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The Vitality of India
edited by Gopal Krishan.
Now how do you measure these attributes in a nation and how do you assess their extent, quantitatively and qualitatively? India has shown ample evidence of possessing these qualities in ample measure. Over the centuries, it has bounced back from periods of social decadence, foreign invasions and political slavery. Nehru found the roots of this viability in the history and rich cultural tradition of the country. Poet Iqbal exclaimed almost in wonderment: "Kuchh baat hai ki hasti mit-ti nahin hamari." It was the quest of this "kuchh baat" that led Prof Gopal Krishan to set upon a journey of discovery. On the way, he waded through a pile of presentations and interventions made at a conference on the theme of the "vitality of India in the regional and international perspective" held in three phases in Chandigarh, Shimla and New Delhi. The 51 participants included scholars, administrators, historians, bureaucrats, academicians, engineers and other professionals from India and abroad. The task of sorting out 25 papers out of those presented, discussed and debated at the conference must have been tough but the editor has made a commendable job of it. The papers selected for the volume represent different aspects of India’s vitality. In the concept paper, Prof Gopal Krishan puts forward a number of questions, which he expects the participants to answer. He asks: "What precisely is the vitality of a nation-state?" "What are the factors that explain the difference in relative vitality of various nation-states or of the same state at different points of time?" "Is diversity a precondition to vitality, or is homogeneity equally promotive of vitality?" "What are the different parameters of vitality?" In the context of India and its vitality, he asks: "Proud of her ancient civilisation, universal ethical values and pluralistic traditions, why is India not free from bouts of communalism?" "What is the balance-sheet of her creative and reactive elements?" "Is India destined always to be emerging, but never actually arriving?" Papers read at the six-day conference have tried to answer these questions. Understandably, some have remained unanswered, while some have been partially answered. Those who have analysed the concept of a nation-state’s vitality have held that it should be judged by how a nation formulates its vision and rejuvenates its system. It has also been defined as a nation’s ability to choose between alternatives without losing sight of its vulnerability. In the context of India, her vitality has been seen as emerging from its culture, spiritualism and philosophy, besides its capacity to adapt and assimilate. India’s current vitality has been attributed to her vibrant democracy and its ability to solve complex issues such as dictatorship versus democracy, centralisation versus federalism, socialism versus free enterprise. However, some obvious distortions have also been pointed out, such as the autocratic attitude of her bureaucracy, erosion of cherished values, and the failures of her political leadership. In the global context, it has been maintained that India has to support democracy anywhere, and in the global war against terrorism, it has to choose its partners with care. These views have come up frequently in the papers included in the volume. The book is an effort to present a blueprint of a plan of action for future development. Here are ideas, some of these contradictory, capable of provoking a debate on the question of India’s viability and vulnerability.
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Vitality
is defined in dictionaries as "the state of being strong and
active"; "the power of giving continuance of life, present in
all living things"; "exuberant physical strength or mental
vigour"; "capacity for survival or for the continuation of a
meaningful or purposeful existence"; "power to live and
grow".