India: From core to periphery- A journey of hope
There are many who may claim that India is an idea, a notion, even an enigma and for some, the notion of India as a civilization predates the idea of India as a state, but on every 15th August we celebrate India as a state. It was on the 15th August 1947 that a long struggle by millions of Indians for their emancipation from every aspect of colonial rule culminated and simultaneously commenced a seemingly unending spirit of hope for them, and their generations to come. The hope was about independence, and their ability to grow up to their full potential. This article aims to celebrate this unalloyed sense of hope about the idea of India that has traversed a long journey since its independence.
Now when the world is busy in celebrating the sense of hope that India generates in global politics in terms of potentially playing a leading role, this article will focus on the sense of hope that India generates for its own people. The focus is on celebrating the spirit of hope that is being generated by the gradual decentralization of power from core to the periphery. For long, India, like any other society in world, has experienced centralization in every aspect of its social life, say politics, economy, development, public resources, and culture & intellectual resources, which constituted its core. Those at the periphery were left most of the times to seek inspiration from the centre (core) within this idea of India.
Since early 1990’s, which coincided with the end of the Cold War globally, beginning of economic reforms at home, and the advent of globalization internationally, this trend has changed. Today’s India, more than ever is witnessing an unprecedented decentralisation, which is being reflected in three important aspects of their national life considered in this article – politics, cricket, and urban cities – all of which contributes in the idea of today’s India. Today’s India cannot be understood without the indomitable spirit of their cities, cricket, and politics. What constitutes to their indomitable spirit, in part, is the fact of availability of immense new opportunities for those at the periphery.
Cities are often considered as crucibles of innovation, ideas, and wealth generation, and act as beacons of hope for people living away at the periphery. For long, India’s hope has been fixated on its four major metropolitan cities which can be considered to previously constitute the core of India’s economic activity. These four metropolitan cities contributed majorly in creating businesses, generating employment, and hence opportunity for social empowerment. This trend is changing and is possibly changing irreversibly. The change is reflected in emergence of several smaller towns and cities across the nation which are not only attracting global capital, foreign technology, and generating employment, but are also acting as new epicentre of hope for the people of India.
Cricket in India has been elevated to a level of national activity that not only unites Indian people across their linguistic, ethnic, and cultural boundaries, but it has become an activity that generates hope for its millions of practitioner and followers across the country. The trend of decentralization of power and opportunities from core to the periphery is nowhere better reflected than in the game of cricket. The arrival of corporate money in the game of cricket in India’s post economic liberalization of the 1990s has transformed the nature of the sport. It has also liberated the game of cricket from clutches of big cities and metro and taken it into the realm of small towns and urban centres.
The story of success of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, and Zaheer Khan among others in the cricketing world is a manifestation of realization of hitherto untapped potential lying hidden in smaller towns and urban centres of India. The game of cricket in India is a true reflection of changing times within India which celebrates the bridging of gaps between the core and periphery and hence generating hope for those at the periphery.
The discussion about this process of decentralization and its accompanied sense of hope in today’s India will be incomplete without discussing the emerging change in its policy. One important aspect of Indian polity that is changing in today’s India, and deserves an unqualified appreciation from all spectrums within Indian politics, is the decentralization of composition of its political elites. In this regard mention of two important Indian political leaders – late President Mr APJ Abdul Kalam and current Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi – would suffice to the point being made here. The rise of these two leaders from a distant periphery to the highest position of Indian state at the centre is an obvious manifestation of fast eroding gaps between centre and periphery in today’s India. Such a democratic elevation of individuals from the periphery is not only a reflection of the strength of democratic process in India but also represents the spirit of hope manifested in the idea of India. On this 15th August, we should aim to celebrate this positive change in today’s India and the daunting spirit of hope that flows within this notion, this idea, this essence of India.
