DEFINING THE 20th CENTURY WORLD

The 20^th century was the founding stone of the modern world of information age. Undeniably, the early generations of this century had to give a lot of sacrifices to make a stable world rising with development and cooperation. From the great enduring generation to the baby boomers and finally to Gen X, many events as part of a longer process have taken place defining the global scenario as it is today and will be in future.

·         The Killing of Franz Ferdinand: the assassination of archduke of Austria resulted in an immediate chain of trigger happy events leading to the First World War. The globe was never the same after the massive war, millions lost their lives, and economies languished under recession and deplorable economic opportunities. Sanctions-embargos raised against belligerents further fomented resentment amongst imperial powers leading to the Second World War.

·         The October Revolution: Lenin and his Bolshevik party leading his men to overthrow the Tsarist autocracy in Russia and resulting in the establishment of the Soviet Union. The formation of the USSR resulted in the post-world war era partition of power in the globe, the cold war and its subsequent dissolution resulted in painful socio-economic and political transition of emerging nations. Overall the 20^th century’s latter part was dominated with aspects related to the USSR, communism and its policies.

·         Rise of Asia: The rapid growth and industrialization of Asian economies especially China and India shifted the power towards the eastern hemisphere of the globe. Former colonies and victims of imperialistic ambitions, many Asian economies rose in an unprecedented manner utilizing their vast natural resources, demographic dividend and enjoying the fruits of globalization and liberalization. The world no longer belonged solely to the policies and ideology of the western super powers.

·         Computers, telephone and the internet: the launch of the first satellite into space, landing of man on the moon, invention of computers, advancement in transport and communication technology made the world a smaller place to live in. Boundaries no longer seemed to exist as intercontinental distances were covered in fractions of seconds while communicating over e-mails and chats. Economies were integrated and interdependence increased to extraordinary levels across national boundaries.

·         Scourge of Terrorism: 9/11 attack on WTC towers, war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, rebels in Palestine and sporadic international terrorist activities gave way to a new threat to humanity. The threat of political usage of religious sentiments for vested interests or rather put simply, the scourge of terrorism. It has given rise to numerous politically motivated aggressive outfits which are shaping up the world of the 21^st century. Though the world is united in fighting this menace for the time being, things are looking far worse than before. There is a pressing requirement for highest levels of cooperation in all fronts and mobilization of societies to get rid of terrorism.

Though there were numerous other instances which had a profound impact upon the world. However, the above mentioned brings into light the most significant happenings as per my belief.

Life after Death?

Death is the ultimate truth which all of us pretend to be unaware of all the way till we are on the edge of the bridge, needless to say we have to cross it. But what lies beyond the bridge remains a mystery, generations have passed away but we are still clueless about this phenomenon. Does life really exist after death? However, putting it in other ways we can make out certain analogies which pretty much fit into the shoes of a significant transition taking place. Such a colossal transition that it matches up to the super cycle of life and death!

Philosophical: An absolute failure does not mean that we were destined to lose, instead we were meant to win in some other means or in some other way. A massive impediment in one’s life turns out to be the greatest coach god could offer, provided the student is taking serious notes. There seems to be a marked change in our perspective and our thinking, instead of seeing it as a dead end we tend to see it as a diversion. Resurrection from complete breakdown with a stronger conviction and a clear conscience is what is required to attain success.

Spiritual: Theologically all the major religions of the world have a predetermined life after death scenario. Religious piousness and humanitarian concern leads one to heaven. A person’s karma, acts like an account book to add and subtract values leading to myriad of roles after death. Pagan rituals and primitive beliefs might require sacrificing animals and even killing humans in name of religion to open up the doors of salvation. Undoubtedly these scripts act as a definitive map to dwell in affluence of pleasures or lament amidst misery and despair in the afterlife.

Economic: We have seen nations collapse during times of conflict, famines, revolutions and coup d'état. A total annihilation in the socio-economic and political scenario should be a fairly appropriate reason for it to remain in the dark for another century. However, we have witnessed them spring back and with a greater vigor and determination. An unstoppable force to be reckoned with, they surpass competition with their incredible will and vision. Stories of a battered China, Japan after Hiroshima, post-world war Singapore are some amongst the numerous examples in history.

Emotional: People though physically departed, their memories never perish in the hearts of those who remember them. We also have countless examples of legendary heroes, commanders, mathematicians, astronomers, spiritual leaders, revolutionaries, soldiers, and despots etc. who still remain alive due to deeds both good and evil but having a significant impact on the society. They are remembered for their deeds, so even after death they walk freely in our minds and some in our hearts, some attracting curses while others are being idolized, glorified and upheld to highest regards.

Needless to say, life and death are an eternal truth, a truth nobody can deny nor prove to be a fallacy. Sometimes it may even seem that the ultimate goal of an entire life is death but it is required to consider the cycle of life. So as far you are alive and kicking, enjoy the journey and make the best out of it .In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “in the end, it’s not the number of years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years!”

ABSOLUTE PRESENCE/ABSENCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN EDUCATION?

For a developing nation like India, which is poised to become one of the global superpowers, education remains one of the most important tools to empower people at large. There are both public and private players in this sector but due to globalization, liberalization and modernization, there has been a phenomenal change in the industry. Requirement of quality and affordable education being deployed by highly skilled teachers has put pressure upon the public infrastructure which has been unable to perform satisfactorily in many aspects. This has put forth a growing demand for an increasing intervention of private players; however a complete absence of government regulations and authority does not present a bright picture. This is primarily because of the marked difference in the motive or objectives of both sides.

Education not merely enables a person to earn his livelihood, but is also an important tool to develop his conscience enabling him to live with dignity and grow as an individual. The foundation remains very vital, which is a sound primary education, accessible and affordable to the masses. The private institutes, though enjoy an increasing presence in urban and sub-urban territories, their near to absence in rural mainland is a major point of concern. Public initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, tend to penetrate into the most remotest of regions providing the bare minimum necessities for education. It is unlikely that the private sector shall take such endeavors in such a large scale compromising heavily with their primary objective of obtaining profits and sustaining their business.

The right to education enables an Indian citizen of 6-14 years of age to attain free education. The central and state governments have established numerous institutions at village, district, state and national level to address the needs of the people. These offer highly subsidized education taking account of the economic and social depravity of the student. Private institutions though offering scholarships to the underprivileged have to maintain an upper limit, they cannot go beyond that limit of subsidizing expenditure lest they want to risk running their business. The high cost incurred while attaining private education covers the profits as well the development and expansion expenditure for the institution. It is through this money that the private sector is able to invest upon itself to grow and sustain business. Thus, private institutions will never be able to compromise on the cost of education.

The public institutes may win over the private ones on grounds of socialist and nationalist objectives of welfare and equanimity however it loses in terms of competitiveness, efficacy and development. The infrastructure of educational sector apart from IITs, IIMs and institutes of national repute is more or less in a miserable condition. The state run schools at village level do not have chairs, desks, blackboards, playgrounds and in some cases even toilets. According to a World Bank report, teacher absenteeism remains one of the most challenging problems to tackle within the Indian public education system. The inflexible structure and operation of this sector by the public office often hampers the quality giving way to the private players. Lack of accountability, widespread corruption, rerouting of finances and very weak implementation presents a very sorry state of affairs. No wonder a majority of parents who can afford costlier schools would prefer avoiding state run institutions, leaving them to use only by the most marginalized sections of the society.

In a country like India, where a large part of the population cannot afford basic needs a complete absence of public regulations in the educational sector will turn out to be catastrophic. It is required that a planned and well executed initiative is taken to provide quality and affordable education to the masses even in the most inaccessible of the regions. Private sector competition and their inclination towards modernizing educational aids will prove very fruitful for overall development of this sector. The public institutes should seek to collaborate on all fronts to improve the skills of its teachers, build up the infrastructure as per the latest trends in the global scenario and add value to the sector. Keeping in mind the flaws and benefits of both sides, it would be unwise to endorse the absolute presence or absence of any of these sides and it would be rather wise to seek a symbiotic relationship aiming to expand and develop the educational sector throughout India.

