Sunday, March 2, 2014



TWELVE YEARS BACK HOW PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT FUTURE INDIA ! 

Leaving all the debates on “Chaiwala, Zeher ki kheti, gutter snipes and impotency” I went for reading some stuff. After dusting the shelf an old magazine caught my attention. It was “Bhavan’s journal”, 49th annual Number dated 15th August 2002. Our Ex-president Shri R.Venkataraman was the President of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan then. Perhaps that’s the reason why they brought up a nice pocket edition worth keeping for years. This book contained a special feature namely “My vision of Free India” and about 100 people famous and not so famous had penned their visions in it. 

Vajpayee was PM then and K.R.Narayanan the President. Apart from the usual pleasantries from Pres., Vice Pres., PM etc. it contained a Vision by APJ and it was the best. It contained vision of non-descript people including an VIII std student namely Gayathry Latheef. I was quite happy to see the vision of late Shri V.K.Eradi. He was a mentor and friend to me. 

I was startled to see a vision which has almost realized. That outstanding vision was of one Prof. Mary Thomas. She writes “My vision of India is one wherein Civil Society Organizations would act as a check on elected representatives, promote environmental health, initiate electoral and judicial reforms secure share in decision making to the common man at grass root level.” Yes, it is happening through AAP, IAC & other Organisations etc.

But then I was stuck at a vision or Non-vision page! That was of Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha then Dr. Man Mohan Singh!. It was the worst vision I read in the book. Even A.K.Antony’s vision was much better. Dr. Singh had written what India he would not like to see. Not much to say he filled half the page with Tagore’s poem “Where the mind is without fear..” Yes full poem!. A Clearly visionless person later became our Prime Minister and he was in the seat for 10 long years! I regret for forwarding his bio-data to so many people when he became PM. No other country head had that much Qualification and experience. But he greatly disappointed me and my countrymen.
Cry my beloved country!