There are many who may claim that India is an idea, a notion, even an enigma and for some, the notion of India as a civilization predates the idea of India as a state, but on every 15th August we celebrate India as a state. It was on the 15th August 1947 that a long struggle by millions of Indians...
There are many who may claim that India is an idea, a notion, even an enigma and for some, the notion of India as a civilization predates the idea of India as a state, but on every 15th August we celebrate India as a state. It was on the 15th August 1947 that a long struggle by millions of Indians for their emancipation from every aspect of colonial rule culminated and simultaneously commenced a seemingly unending spirit of hope for them, and their generations to come. The hope was about independence, and their ability to grow up to their full potential. This article aims to celebrate this unalloyed sense of hope about the idea of India that has traversed a long journey since its independence.
Now when the world is busy in celebrating the sense of hope that India generates in global politics in terms of potentially playing a leading role, this article will focus on the sense of hope that India generates for its own people. The focus is on celebrating the spirit of hope that is being generated by the gradual decentralization of power from core to the periphery. For long, India, like any other society in world, has experienced centralization in every aspect of its social life, say politics, economy, development, public resources, and culture & intellectual resources, which constituted its core. Those at the periphery were left most of the times to seek inspiration from the centre (core) within this idea of India.
Since early 1990’s, which coincided with the end of the Cold War globally, beginning of economic reforms at home, and the advent of globalization internationally, this trend has changed. Today’s India, more than ever is witnessing an unprecedented decentralisation, which is being reflected in three important aspects of their national life considered in this article – politics, cricket, and urban cities – all of which contributes in the idea of today’s India. Today’s India cannot be understood without the indomitable spirit of their cities, cricket, and politics. What constitutes to their indomitable spirit, in part, is the fact of availability of immense new opportunities for those at the periphery.
Cities are often considered as crucibles of innovation, ideas, and wealth generation, and act as beacons of hope for people living away at the periphery. For long, India’s hope has been fixated on its four major metropolitan cities which can be considered to previously constitute the core of India’s economic activity. These four metropolitan cities contributed majorly in creating businesses, generating employment, and hence opportunity for social empowerment. This trend is changing and is possibly changing irreversibly. The change is reflected in emergence of several smaller towns and cities across the nation which are not only attracting global capital, foreign technology, and generating employment, but are also acting as new epicentre of hope for the people of India.
Cricket in India has been elevated to a level of national activity that not only unites Indian people across their linguistic, ethnic, and cultural boundaries, but it has become an activity that generates hope for its millions of practitioner and followers across the country. The trend of decentralization of power and opportunities from core to the periphery is nowhere better reflected than in the game of cricket. The arrival of corporate money in the game of cricket in India’s post economic liberalization of the 1990s has transformed the nature of the sport. It has also liberated the game of cricket from clutches of big cities and metro and taken it into the realm of small towns and urban centres.
The story of success of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, and Zaheer Khan among others in the cricketing world is a manifestation of realization of hitherto untapped potential lying hidden in smaller towns and urban centres of India. The game of cricket in India is a true reflection of changing times within India which celebrates the bridging of gaps between the core and periphery and hence generating hope for those at the periphery.
The discussion about this process of decentralization and its accompanied sense of hope in today’s India will be incomplete without discussing the emerging change in its policy. One important aspect of Indian polity that is changing in today’s India, and deserves an unqualified appreciation from all spectrums within Indian politics, is the decentralization of composition of its political elites. In this regard mention of two important Indian political leaders – late President Mr APJ Abdul Kalam and current Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi – would suffice to the point being made here. The rise of these two leaders from a distant periphery to the highest position of Indian state at the centre is an obvious manifestation of fast eroding gaps between centre and periphery in today’s India. Such a democratic elevation of individuals from the periphery is not only a reflection of the strength of democratic process in India but also represents the spirit of hope manifested in the idea of India. On this 15th August, we should aim to celebrate this positive change in today’s India and the daunting spirit of hope that flows within this notion, this idea, this essence of India.
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