mirrors. With everyone enjoying the comforts of everyday routine- the security of the familiar and the tranquility of repetition, Persistent India gives India what it needs most at this time - Hope.
Be it the media- print or audio-visual, independent business houses, public services or the seemingly incorruptible education system, every running profession in India is plagued with an intentional or unintentional bias towards the political support system for selfish (or self-centered) objectives. The belief that fairness, justice and honesty are not mere words but perspectives and can be translated into actions may seem too far-fetched for those who are already used to and occupied with 'the ways of the world'.
I believe, the force to beckon is the new impatience- the way of life for youth- uncompromising and very demanding. There is no one better poised than the youth of today, the informed, aware, critical and bloggy student community in general, to be convinced of the belief that change can happen!The thing to do is to orient and channelize this untapped enthusiasm and in turn inspire a vision for a bright, believable and sustainable future. This initiative should be a loud call to the Indian youth to reject the conventional irrationality of the present polity and to grasp the need of an activist engagement based on the supremacy of reason, with individualism, self-interest, science, technology and progress as its consequences.
The vision to share remains, that ideas cannot be fought except by means of better ideas. The battle consists not of opposing, but of exposing; not of denouncing, but of disproving; not of evading, but of boldly proclaiming a full, consistent and radical alternative.
Happy to see change happening at www.persistentindia.org
1 comment:
what makes Persistent India different from the rest?
They appear out of nowhere(for me at least) a few months before the election with some heavy lines claiming that the current crop of politicians are a bunch of parasites sucking the blood of this country. I agree.
Does that make them the alternative? do they prove they are any better? just because they are educated doesn't prove that they are worth being the representatives of the masses. What have they done to gain my trust? why just before the election is always the time? where are they when the elections are over. to win the trust of the people u need to afeect their lives in a positive way. how do they plan to do that.
Just because the current political parties are bad does not imply that persistent india is any better. In order to really build up hope in the minds of the people, peristent India needs to show them that they care, that they are more than just big words.
Its not what they do before the elections but what they do between the elections will determine their true identity.
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