Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness

Indian middle class aspiration

by Anurag Wadehra

India just announced general elections to be held in April. As election fever grips the nation, here is a simple blog by Atanu Dey, a development economist, who voices the aspirations of the 400 million large middle class, termed as the Urban Voters.  He wishes for the following:

• 1. Economic freedom.

  • I want a government which generally leaves us alone. I don’t want a government that interferes in every aspect of our economic lives.
  • I want a government that does not excessively tax my hard-earned money to fund wasteful expenditures.
  • By chaining the economy, the government controls it to profit from it at the expense of the citizens. I want the government to liberalize the economy.

  2. Personal freedom.

  • I want a government that respects me as a citizen and not as a member of some religious, caste, linguistic, or vote bank group. I want to be treated equally and not discriminated against for whatever reasons.
  • I want a government that does not dictate to me how I should live my life.

  3. Education matters.

  • I want my children to be educated. Government control of the education sector has crippled the system to the point that only the extremely wealthy can afford decent schooling. I want the government to get out of the education sector.
  • I want a good education for my children because it is the only guarantee of success in an intensely competitive globalized world of today and the future.

  4. Good governance.

  • I see unimaginable corruption at all levels of government. Criminals routinely contest and win elections. I am not going to tolerate corruption any more. I will reject all parties that put up criminals as their candidates.
  • I want the government to stick to the core functions and do them well. Primarily, I want the government to be responsible for internal security and I will hold the government accountable for the any lapses in security.
  That's all. I am not interested in GDP growth projections, or how by 2014 or whenever what is going to happen or not. I am not interested in empty promises about how India will become this or that superpower. I am quite capable of working hard and creating my own destiny.  I just want that the government do its job and I will do my bit.

The last two sentences echo a new sentiment: after decades of socialist programs and umpteen handouts, the common, middle class voter in India is sick of its corrupt government.  Sadly, many in the States are turning to massive bailouts, and are getting complacent of our own corrupt officials.

Brilliant Comments worth sharing...

by Reena Kapoor

We love to hear comments from readers and it makes blogging all the more interesting and worthwhile.  But every once in a while, someone posts a set of comments that takes the discussion to a new level.  Such comments were posted by Irfan Khwaja (a professor of philosophy, "best kind" objectivist and a dear friend) in response to Anurag's post on Slumdog Millionaire and the reactions the film evoked.  Irfan's comments are simply too insightful to remain in the comments section so I have pasted them below for your edification. Hope Irfan won't mind us borrowing his content. Here you go:

Tale of Two Countries: Slumdog Millionaire & The Story of India

by Anurag Wadehra

Recently, the controversial Slumdog Millionaire, a British film set in India, swept up four Golden Globe awards with its emotional story of a kid from slums who aces the Indian version of the game-show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire." The movie is playing across the various U.S. cities, powered by strong word of mouth endorsement.

At the same time, PBS finished showing a six-part documentary series called the Story of India. Hailed as an impressive compression of Indian history from ancient to modern times, the doc serves as a resume of the nation: it casts all the significant milestones of India in the very best light while airbrushing the persistent Indian conflicts of caste, religion and class.

Message and the messenger

by Anurag Wadehra

In this commentary Don't say capitalism is wrong, the content itself is hardly newsworthy: a principled defense of capitalism that is familiar to most libertarians.

That the author Kaushik Das is an economist working for an obscure Indian bank; that he is published in the premier Indian news website; that there is hardly any MSM newspaper in U.S. that would publish such an unapologetic defense of capitalism - is worth pausing to reflect.

Satyam Gets Eaten By The Tiger: Reality

by Anurag Wadehra

By now, the spectacular flameout of Satyam, the fourth largest Indian IT firm, is front page news. The obvious irony - Satyam means truth in Sanskrit - has not escaped the media.

What is more instructive however is the utter lack of irony or remorse in the CEO's letter to the board, in which Ramalinga Raju brazenly defends his actions to procure more funds by duping fresh victims right till the very end. This brief letter offers a remarkably clear insight into Raju's ethical framework, or rather the lack of it.

More on guns...in India

by Reena Kapoor

Another interesting take on gun control in India.  I post it because this debate is relatively new to India and its people and it's interesting to see it being discussed now.  Gun laws for ordinary citizens are not being loosened in India anytime soon and as I pointed out below such a loosening would be fraught with problems; but that is no excuse to not revisit these unduly draconian laws for the cause of improved security through civilian resources e.g., registered security guards for hotels, malls, cinemas, etc.

Slain Terrorists Denied Stairway to Heaven

by Anurag Wadehra

How we respond, as individuals, to a crisis reveals our character. How we react, as a community, to a crisis reveals our ethos: what a group will stand for and fight against. In this light, here is a profound and symbolic gesture by the Mumbai Muslim community, as reported by NDTV (Indian media).

Musilm organizations in Mumbai deny burial for slain terrorists....

Terror & Silence

by Anurag Wadehra

The article on the heroism of Taj employees (also linked in Reena's previous post) recounts numerous incidents indelible in their poignancy.

Mumbai Mayhem: The Heroic

by Anurag Wadehra

In the Mumbai terror attack, the clear heroes were the ill-fated and unfortunately ill-equipped ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad) officers like Hemant Karkare who were gunned down. However, the common person of Mumbai emerged as the hero as well. The employees at Taj Hotel who sent text messages to the guests who were out for dinner to stay away, the phone operator who guided the stranded guests, the doormen who offered bottled waters to all survivors as they staggered out of the hotel. The hotel staff emerged as heroes; a chef saved his guests before succumbing to bullets; a nanny risked her life to save a child.

Mumbai Mayhem: The Inept

by Anurag Wadehra

During the Mumbai terror attacks, all those who govern India - at the state and national level- emerged as incompetent fools at best and callous, self-serving politicians at worst.

Many news reports point to the gaping holes in Indian security; with the administration Flunking The Intelligence Test . How dumb were the politicians? Here is a sample: