I don’t write open letters, but for everything there is a start. I have profound respect for P.Sainath, he is one of the honest journalists in india and one of the few popular journalist who is not on the payroll list of a political party. Sainath is the only journalist who has continuously written on farmers’ death and rural issues when other newspapers and News Channels were more interested in Cleavages and midriffs. Probably a fine stroke of integrity when he rejected the Padmasree award when the other less dignified journalists were crowned with the same. Sainath never hesitated to talk about the corruption and unethical media. Sainath’s articles on rural poverty, depressing financial position of Indian farmers, pathetic state of the Agricultural sector etc…. are eye openers.
Sainath’s recent articles ‘Decadal journeys: debt and despair spur urban growth’ and ‘Census findings point to decade of rural distress’ shows his concern about immigration of rural population and the rise in Urbanization. Sainath’s 1200+ words article pricks the middle class and pours empathy with the rural. Sainath’s circuitous bout on the middle class has forced me to write this post.
It’s not hard to guess the real monster behind all the mess of immigration of rural population etc… according to P.Sainath its Liberalization (or Capitalism), as always Sainath has one answer for all the problems, even though they are very thinly related to the actual problem. I am not a JNU student to give unconditional support to Sainath’s views nor am I an Entrepreneur to reject it completely. I am not a Economist by profession and not a political analyst but with my knowledge which I gained with my experiences I think I have just enough privileges to express my thoughts.
I come from a middle class family- both the families of my father and mother are from Agricultural background. In 2001-2002 one of my friends uncle who is a farmer in rural Andhra Pradesh visited Hyderabad, those days LG TV’s had high brand value, they were making good marketing in television channels and my friends uncle saw the LG TV advertisement and enquired the cost of this high end LG TV and wanted to buy it on that day. My friend was in a state of shock and was curious to know that how his uncle being a farmer can have so much money. This was the state and the financial position of a farmer at that time and to add, there is a state in India where almost every agricultural family owned a high brand car.
Today the situation of farmers is not like the above mentioned, the migrated rural farmers now work as chowkidars in urban apartments’ and gated communities. Such unbelievable drop of status of a farmer will make every human being ponder about the plight being experienced by them but the irrational heart and lazy brains push the blame on capitalism or the Liberalization which happened 20 years back.
One will absolutely agree that the Indian middle class acted as a spring for Capitalism and people like Sainath will now and then take a sarcastic dig at the middle class for the plight of the poor – plight of the farmers, to be precise. The rhetoric displayed always succeeds when it comes to attack the middle class. There are very few intellectuals, columnists, politicians who refer to the hardships of the middle class. It’s because they are not like the masses where the veto power rests, they are not like the fashionable elite which represents dignity and status.
The legitimate corruption mission called NREGA instigated by NAC and propagated by UPA worked wonders for politicians and gave good money to many but the burden of it is still being carried by the middle class, can any economist say that NREGA didn’t cause inflation? Even the highly designated people of the Planning Commission have agreed that NREGA has boosted the inflation. The rise in petrol prices, LPG etc…. are the rewards of the same policies – even this will have to be handled by the middle class. The middle class which pays the taxes promptly doesn’t have the luxury of swindling like the elite with political help or can’t call themselves poor (A middle class indian definitely spends more than Rs.32 in a day) or show them as the victimized.
Does Capitalism leads to Corruption?
Sainath’s recent articles ‘Decadal journeys: debt and despair spur urban growth’ and ‘Census findings point to decade of rural distress’ shows his concern about immigration of rural population and the rise in Urbanization. Sainath’s 1200+ words article pricks the middle class and pours empathy with the rural. Sainath’s circuitous bout on the middle class has forced me to write this post.
It’s not hard to guess the real monster behind all the mess of immigration of rural population etc… according to P.Sainath its Liberalization (or Capitalism), as always Sainath has one answer for all the problems, even though they are very thinly related to the actual problem. I am not a JNU student to give unconditional support to Sainath’s views nor am I an Entrepreneur to reject it completely. I am not a Economist by profession and not a political analyst but with my knowledge which I gained with my experiences I think I have just enough privileges to express my thoughts.
I come from a middle class family- both the families of my father and mother are from Agricultural background. In 2001-2002 one of my friends uncle who is a farmer in rural Andhra Pradesh visited Hyderabad, those days LG TV’s had high brand value, they were making good marketing in television channels and my friends uncle saw the LG TV advertisement and enquired the cost of this high end LG TV and wanted to buy it on that day. My friend was in a state of shock and was curious to know that how his uncle being a farmer can have so much money. This was the state and the financial position of a farmer at that time and to add, there is a state in India where almost every agricultural family owned a high brand car.
Today the situation of farmers is not like the above mentioned, the migrated rural farmers now work as chowkidars in urban apartments’ and gated communities. Such unbelievable drop of status of a farmer will make every human being ponder about the plight being experienced by them but the irrational heart and lazy brains push the blame on capitalism or the Liberalization which happened 20 years back.
One will absolutely agree that the Indian middle class acted as a spring for Capitalism and people like Sainath will now and then take a sarcastic dig at the middle class for the plight of the poor – plight of the farmers, to be precise. The rhetoric displayed always succeeds when it comes to attack the middle class. There are very few intellectuals, columnists, politicians who refer to the hardships of the middle class. It’s because they are not like the masses where the veto power rests, they are not like the fashionable elite which represents dignity and status.
The legitimate corruption mission called NREGA instigated by NAC and propagated by UPA worked wonders for politicians and gave good money to many but the burden of it is still being carried by the middle class, can any economist say that NREGA didn’t cause inflation? Even the highly designated people of the Planning Commission have agreed that NREGA has boosted the inflation. The rise in petrol prices, LPG etc…. are the rewards of the same policies – even this will have to be handled by the middle class. The middle class which pays the taxes promptly doesn’t have the luxury of swindling like the elite with political help or can’t call themselves poor (A middle class indian definitely spends more than Rs.32 in a day) or show them as the victimized.
The rural to urban migration is a matter of concern and the obvious reason for this phenomenon is due to the neglected Agricultural Sector. People who blame the Capitalism for all the problems faced by Agricultural sector never mention the actions of Government and especially the states, no one questions the economic fascism by state governments on the agricultural sector. The old rules which still apply on the movement of raw agricultural products from one state to another, from one district to another. The closed dubious trade which only benefits a few. A farmer doesn't have the freedom or right to sell his hard earned crop, he has to wait for government's nod and the astute display of statism when the government decides the market price of the crop.A beggar will ask for your help until he is a beggar, the minute he becomes self-supported he is no more a beggar and he will never ask for your help. This is what the governments have been doing to get their symbol pressed on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). I don't know if 'Everybody Loves a Good Drought' but the government definitely loves to see our farmers as beggars. The popular and socialistic schemes are the magic wands - they will always work unless one becomes really enlightened and seeks for self-support. Corruption is not because of Capitalism, please spare the hard-workers and catch hold of the socialist crooks. Refer the below links.
Does Capitalism leads to Corruption?
My only request to all the socialists and left liberals is not to drag the middle class indian who has mastered the art of survival in any given draconian situation. Please carry your problems, insipid ideas and imprudent solutions to some other place.
Very articulate and profound. Thank you for speaking for the middle class.
ReplyDeleteVery good article...
ReplyDeleteNow that we are seeing such growth is because of liberalization, one good thing happened or situations forced it.
But I would like to underline one point here, there are two types of farmers - rich landlords , agricultural laborers. Migration happened in that group of poor farmers, putting blame on capitalism is bullshit.
Farming is in threat and steps need to be taken care of them too.
I appreciate that you have tried to be fair in your assessment. But let's reconsider the facts. You are an economist by profession, he is a journalist. An economist always talk about development but he seldom thinks that all development comes at a cost (most of time to environment). The world has limited resources and most of the economic activities is how to appropriate the surplus rather than creating it! In India, how many corporate houses you know, who has open a new area of economic activities (except for Murthy and Dorab Tata).
ReplyDeleteJournalists on the other hand like to believe that it is ok to stretch the point little bit if it serves a good cause. P. Sainath uses sarcasm to make his point and sometimes he looks like overstating his case. But for one thing, just imagine about whom he is speaking for and whom he offends by doing so. For a journalist, it is very important to compare and contrast as it is for an economist to believe in a rational human being of an invisible hand.
