I'm watching, with grief, what is happening in the surrounding...blasts rocked the city, people lay crippled, dead; blood and gore every where...I was shocked with news as I visited the place Ganeshguri only the previous evening to buy some medicines. It was my first visit to the place as I've shifted to Guwahati only on Oct.22, 2008. I was aghast with the news not because what would have happened if the blasts would have took place on the evening I went there but by the thought that the place whose beauty I 'd adored only few hours ago, was now painted with warm blood spilled out of crying humanity. All the beautiful faces reeled before my eyes whom I'd adored the previous evening seeing their jest for life...no way to know who among them is still alive...!
Why...the only thing came to me was a big, painful "why": why this has happened...I don't care, unlike the politicians of my country who are busy blaming each-other for it, who has done it...what is troubling me is why they have done this...! Whom they're trying to kill...their own countrymen...oh Humanity! I'm sorry for your slow demise...Are we reaching the end of the world in Elliot's way...not with a bang, but in a whimper...
Only person whom I could think of this time was Gandhi ji and I was surprised why I'm thinking of him...I'm not blind admirer of him though I liked several aspects of his struggle. My heart gave me the answer: we're moving away from his path; every struggle, every oppose must have a moral heart behind it otherwise it would only play havoc the way we are witnessing all this mayhem...!
Sorry to start this blog on a sad note, but there was no way out...!
There are some inescapable points worthy of an inquiry from an economist’s view in all such mayhems and also in the non-violence philosophy of Gandhi. It is often baffling why the politicians don’t show the determination to deal with such acts of terrorism. They often claim that we don’t have enough resources to beef up the intelligence and security. To me it is more a matter of ‘intention’ than of ‘scarcity of means’. I feel the politicians don’t have any intention of preventing these events as strict measures taken would displease some groups and that would affect adversely their ‘vote bank’. The political power, something which they want to grab at all cost, to too priceless to them to be squandered for curbing such extremist groups. They don’t want the political power for its own sake but for the economic power it brings with it. Bare political power would be worth less and I think that if there would be some such provision that those with political power wouldn’t have any control over the economic power and its agents then very few people (only those driven by power and prestige motive solely) would opt for the political power. The political power in country opens the floodgates of opportunities: of corruption, of nepotism, to name a few.
The politicians are aware of the fact that the people with separatist/extremist ideology don’t have any affection for them. They would vote for a party/politician who would seem to protect their interest the most as they don’t have their own political clout to such an extent to come to power on their own alone. The politician knows this and he is also aware of the fact that these votes could be decisive in election so he would not want to take any stern action which would make these votes shift away from him. Losing an election is losing an opportunity for corruption, nepotism and making easy money, something which the politician don’t want to forgo. As far as the victims of such violent/extremist activities are concerned, they don’t have much choice to make: all the politicians are of made from the same cast. Therefore, it is this access to economic power which detains the politicians to take stern actions and deal with extremist ideologies.
Now, let’s have a look at the Gandhian philosophy and the economics behind it. Adhering to non-violence reduces the economic losses to a minimum. Both, the violent events by extremists and the following protest of it by irate masses causes economic losses. Whether it is an immediate and direct loss in form of loss of public property due to blasts etc. or it is not-so-direct economic loss ensuing form the ‘band’ organized in protest of violent events. Some times protest events themselves turn violent and incur huge loss of public/private property, an example can be found in the violent protest by public after the October 30 blasts in Guwahati. This loss to public property would cast the public itself as they have lost some public goods which were created from the money which they paid as taxes. Also, this loss would drag the economy a bit, howsoever small this drag be. So, ultimately the loser is the public itself and not these politicians. The beauty of the Gandhian philosophy is that it leads to no loss of public/private property.
Why...the only thing came to me was a big, painful "why": why this has happened...I don't care, unlike the politicians of my country who are busy blaming each-other for it, who has done it...what is troubling me is why they have done this...! Whom they're trying to kill...their own countrymen...oh Humanity! I'm sorry for your slow demise...Are we reaching the end of the world in Elliot's way...not with a bang, but in a whimper...
Only person whom I could think of this time was Gandhi ji and I was surprised why I'm thinking of him...I'm not blind admirer of him though I liked several aspects of his struggle. My heart gave me the answer: we're moving away from his path; every struggle, every oppose must have a moral heart behind it otherwise it would only play havoc the way we are witnessing all this mayhem...!
Sorry to start this blog on a sad note, but there was no way out...!
There are some inescapable points worthy of an inquiry from an economist’s view in all such mayhems and also in the non-violence philosophy of Gandhi. It is often baffling why the politicians don’t show the determination to deal with such acts of terrorism. They often claim that we don’t have enough resources to beef up the intelligence and security. To me it is more a matter of ‘intention’ than of ‘scarcity of means’. I feel the politicians don’t have any intention of preventing these events as strict measures taken would displease some groups and that would affect adversely their ‘vote bank’. The political power, something which they want to grab at all cost, to too priceless to them to be squandered for curbing such extremist groups. They don’t want the political power for its own sake but for the economic power it brings with it. Bare political power would be worth less and I think that if there would be some such provision that those with political power wouldn’t have any control over the economic power and its agents then very few people (only those driven by power and prestige motive solely) would opt for the political power. The political power in country opens the floodgates of opportunities: of corruption, of nepotism, to name a few.
The politicians are aware of the fact that the people with separatist/extremist ideology don’t have any affection for them. They would vote for a party/politician who would seem to protect their interest the most as they don’t have their own political clout to such an extent to come to power on their own alone. The politician knows this and he is also aware of the fact that these votes could be decisive in election so he would not want to take any stern action which would make these votes shift away from him. Losing an election is losing an opportunity for corruption, nepotism and making easy money, something which the politician don’t want to forgo. As far as the victims of such violent/extremist activities are concerned, they don’t have much choice to make: all the politicians are of made from the same cast. Therefore, it is this access to economic power which detains the politicians to take stern actions and deal with extremist ideologies.
Now, let’s have a look at the Gandhian philosophy and the economics behind it. Adhering to non-violence reduces the economic losses to a minimum. Both, the violent events by extremists and the following protest of it by irate masses causes economic losses. Whether it is an immediate and direct loss in form of loss of public property due to blasts etc. or it is not-so-direct economic loss ensuing form the ‘band’ organized in protest of violent events. Some times protest events themselves turn violent and incur huge loss of public/private property, an example can be found in the violent protest by public after the October 30 blasts in Guwahati. This loss to public property would cast the public itself as they have lost some public goods which were created from the money which they paid as taxes. Also, this loss would drag the economy a bit, howsoever small this drag be. So, ultimately the loser is the public itself and not these politicians. The beauty of the Gandhian philosophy is that it leads to no loss of public/private property.
Yes, 'Why this Mayhem' is a pertinent question. The proposal for a non-violent solution has immense promise. Or, as Gandhi said 'an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.' A sad, but worthy beginning. My best wishes.
ReplyDeletea grand begining to your blog.
ReplyDeleteyou know what is so great in you (talk about author,story follws him) 'you think a lot' and you know what make people think is 'you say what you think.'
questions do come in every single mind (some silly ones are on my blog too)but there are few way to express them, it is well you have chosen an easy path to express you as your close ones will know every single thought now on every bad around...
good luck and one more thing... you do have stories but views are always an 'eye opener'... keep writing...