I read two articles in today’s Hindustan Times- one is called “The Bhaiyya Effect” by Vir Sanghvi and the other “Bonds that won’t break” by Karan Thapar.
Vir Sanghvi says that even if Bihar and UP lie in the bottom in the per capita domestic product and are governed by regional caste based politics, India and in particular the other prosperous states cannot ignore the contributions that Bihar and UP have made to their development. What I particularly liked was the positive tone in the article, the smartness with which all the problems in these two states were focussed, going as far as “For many Indians, the two states have become an embarrassment”, but at the end the hope that the way “eventually India shed its old image and went from being perceived as an underdeveloped wasteland to becoming an emerging superpower”, these two “laggard” states would also do something similar. Many of us may not believe in the statement in entirety, given the mess they are in, but isn’t everything about confidence and positive belief at the end. I have written this earlier also that BJP government might not have come to power because of the “feel good” factor, but nevertheless their “India Shining” campaign did a lot of good to us, gave us the confidence that we can shine… Similarly, instead of involving ourselves in stupid campaigns of driving away north Indians(Biharis and UPites in this case) from Maharastra I think it is time for us to appreciate their contribution. They would be shining soon and leading India in terms of economic development. I am sure a change of mentality would help a lot. A very close Bihari friend of mine once told me, “The problem is the lack of confidence amongst us in Bihar and that is why we migrate to other states, if only we decide that we have to stay here and work towards change, then there is no reason for Bihar to have bad politics or bad administration.” My friend, I have changed my attitude long back, I know these two states are the heart of Indian culture and ethos. May the Biharis and UPites realize this soon and bring about a revolution.
Karan Thapar says that there is nothing dissimilar in Pakistan and India. “To begin with, fanaticism and fundamentalism is as alien to Pakistani people as it is to the Indian.” I know a few smirks already at that, how many of us really believe in something like that. But the bottom line is that if only we both could start believing in it and work towards creating harmony, the scene is going to be much better. Let us accept it completely that fighting with each other is not going to do any good to any of us, so why not appreciate each other, love each other and grow together. I totally endorse when Thapar says “I’d say we are like siblings- or better still, like half- brothers- who can be easily provoked to quarrel but are locked in a relationship neither can break… So even though we always disagree, we always understand. And ultimately, the more we differ, the more we remain the same.”
So the idea is, if media can now play a constructive role like this, by germinating positive thoughts in the minds of the people, a lot of good is being done. The first step in making anything successful is to believe that it is possible. These articles lay the seed for us to believe that Bihar and UP would be riding the ladder of development very soon, and India and Pakistan would soon be marching together to the peak of success. Thumbs up to Sanghvi and Thapar! Thumbs up to positivity!
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