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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 10:16:22 -0400 (EDT) Swadeshi is an utopian theory which no country practiced and achieved. Swadeshi is the principle of a gutless society which is unwilling to compete globally. It's a mere stupid idea -- living like a fish in a well or seeing the world through a key hole or being like a masked society. In this age of a fast-emerging technology and global economy, swadeshi is a disease. The more we adopt and propagate swadeshi concepts, the harder we we will hit the ground. And it is an advantage for our global competitors who will enjoy this as a sheer opportunity. Gurumurthy should look at the fate of Indian public sector enterprises. Can he count one Indian labelled product which has an impact on the global industry? It's the fate of India to have Gurumurthy-like utopian professors, blind governments and unfortunate citizens. God bless India. Ramesh, Cambridge, MA
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 10:55:38 -0500 Both the interviewer and the interviewee seem equally confused about various concepts and terms, making it painful for readers. How can your interviewer ask a question that suggests swadeshi means being cut off from the rest of the world. Please choose your interviewers more carefully.
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 06:33:40 -0500 Excellent, deep thinking about the system. I support the views. Please accept my thanks for interviewing such a person. Also, if possible, send a copy of this interview to Mr Pritish Nandy. Shashi Kant Sharma, Umass Dartmouth
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 10:41:12 -0600 Excellent interview! Though I may not agree with all what Gurumurthy has said, I admire his guts and thought-provoking ideas. I wish him all the best in promoting the swadeshi culture everywhere.
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 13:40:21 +0300 First of all, I must say I've subscribed to your magazine because I was just curious. I had absolutely no idea about your country. Among a lot of facts and news which are for me, as a Romanian, not too easy to understand, the interview with Mr Gurumurthy on April 1 gained all my attention. I realised that somehow your problems are similar with the problems and questions which a lot of Romanians have. As you may know Romania (and generally speaking of Eastern Europe), has a kind of 'identity crisis' and most of our politicians try to resolve this by copying 'the successful western way. There are very few of them (unfortunately too few) who say that it could be a mistake to imitate things which don't belong to us, don't correspond to our nature and our customs and are not necessarily good for us. From this point of view, I found the interview you published great because I saw that there are voices which dare to talk about 'the other side of the truth'. I'd like voices like Mr Gurumurthy to be heard in Romania too! Victor
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 05:43:52 -0500 I find the interview interesting for several reasons. Mr Gurumurthy has several points that need to be examined carefully. The suggestion to delegate more authority to the local governments is fundamental. However, I don't agree with him when he says that a smaller market is more efficient. Technology has allowed us to communicate farther than we could even a few years ago. This has meant that the markets have grown to become global. This can only make mankind more efficient.
Date sent: 02 Apr 98 13:54:45 -0600 No words to express the clear understanding of Shri Gurumurthy. There is only one thing I would like to convey -- that is, we should make swadeshi a mass movement. Shri Gurumurthyji, I want to contribute something for that cause.