I myself is a son of farmer in Western U.P. and I have no hesitation in saying the some of us has improved due to liberalisation. But we are not marginal farmers, we own 10 acres of land. My kind of farmers are rare. Most of farmers do not own even 1 acre of land and they can not 'manage risk'. There is no scope for them in market.
Besides I have never liked Economics. I just can't stand a subject which says that contribution of my mother, just because she is housewife, is nothing to this country. To believe in this crap, you really have to be an idiot or a moron.
As for the middle class. It is the most self-serving strata in this world. No where in this world, middle class has paid attention to other's interests before securing its own. It would be naive to think that if would be different in India. Often the most of petty-corruption is done by middle class and most of the India is ruled by middle class. There is no social problem in this world where middle class has no role to play!
@dilawar
ReplyDeleteThanks for your elaborated comment.
1) I said i am NOT a Economist.
2) I totally reject your point that "development comes at a cost (most of time to environment)"
3) Please explain 'open a new area of economic activities' and inclusion of Mr. Murthy in it.
4) Why does a small farmer cant take the risk which you mentioned and why doesn't he has the market? - find the reason behind it.
5) Will you tell me why should any class pay attention to interests of other class?
6) 'Most of the India is ruled by middle class'? -- How Politically? Economically? Strategically? How please share information.
7) 'There is no social problem in this world where middle class has no role to play!'-- Please enlighten me - how? where ? when?
just came across this post while surfing .
ReplyDeletethe open letter sounds very reasonable until one comes to the last part where the author says
"My only request to all the socialists and left liberals is not to drag the middle class indian who has mastered the art of survival in any given draconian situation. Please carry your problems, insipid ideas and imprudent solutions to some other place."
so the ideas are insipid ehh ? the observation by Dilwar that one class of people should care for another class seems to raise the author's hackles too .
somehow I get the impression the author is the "shining indian" kind who finds it odd that the better off should care for the not so better off , even when the less well off are the victims of the elite class which the shining and the "middle class" all aspire to join
So someone who respects Sainath is not willing to talk about the rich caring for the poor. Rather odd :-)
@Santanu
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, it brought a smile on my face.
Of, Course the ideas are insipid, please have a look at the functioning of NAC etc.., and the observation made my dilwar didnt raise my hackles but only made me ask that why the burden of other classes should be shared by someone else? when the Govt is collecting taxes from every class but inturn comes with ideas to appease a class which eventually pricks the middle class?
I dont know what made you feel that i am a 'Shinining Indian' kind and its not about the will to talk about rich caring for the poor or any other way, you missed the point - the purpose of this open letter is not to target the class which has nothing to do with the problems....
My respect for Sainath is for reasons which i mentioned in the post, i respect him because he is like a good doctor who knows the disease but a bad doctor who prescribes the wrong medicine for the disease. Hope you got it.
Erm.. where is the letter?
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am professor my profession.I worked for Mnc. I am coming from the middle class and i am not hesitate to accept middle class is fighting for own existence.
But issue raised by Sainath is very genuine.I may have 5/6 shirts and can also manage by 2 shirts.
Question here is where middle class is heading.
My humble submission is middle class is fighting between Lower middle class and Higher middle class.No one in this Universe ready to accept as Lower middle class.Every one pretend to Higher middle class.That's why problem is exist and Sainath has valid ground to blame for Middle class.
Another zero intellect outburst.
ReplyDelete@ Maya
ReplyDeleteThanks for your intellectual comment.
Well said! It feels refreshing when someone defends capitalism and free markets.
ReplyDeleteI do not undermine P.Sainath's message (that of the sufferings of poor farmers). But leftists never dare to face the fact that their license raj, their tariffs, their land zoning and all that socialist baggage are the reason why agriculture is in such a situation.
Stop restricting the economic freedoms in the agricultural sector and also stop doling out freebies and subsidies which erode competitiveness and entrepreneurship.
Only when liberalization happens in sectors such as agriculture and education will the living standards of the poor improve.