WHERE ARE THE PLANNERS OF INDIA?
Ranjit Singh

In the wee hours of Sunday, November 12, three young, rich boys, |returning from a party of dance and drinks and resorting to drunk driving, mowed immigrant workers sleeping on the |pavement of Mumbai, killing seven and injuring many others.

According to the Police, one of the boys on the steering, under the influence of the liquor, lost control of their Toyota Corolla, which hit the kerb, mounted the pavement and caused this havoc.

Accidents do happen. People also die in accidents. The incidents of reckless drunken-driving by the rich and the mighty, damaging the property and killing the people, while going scot-free are not uncommon, either, especially in India.

However, what is painful in events like this is the apathy and |mercilessness of society, governments, and media, when they misread the meanings of such accidents and fail to impart the true message.

To the news reporters, it was the carelessness or at the worst haughtiness of the rich, who drink, drive, and play havoc with the lives of the workers who use pavements of Mumbai as their nocturnal shelters. Thousands of poor and landless villagers flock every year to this Financial

capital of India, hoping to change their lot, but, helplessly, spend their nights in the open after a daylong labor to bring back just a dollar or two.

To the media, this was the reminiscent of the accident, “when In September 28, 2002, actor Salman Khan drove his Land Cruiser over sleeping pavement dwellers outside the American Express Bakery on Hill Road in Bandra” killing one bakery worker and injuring few others, seriously.

But to me, it was the reminiscent of a social-justice movie named “Pyaasa”, which I watched during my college days. A popular Bollywood actor, Guru Dutt, after feeling the pain of the left- behind, down-trodden Indians, such as the pavement dwellers of Mumbai, challenged the pseudo- patriots of his time in his song written by Sahir Ludhianvi and sung by Mohammed Rafi. “Jinhein Naaz hai Hind parr who kahan hain.” (in English, which cannot convey his real feelings, it was something like this. “Where are those who are so proud of India?)

|Fifty long years have gone by. I, a stout and strong collegiate of that time, walk with a stick in hand, now. India has witnessed the change of many governments, has seen the rise and fall of a communally inspired party, BJP, which entered political horizons trumpeting high moral values and “Shining India”, only to slip into oblivion;  is now experiencing the control of three states by the Leftists, who are never tired of reciting pro-people mantra, day in and day out and is getting perplexed at the mushrooming of political parties and outfits, coming out |of nowhere, while putting claims on supremacy. This is in addition to the rise to eminence of elites and economists of various shades, who promise to usher a paradise in India via privatization and globalization.

Wealth has increased many-fold. Companies, domestic, as well as multinational have made huge profits. Many industries have become very healthy and, even taking over their global competitors. Stock markets are flying towards the sky. And on the strength of its military and economic strength, India’s leaders are clamoring to have their voice |heard through various world forums, especially United Nations, where they ventured to put Shashi Tharoor to win its top position.

Racing ahead from the "Shining India" slogan of the N.D.A regime to the "Super Power" India of the U.P.A regime, we all have been ignoring that the progress that the country is making is, mercilessly, leaving behind millions, rather more and more with the |passage of time.

Every Indian needs to ask: Has social-justice scenario changed even a little bit? Has India’s sectional scenario turned a bit more shining and brighter? The working class is still worried about tomorrow. Even, the farmers, once the proud producers of nation’s wealth, are killing themselves due to debt and poverty. The |pavement dwellers of Mumbai are still the victims of weather, police, rioters, and the reckless rich who drink, drive and then mow them down.

No one of us can foretell or foresee the direction of the case related to Novemver 12th accident that killed seven migrant workers? Will the criminals be brought to justice or will they escape the grip of law, using might and money? Will the victims be given justice or scared to silence by police and mafia?

The Social Justice scenario makes the movie “Pyaasa” as relevant today, |as it was, half a century age, when its hero challenged: “Where are those, who are proud of |India.”

The only change we shall dare to bring is this. Whereas, the movie of Guru Dutt challenged the Politicians of his time, we shall dare to challenge the planners of today. Day in and day out, you tell us that by 2010, 2015 or perhaps by 2025, |India will emerge as a super power in the world. Can you tell us a date or year, when the millions of Indians will sleep safe in their own homes, rather than on the pavements of Mumbai or in the |open tents of the quake-affected URI?


Ranjit Singh:
http://www.betterindiausa.com