Date sent: 02 Apr 98 14:38:16 -0600 It's an excellent way to make a fresh beginning, better late than never. India is a great country -- we must preserve its age-old culture and society. I also believe that it is not possible to progress in a holistic way without raising the collective consciousness of the people. By raising the collective consciousness of the people we can bring progress in all directions (economic, administration, health, business etc) of society. This is the vedic approach towards progress, this is the real swadeshi approach towards all spheres of society and life. It is urgently required to shift towards this swadeshi approach to save the integrity of our society. Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation is a technique which helps in raising the collective consciousness of the country. When 1 per cent of the population of a country practices transcendental meditation regularly, it has been scientifically proved that the crime rate goes down, diseases are fewer, economic problems reduce. It is the immediate need to adopt this unique, age-old technique to take the country and the world towards the path of progress. Arun Mehta
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 18:25:39 -0500 My opinion of this interview is as follows: He has apparently never seen the actual global works of economics and welfare. True, 'westernising' does have bad points, but the good enormously outweighs the bad. Look at what kind of goods are being sold for the general public today as opposed to 10 years ago. The best scooters were being built for export. Look at the attitude of the Indian work force. Yesterday, they generally worked for the government and did not care if the Indian Airlines counter sold you a ticket or not. Today, with Sahara and others airlines in competition, everyone at Indian Airline cares, whether you buy the ticket from them or Sahara. Now, there jobs depend on it. If the western money is changing the economy of India, then let it be. India will only change for the better, when the traditional 'Indian ways' (connection or bribery) has, for the better part, left India. Then the Indian people and the Indian government will have a competitive life to boast about. I feel the traditional family life should be retained, at any cost, including education. Look at the Central government. They are in such disarray, it is not even funny anymore. They must think everyone, educated or not, must be idiots, but the true idiots are those who voted for them. If they can't even work together, then how are they supposed to work for the people (I'm sorry, I guess the Indian Constitution says the politicians are servants of the government). About me, well I am a CEO of an American department of defence contractor. I have a master's degree from George Washington University. I have never had a harder time, getting information or incorporated, in India, than any country in the world. We have offices in Italy, India, Australia and the United States. I know, firsthand, how difficult it is to work with different governments, but nothing is harder than the Indian government. Satish Singh
Date sent: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 21:51:08 -0500 A friend of mine once wrote a dissertation titled "The impact of fiscal policy on consumer demand in Japan in the 1970's." He knew nothing about Japan, consumer demand or fiscal policy. I erroneously believed that this achievement -- a display of ignorance would remain unrivalled for ages to come. I was wrong. Mr Gurumurthy has in ample measure put my friend to shame by expressing his views on FDI, GDP, structural outlay and fiscal policy. Mr Gurumurthy, in the best tradition of those who hold opinions on issues of which their understanding is minimal, has bettered my friend. For he knows little about FDI, GDP, structural outlay and fiscal policy. Not that I expect to see this letter published, considering that the gentleman I have criticised is one of presiding deities of the rightist pantheon. Pity though. When we have the likes of Arun Shourie, Aiyar, Palkhivala and Bimal Jalan to plead the rightist cause, Mr Gurumurthy seems to be the preferred choice of some. Ravi Aron, Jersey City, NJ
Date sent: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 12:38:06 +0800 'India has never had swadeshi economy' in last 300 years, very much true. S Gurumurthy is very right. English is our curse, but is there a way out? Anurag
Date sent: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 02:10:15 -0500 I totally agree with Gurumurthy as regards English. Emphasis on English has resulted in massive inferiority complex in us, especially in rural areas. A person in India is considered illiterate if he can't communicate in English, even though he might be more intelligent and articulate in his mother tongue (Hindi, Tamil, Marathi) than most English-speaking graduates. I really feel ashamed when I hear/ read people (engineers, MBAs, journalist, etc.) making fun of Laloo Prasad Yadav, Kesri, Sharad Pawar or Chandrababu Naidu only because they cannot speak English fluently. Another complaint I have is that undue importance is given to English in higher education, and in turn in securing jobs in our formative years. Instead of learning about say science or history, we cram it without having a full understanding of what we are studying. In my school days I remember, while studying subjects like science, I was really cramming in English words, sentence forms etc. instead of actually learning science concepts. And I know there are other people like me.
Date sent: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 21:51:08 -0500 Mr Gurumurthy's views on the Indian economy and the MNCs are refreshing. We have a man here who has got it all together. I hope Rediff will interview him more frequently to get us a sort of running commentary on the economic performance of the BJP government. Pradip Parekh
Date sent: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 07:09:15 -0700 Spoken like a true politician -- a show of patriotism when actually his interests lie elsewhere. What makes him an authority to decide on important policies? Can he explain why India's share of world trade has deteriorated to less than one per cent, when the country's population continues to grow at over 20 per cent? I bet, he can explain why protectionism continues to benefit Indians with nothing but more expensive substandard goods which are unable to compete with similar goods anywhere else in the world. Why should he say anything different, when his desire is for more power? Hasn't the licence raj taught us this?
