Economic liberalization policy was taken up by Government of India in 1991. The pace with which the reforms multiplied has not taken a break and it has been an era of reforms. It has affected almost every sector, giving a firm boost to the Industrial Sector to contribute to the GDP. The structure of the different sectors has changed where pre-liberalized India has limited contributors, but now post 1991, a major restructuring has taken place with the emergence of more technologically advanced segments among industrial companies. Nowadays, more small and medium scale enterprises contribute significantly to the economy.
The management system had shifted from “Ghar ka karobar” (family based system) to a system of professional managers ranging from Harvard to IIMs. One of the reproductions is the birth of a hybrid class of Indian middle class with higher purchasing power and competitive attitude. When I was kid my Dad use to kid around and say” If there is a product say, comprising A,B,C,D,E stages what we do is let the product complete all these stages, and then inscribe boldly “Made in India” without really adding any value to the product. Well gone are those days!! Post liberalization the Brand India is world known ranging from agricultural products to automobile, manufacturing and steel. There is this brand of Liberalized Indian entering every sector in the era of globalization and giving it a tough run for the money conquering Silicon Valley to the BPO in the Indian Metros. With the millions of talented graduates every year there is a huge talent pool of qualified professionals now available, waiting to conquer the world with their domain knowledge.
India, after all these years of reforms and steady economic growth is now at the “Two way highway”. While one road leads India to economic prosperity and glory, the other road leads it to social inequality. Presently, as India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the social aspects have been ridden roughshod by the economic benefits. What has been conveniently forgotten or suppressed till date have been the disparities, mainly the socio-economical issues. This has led to growing discontent among the population and it has gathered momentum since the reforms began 15 years ago. It will very soon reach a critical point wherein the very purpose for which the reforms were started, will start to lose their significance rapidly and throw the country back into the ‘unionist’ era.
I Believe understanding Liberalized Indians is very crucial. With the growth of mass media and the internet puts Liberalized India in a very interesting position. It is in some sense, ‘pre-western’. The combination of comfort with English, combined with the relatively liberal political and media environment of India, is resulting in a huge American influence on this middle class. Also contributing are the increasingly strong people to people links between America and India. The middle class is thus developing aspirations that are in line with this pseudo-western mindset. It seems that for now these aspirations are mostly consumerist and professional, not political.
But why not? So much is wrong with India’s politics. What explains this most unforgivable disengagement? Many different reasons have been proposed but I think it really starts in school. Although the syllabus is now much better, now a days. But it is mainly focused on Science, Humanities or Commerce .It is silent on the Contemporary India and its Issues ranging from Criminalization of Politics to Corruption. Well I believe History is important to understand the roots of an individual and a nation but it’s more important that a nurturing Indian is aware of the problems he is going to face in the Society, so he doesn’t end up giving it up. Making him run away for a better life thousand miles away from his motherland.
So in India today, we have a generation of young men and women who ‘dream’ of a American Education life, and New York. And another generation waiting in some corner of the Country in some village who ‘dream’ of a DU, JNU or say Pune Education life. Life although easier than that of a tribal or a farmer is no cakewalk for most of us. But, the Liberalized Indians has to realize one thing, that migration is an okay goal for an individual, but not for an entire society. Until this fundamental realization occurs and we learn that it has a huge stake in the well being of the rest of India around it, India will be on a path that leads nowhere. What are essential for India are economic reforms with a social face. The economic policies and their subsequent reforms must be accompanied by suitable clauses to benefit the economically weaker sections. Then India will not only be economically prosperous, but will also forge ahead towards its goal of world dominance.
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