Yes, say many: thinkers and others!
What about the Indian people? The ordinary citizens and the elite?
Yes, there are solid reasons for a New Optimism in India!
Of course we need to think much more on positive lines!
The media is getting strengthened!
See Al Jazeera TV Channel! The number one TV news Channel in the world now! Al Jazeera now unites the world at a higher level of humanity!
The developing world has a new voice, new visibility!
Has India realised its new potential?
Politicians are mired in a new narrowness! See the BJP’s rather new roughness, new arbitrariness!
A New Crudeness? Congress’s own new mentality of aggrandisement!
Yes, Mr.Narendra Modi is now having such a good time! To rephrase a British election slogan, Mr.Modi never had it so good!
Every state seems to be falling like a tonne of bricks! So fast a rapidity in the fall that the very next target, namely, the AIADMK of Tamil Nadu is sure to fall apart.
Fine, fine! India is doing well? Yes, in a way, why even in a very significant way! What about the larger picture?
Not bad! All over the globe there is tremendous cause for great optimism!
As per Max Roser, an Oxford economist, there is now a new class of New Optimists. Yes, the cause for a new optimism is on the global scale many positive developments we are able to see.
As per his statistics that 1,35,000 people everyday are pulled out of the poverty trap! Why, even the global level infant mortality had halved since 1966 to 2016. Electricity accessed by 3 lakh people every day! And so on. But there is also the other side. Over the wider world there are causes for deep worry. Wars are not ended in Middle East, poverty; famine and displacement are not over.
Al Zazeera TV, perhaps the only channel with a mind and concern for the unfortunate people shows the heart-rending scene of children in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, why, even in Africa, without schooling and food and diseases!
The world is not doing well, as we are told. Education in India. Our first priority!
How are we, Indians, doing?
Not in a great and inspiring manner!
India is the world’s largest democracy of 1.3 billion people. India boats the highest number of educational institutions. An astounding 33,723 enrollment 27 million in comparison with China’s 33 million! Also, estimated 75 per cent of the students unemployable! Other education bills are when compared with inter-country education capability, India ranks 71 out of 74, just above Kygyzstan.
60 per cent rise in private universities, also many questionable quality private sector, money-oriented, private schools, colleges and why even private medical colleges where capitation fees of , say Rs.5-7 lakhs deposit gets your youngster gets admitted. What kind of society you are creating? With public health and education, sciences, engineering all degraded?
Our higher education is deeply flawed. One authority, Prof. Devesh of Pennsylvania University says that in India VCs are in jobs because of bribery. And some VCs are not even fit to be a common lecturer!
As for general education, the primary and secondary education, much remains to be done in terms of vision and action.
For a country like India, the world’s largest democracy, we have to think in global terms. The Global Citizen programme, like many other such idealistic ones, is couched in lofty terms.
India has to send out teams of youngsters like the former US Peace Corps Volunteers. The School Journal was started by one such US Volunteer!
So, education has to be global, not narrow.
It has to embrace the global knowledge and not the narrowness of the current world leaders. Global statesmen, right now, don’t seem to exude much optimism! They throw about threats, expulsions and many tensions!
The Global Citizen festival, promoted by Rockstars, Stevie Wonder and Green Day would headline a concert in New York to mobilise support for eradicate global poverty, as they protest Donald Trump’s proposal to cut sweeping foreign aid cuts.
This is a crucial time, says he when the U.N.General Assembly gathers and the largely young audience would commit themselves to life issues, “we are showing love of the Most High”.”Wars in Syria, Yemen to hunger on the Horn of Africa”. Such events and in countries like India and Germany gives hope for the awakening of consciousness for the political engagement of the youth when the world faces so much challenges.
Are these optimists’ weapons? No! But such events like the global citizen festivals gives hop and raises optimism.
So, we call upon educators, public men and women, please look out of your windows and come out in the open so that we can embrace a new oneness, unity and a new sense of global citizenship. India has to forge a new partnership with the stakeholders! From across the world. India needs a New Political Vision too!