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 14:56:26 PST It is a welcome change to find some real issues of concern being voiced clearly. I feel this will go a long way in awakening the thinking lot in our society, particularly amongst the youth. Mr Gurumurthy has vividly identified our lack of self-identity and the reasons for that in our society. His disenchantment with the society due to these reasons is well received. But one should forget that the society itself is only the *effect* of history, and therefore the changes in it have also to be historical. The English education is an example. It has been the marketing done by the British that 'English' schools are the real sources of 'knowledge' and native studies of any form are 'barbaric'. It is the acceptance of this view by the susceptible in the society, that such a view got credence in our society. It is a different issue that even the not-expected-to-be-susceptible sections of the society have taken to this view and, ultimately, wrought about this disaster in our own bases of knowledge. Therefore, I feel a sustained campaign and marketing (nay, not in the sense of marketing the unworthy, but campaigning for the real) of the values forwarded by Mr Gurumurthy, and the patience to sustain it *forever* against the onslaught of malicious campaigns from other quarters is bound to bear fruits. With this vivid belief in mind, and the nature of the task ahead, may I humbly request every individual to shed the not-worthy-to-be-explained attitude that is generally perceivable among this group of intellectuals, and to come out with one's thoughts for the larger interests of the society. R Balaji, Boston
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 14:45:26 -0600 The Rediff article 'India cannot live in cities' shows Mr Gurumurthy to be highly anti-English and intolerant towards foreign investment. He always keeps harping that 'I will not let so and so into India. I won't reason out and be clear on my stand, but will simply refuse to let MNCs in India.' Does he think he is the only great patriot and no one else? What makes him think so? The country's development should be in every sphere. If one or two sectors progress more than others (in this case, agriculture), it doesn't mean you have to slow down their progress. It should be the other way round. Just by hating and spitting venom at people who speak English, he doesn't prove that he is better than others. I might be more comfortable speaking English than say, Tamil or Oriya, and still be a patriot. What makes him or anyone think that you will love your country only if you speak in your native tongue. Language after all is man-made. It is not absolute and final. What language you speak is only your own concern and not others. If more people speak English and are comfortable with communication in that medium, then what is his problem? In a country with a vast number of languages and dialects and a conflicting national language, English is a good medium for everyone to communicate on a common platform. What makes Hindi a special language? When majority of the country doesn't speak Hindi, though they might be able to follow it in bits and pieces, it cannot be imposed as the official language. Hindi is a very new language, much newer than many other Indian languages. With so much cultural diversity, English makes a good link language in tandem with Hindi and thus there is nothing wrong if people feel closer, speaking a language they are more at ease with. English also gives the edge to Indians when competing with the rest of the world. Let Mr Gurumurthy do his administrative job well without trying to be a great firebrand hero. Anyone can talk fiery patriotic words and condemn things which they personally dislike, but they should keep in mind that people are not going to be influenced by what they say. They can prove their point only by making things work and showing the way. Mr Gurumurthy, keep your opinions to yourself. There are no takers for your heroic words. Srivathsan
Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 14:10:23 -0800 I respect Gurumurthy's views, however, I cannot fully agree with him. In much of the interview he harps philosophically (which is good to improve our nationalistic thinking), but that cannot help India become economically strong. He will prove to be valuable in the home department, but keep him off the financial front. Venkat
Date sent: 02 Apr 98 14:10:57 -0600 This was a good interview. Well I agree that Indians lack self- confidence, it is reflected in all the activities we do. Well, we have to be practical, not selecting any particular theory for economy, but taking a business view. That is what is best for India in the long run. I don't understand why English is given so much importance in India. In the US, it's understandable. We should come back to our language, we should instill confidence in young people about the country -- the land of Vedas, great warriors and kings like Ram. Break the mental shackles of disbelief and work with a national view, only then the country will become economically strong.
Date sent: Wed, 08 Apr 1998 17:13:35 -0400 Great interview. A tough thinker. We don't need people like Gurumurthy and other politicians but people like Tarun Das in power. How Readers reacted to Dilip D'Souza's last column
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