Pandemic Paradox...... by V.R. Narayanan

I do not claim to be an economist, nor a political analyst, nor an intellectual, nor an expert in any particular field - I am just what is generally called an Aam-Aadmi, a man in the street (R.K.Laxman's common man), quite content and satisfied with what life and country have to offer.

I pray your indulgence to listen to a few of my random thoughts.

The year began quite  well no doubt - Happy New Year, let the New Year bring all prosperity, happiness and looking forward to a bright future - yes, the dawn of the new year was full of hope and optimism. Suddenly, we found a dark shadow moving in - an invisible enemy spreading death, destruction and pandemonium, here and all over the world. The aspirations and hopes of many, young and old lay shattered, for no fault of ours (or is there a fault on our part? No idea. I am not competent to pass judgement on this issue). Many have lost the source of livelihood, jobs, health, have experienced personal tragedies, permanent scars, physical as well as mental. The list of calamities goes on. In the midst of this disaster, we see the spirit of human resilience; the way we fight back.  Our doctors, paramedics, other heath workers, law enforcers, the various soldiers at the front taking care of the basic requirements of the community, those engaged in maintaining hygiene, all those who are tirelessly engaged in the mundane jobs - necessary to keep life going - we salute all those unknown warriors.

Now, what had provoked me to write this piece, is another interesting factor. Ironically it appears that this disaster could also be turned around to result in a few positive developments - a feeble silver lining in the dark cloud. I saw a news item that a few young men employed in an urban center had to leave suddenly and return to their native village in Rajasthan, as they lost their jobs due to the epidemic. We have seen the harrowing tales of migrant workers leaving their places of work in the cities and returning to their native villages. Some of them may stay on and some may return for work.

Now these young men from Rajasthan about whom I mentioned earlier, decided to stay on in their own villages; they had  no intention to return to their original place of work immediately. The news report which I had seen recently, was about  how these young men had been able to transform their village and other hamlets around, through their dedicated work. They had decided to remain in the village and do something for the development of the place and the residents. The area was drought prone and water was a scarce commodity.  But, through constant contact with the local authorities, they were able to get a central water tank and even piped water supply for the residents. Old wells have been repaired. Most significantly, there has been a marked improvement in the farming operations too - while  earlier only  a few grains were grown, now there are other crops, all these through the efforts of these young persons. Instead of brooding and lamenting over their problems, they have risen up and taken the challenge to do what is needed to improve the lot of their villages and to provide a better life to their families and the community. We deeply appreciate their commitment. Again, let me point out that this is not the only experiment of this kind. There have been several cases, where in small towns and villages, we have heard about many dedicated individuals and groups doing their best for their communities.

Now, why should we not try this experiment in a larger context, at the national level? The solution could be decentralization. Yes, decentralization is the key word. Decentralize development, power, governance, finances - the lot. Village economy, village self-sufficiency, village administration - ideas which Gandhiji also supported. I understand that in a few small states in Europe this experiment was implemented and quite successfully so. Of course, India is not like some small state of Europe. We have multiple problems, a large population, some terrains not easily accessible, linguistic and cultural differences, social contradictions. But an attempt can be made at the macro level just as it is tried at the micro level. Large tracts of non-agricultural land is available which could be used for development of tier -II, tier- III towns and villages.

I do not know how the authorities concerned will react. As I have already confessed, I am not an expert in these matters. As a layman and a citizen, I am just placing this suggestion for examination by experts. There could be bottlenecks in the implementation.  But I feel that basically it is a sound plan - decentralize the powers, decongest the crowded cities, more powers to local bodies, village self-sufficiency to the extent possible.

-V. R. Narayanan

(Views expressed in the article are those of the author alone.)