Presentation given by Sharad Kothari in the final round of Symposium-the youth parliament, at IIT Roorkee in February 2006 organized by SFIH.

1. HAS INDIAN STATE SUCCEEDED
IN SATISFYING PEOPLE’S
ASPIRATIONS ?
 If yes, up to what extent?
 Otherwise, what are the reasons behind
its failures?
 What alternatives do I visualize and how
do we get them?

2. WHAT IS A STATE?
 Politically speaking, India is a State
because it satisfies the basic
requirements of territory, people,
sovereignty and capability to enter into
international relations.
 Generally speaking a State is Parens
Patreas-father of its inhabitants which
justifies its existence by taking care of its
citizens so that they flourish and cherish
life instead of cursing it.

3. HAS INDIAN STATE FULFILLED ITS
ROLE AS PARENS PATREAS
 Since State works through its organs so
the idea here is to analyse the past
record of their ability to do justice to
duties and responsibilities.
 These organs are the Legislature, the
Executive and the Judiciary.
 Since the jurists bestow upon
legislature, the element of future, hence
for all practical purposes the
responsibility finds fixation on it.

4. THE POSITIVES
 State has succeeded primarily in keeping
the institution of democracy alive and
keeping the nation physically united.
 These days it has succeeded, to some
extent, in generating wealth but that is
like islands of prosperity in a sea of
poverty. That is why, probably, the
recent survey of India Inc reflects a .9%
rise in governance confidence.

5. THE NEGATIVES
The negatives are so many that it is
difficult to voice each and every one. But
the crux of the situation lies in the term
injustice and unfairness. The people of
India are befooled every now and then
when their only aspiration of a civilised
society is raped recklessly in front of
their own eyes by social spiders like-

6.  Corruption
 Undignified Public Behaviour
 Lack of political will in areas of
water, energy security, education
and pollution & population control
 Insensitive Bureaucracy-Public
administration is working with an
object of fostering helplessness and
hopelessness in people. The whistle
blowers have to lose their lives. We
have yet not politically matured to
listen to the dissent of the deprived.

7.  Illiteracy-We have yet not realized the
potential of an educated society, which is
the basis of a civilized society. Only
education can cure some of the evils of
our society, namely population
explosion, poor civic habits, caste and
other religious biases. Only an educated
person is competent and capable of
understanding his rights and duties.

8. THE REASONS
 There is a popular saying that we get
what we deserve. If this be true then the
onus rests on us to disprove it.
 The process of disproving leads us to
dissection of Indian Psychology.
 We have had narrow mentality and
were torn into different castes and
other religious groups since time
immemorial. It means that there has
always been disharmony amongst
people inter se because of them
belonging to specific Vernas.

9.  The wish to dominate each other was
inherent and this made us vulnerable
to divide & rule philosophy. Naturally
no ruler ever wanted to unify the
people into a single community
because this could have deprived them
in the form of uniform uprising. In fact
in those times the concept of India was
itself very hazy and differentiated. With
the British colonization of India, at
least a territorial integrity came into
existence. But still the formation of
national character was far from
existence.

10.  The second reason responsible was
the economy of shortage and
penetrative presence of organs of
government in the socialist regime.
As Rousseau, the famous jurist-
philosopher has said, “Man was
born free, but is in shackles
everywhere.” The above referred
combination proved fatal for the
common man. The shortage ridden
economy saw ordinary man seeking
favours from the Government
officials to meet their daily demands.

11.  This made them realize the power of
their posts and forgot the ultimate
objective of Socialism. The shortage
economy made the common man also
corrupt and rent seeker. The
enterprising attitude was brutally
killed for no good. State ownership of
resources further worsened the
situation as the state largesse was for
them who could appease the people at
the helm of the affairs. In this regard
Rousseau said, “That system of
governance is best, which has the
least government.

12. IMPERATIVES
 POPULATION CONTROL
 EDUCATION
 SENSITISATION OF PUBLIC SERVANTS
 PROMOTION OF NATIONAL
CHARACTER
 INCULCATION OF VALUES RIGHT
FROM CHILDHOOD
 SPREAD OF CAPITALISM BUT SAVING
IT FROM THE CAPITALISTS

13.  ENSURE SELF SUFFICIENCY IN FUEL NEEDS
 SPEND ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENTER
INTO LONG TERM PUBLIC-PRIVATE
PARTENERSHIP
 PUBLIC SHOULD QUESTION THE
DEPLOYMENT OF PUBLIC FINANCE AND
THUS HOLD THE RULERS ACCOUNTABLE
FOR THEIR DEEDS
 KEY TENETS OF CIVILISED SOCIETY
SHOULD BE PUBLICLY IDOLISED AND
REWARDED-LIKE HARDWORK, HONESTY,
INTEGRITY, TOLERANCE, DEDICATION

14. HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE
IMPERATIVES SUGGESTED
 AWAKEN ONESELF-REALISE THAT WE ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NATION-CHANGE
ONESELF FOR THE BETTER
 THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF A HUMAN
BEING SHOULD BE RESPECTED BY EACH
ONE OF US
 TEACHERS HOLD AN IMPORTANT POSITION
IN NATION BUILDING-THEY SHOULD
REALISE THE MAMMOTH TASK LYING ON
THEIR SHOULDERS. THROUGH THEM ONLY
THE CITIZENS OF TOMORROW CAN BE
CONVINCED ABOUT EXCELLENCE IN WORK
WITH SOBRIETY AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN
NATURE

15.  MEDIA SHOULD PLAY A CRITICAL AND
CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN CREATING A
PROPER MIX OF NEGATIVE AND
POSITIVE INFORMATION DISSIPATION
 STATE THROUGH GENUINE
INSTITUTIONS PROMOTE CREATIVITY,
ART AND OTHER STREAMS WHICH
ADD VALUE TO HUMAN LIFE. THIS
SHOULD BE WIDELY PRACTISED AND
NOT ONLY THROUGH PRESTIGIOUS
INSTITUTIONS LIKE IITs OR IIMs.
AFTER ALL A PERSON WHO IS
MENTALLY AT PEACE WITH HIMSELF
CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOCIETY.

16.  WE NOW NEED TO MOVE TO BOTTOM-
UP APPROACH OF GOVERNANCE AND
FOR THAT MORE AND MORE POWER
SHOULD DECENTRALISED.
 LOCAL SELF GOVERNANCE SHOULD
BE PRESCRIBED AND PRACTISED
SERIOUSLY.
 STATE SHOULD REFRAIN FROM OVER
INTERFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIFE BY
ADORNING THE ROBES OF A
FACILITATOR AND NOT A PARTICIPANT

17. THE GOLDEN WORDS OF
CONFUCIOUS SHOULD BE OUR
GUIDE
 “When things are investigated, knowledge is
extended. When knowledge is extended,
thoughts are made sincere. When thoughts are
made sincere, the heart and mind are rectified.
When the heart and mind are rectified, the
personal life is cultivated. When the personal
life is cultivated, then the family is regulated.
When the family is regulated, the state will be
in order. When the state is in order, there will
be peace throughout the world.”

18. THANK YOU