Is India facing a moral or an economic crisis?

The term crisis signifies undesirable changes which are expected to lead to dangerous and unstable situations affecting individuals, groups or even a state. In a developing country like India there is no dearth of crises and they are manifested in many forms like social, political, economic, moral etc. It is a common observation that while other form of crises especially the economic form are frequented by the nation’s population significantly battering the democratic machinery and overall development, however a crisis of moral code of conduct poses a far more greater concern as it is bound to tear apart the delicate social fabric of the masses. The downfall of morality is undoubtedly a precursor and an indicator to insecurity, mistrust and poses as a colossal obstacle to the coherent effort of the masses towards national prosperity and well-being.

Undeniably there has been a steady onslaught of economic concerns in the recent time. We were witness to the dramatic depreciation of the rupee against dollar, a policy paralysis knocking down the growth of the nation’s key industries and the miserable decline of Indian positioning in the various global economic indices. However the shocking proceedings did escalate the issue and numerous counter measures were tabled out as a response to the daunting wake up call. The Pradhan mantra Jan Dhan Yojana to account for the unbanked population is helping to achieve goals of financial inclusion. The scheme tends to attract funds from transactions which were till date never accountable to banking sector. These funds obtained are to be used effectively used in infrastructure development of the rural sector. The Make in India Initiative brings the much awaited drive from the bureaucratic fronts to engage in fostering private-public relationships. The initiative is aimed at breaking away unwanted regulations for doing business in India, luring foreign investors to come and manufacture in the country. It is a fact that there is a definitely a huge demand of inexpensive but good quality products in the global market. Apart from these steps, steps have been taken for vigilance and disciplinary actions against corrupt practices, raising caps on FDI, oil/gas price regulations and the economic machinery seems to be poised for growth in the near future. In contrast to the economic scenario, the moral landscape, however, reflects poorly of both developments and initiatives.

Today the morality has been compromised on many fronts. On one hand, there is an ever increasing frequency of violence against women making it a national shame and on the other hand there has been unprecedented corruption in public offices. Moral understanding of an individual is being exploited in the name of religion by various fanatic outfits, winding and twisting the ethics held sacred to heart. The striking fact to these developments is that there has not been a national consensus and a strong stance taken against the deteriorated standards of morality. A high profile rape case gets highlighted in the newspapers, candle light vigils are offered by the sympathizers, debates ensue with heated aggression on national TV prime time but what happens next day is a total disgrace. The next day, the same guy standing amongst the candle light vigils starts taunting the girls nearby, the same officer praising Anna Hazare receives monetary benefits of his position in a non-hesitant manner, the women mocking fake god men attend a divine session shouting propaganda slogans and many such instances. This brings us back to square one, an infinite loop of despair. Instead of being on the track of higher state of consciousness in a modern state, we are nose diving into feudal mindsets with girls being seen as an object of pleasure and commodity, power as a tool of exploitation and corruption and religion as a means of duping people at a mass level. The outrageously insane level of exposure in corruption scams, rape incidents and fanaticism demands serious attention on our part as Indians to be proactive and deal with this degrading morality.

In a nutshell, one may say that though the economic and moral crisis are perpetual in nature but their impact on the national spirit and development is dissimilar in nature as well as magnitude. One knocks the bottom out of a stable growth of economic foundations whereas the other tears apart the social conduct of the individuals. The fact there is no other tool for gauging a morally degrading society apart from an individual’s willingness makes it a far more threatening problem. Today, when we live in a modern society of a rapidly developing democratic nation with aspirations to become a super power, a moral crisis seems carcinogenic and far more precarious.