Denial is spawned by an ignorance of reality and the instinct to hold on. It is like seeing everything from a moving bus but coming out of denial would require one to jump off the bus when in motion. As a nation we pretty much are on an indefinite bus journey seeing things what we want to see and not daring to take the plunge when needed. We learn of our "haq" and are told "ho raha hai Bharat Nirmaan". In a Nation where absolute poverty level currently is estimated to be higher than what our population was in 1947, "ho raha hai Bharat Nirmaan" is five decades too late. Rising social inequality is obscured by a few success stories.
Like telecommunications. The projected tele-density for 2012 was 84%. The pace of mobile telephony expansion in India has been truly phenomenal. Driven largely by private enterprise, the communications landscape in the country has changed dramatically in the last ten years. But it has been more than a 100 years since India first had access to electricity. At 70% access to electricity (intermittent), energy for India and many Indians is still a dream. Electricity, sanitation, water and basic healthcare hardly dominate any public discussion like telecom / IT. The marginalization of some has created a monster which is today India's biggest internal threat.
Naxalism. Or Maoism. At least the Government is not in denial about their threat. The Prime Minister has acknowledged growing naxalism as India's single biggest internal security threat. But it has come a decade too late. A period during which the movement has entrenched deep, and grown in both power and stature. A movement which threatens the Nation with confidence and puts down it's own demands with impudence. The latest naxal attack on a senior functionary of a national party did not create as much outrage as the nation's richest sporting body's corporate shenanigans.
Cricket is the common denominator in India. It is a balm in the guise of fevicol for a multitude of people across the Nation. And the BCCI has always acted in the best interest of - it's balance sheet. It is a stage on which the country's top two parties share the dais. An organization whose corporate governance has bordered on fraud, is so unmindful of the average expectation of the fan. Indians are tolerant on issues of governance, corruption and fraud. And intolerant in cases of religion, caste, race and gender equality.
How conveniently ignorant. Or you can say outrageously insensitive. Bad roads, non-existent sanitation and drainage, regular load shedding, etc are trivial subjects which reflects in the way public infrastructure is handled in India. On the other hand religious prejudices, differences in caste and stature, and general attitude towards women are generally subjects bordering on intolerance. No wonder India is one of the least ranking countries' when it comes to racial tolerance.
All that glitters is not gold. Not all that is spoken is true. The bus hurtles on and therein lies the choice. To jump or to sit.
