India at 75: Can the twain ever meet?

Landmark occasions provide unique opportunities for non-partisan reflection with a blend of nostalgia, pride, hope, fear, and poignancy. We have made progress, but Rabindranath Tagore’s exhortation in the Gitanjali compendium, to value reason above all faculties, must make us ask some existential questions. Where are we going as a nation? Are we inculcating the independence of spirit, thought and scientific enquiry? Are we building basic enablers to reverse an inherent resistance to change, or will the intellectually marginalised continue to be subject to indoctrination?

Beyond the markets, are we building a sustainable society? Northern Europe’s sustainable initiatives are benchmarks for building egalitarian societies. Its leadership ensures the permeation of this ethic to its smallest units — individuals. Lopsided post-pandemic economic recovery will aggravate the inherent inequities globally.

A Financial Times article contrasts the Zomato founder’s $650 million net worth with its gig workers eking out a living with ₹20 per trip to deliver food. The concentration of economic power with the migration of unorganised business to corporate entities has been a discernible trend.

Further, social divides based on religion, caste and class create increasing levels of polarisation as does rapidly receding trust in the institutions of governance. Such a concoction is lethal to the social order, as was recently witnessed in what was South Africa’s worst violence since apartheid.

Changing the narrative is critical. There is no way to do this other than building scientific thought and temperament. Parliament adopted the Science Policy Resolution in 1958 — the foundational vision of modern India. Sadly, instead of promoting debate and encouraging innovative thinkers to challenge the status quo, we are witnessing a frightening regression into a world built on myths, prejudice, bias, and irrationality. Examples of the public leadership promoting cow urine as a cure for cancer, or coronil for Covid-19 are part of our national folklore.

Going back into the past is easy — the further, the better. As is tapping into cultural sentiments at the cost of scientific thinking. Politicians play this game the world over to consolidate power. However, in a multicultural, multi-ethnic, religiously diverse society such as India, utilising the link between scientific thought and secularism can prove hermetic.

Their supportive interplay will change the paradigm from dogma and sectarian thinking to critical reasoning and intellectual cosmopolitanism, hence building on our society’s inherent diversity rather than remaining spellbound by the charm of Britain’s parting gift of deep communal hatred in 1947.

At its core is the ability of science to confront the truth. Regrettably, commencing with data integrity issues in the budget documents from 2011, it has now transmuted to various statistical figures, including underreporting of cases and deaths, where floating dead bodies jarred us to the state of data integrity challenges today.

Cognitive dissonance in policymaking displaces reasoned debate in Parliament and adds to the toxicity of doubt and suspicion even for well-intended decisions. Active policy consultation with domain experts is a natural casualty in such an environment with many preferring to resign rather than erode credibility. The resignations of the chief economic adviser, heads of the National Statistical Commission, Niti Aayog and the Covid-19 scientific advisory group, INSACOG are some recent instances.

In a post-truth world, bringing the truth back to politics can change the paradigm based on Tagore’s Satyer Abohan which examines the relationship between individuals and the nation from this prism of truth. Elected leaders must lead this change. Also, given our unparalleled record of missed opportunities for balanced, sustainable economic growth with equitable social development, we must solve the massive problems we face today.

This is achievable only if the leadership enlists the involvement of all. Post-Independence, our founding fathers took on the challenge despite being devoid of the stature and resources we have today.

Admittedly, many decisions proved to be wrong in hindsight, but the foundations for a modern India built and nurtured over decades must be acknowledged.

In a naive and unreflective age, we must evolve by introspecting and making course corrections. Large-scale alienation of citizens led by rising economic and social inequities cannot be ignored as we celebrate our hard-earned Independence. It is time to change the narrative with the imperative of making the twain meet. Sustainable progress will follow.

Prabal Basu Roy is a Sloan fellow of the London Business School, non-executive director and an adviser to chairmen of corporate boards

The views expressed are personal