Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
angry enough to spread the AAP's presence. How far Kejriwal can go, having conquered
New Delhi and become chief minister, is hard to judge. The AAP's best chance of making
a difference would be to grow as a minority party that maybe forces established politicians
to change the way they behave.
In his independence speech in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru used the memorable phrase 'tryst
with destiny'. India is now facing its tryst with reality, not just over immediate problems of
economic growth and a weak government, but over its long-term failure to tackle mounting
problems in the way that democracy functions. On my first visit to India in 1982, my driver
from the Taj Hotel in Bombay had gone up the wrong side of a central reservation on the
road to Pune. When I asked him why, his charming reply was, 'Don't worry, sahib, both
roads go same place'. That, I had soon learned, was a metaphor for the way India likes to
work, but it is no longer apt. There are choices to be made about which way India will go -
whether democracy will continue to provide a cover for the country's inequality, injustice,
corruption and appalling governance, or whether new and younger political leaders and a
more vocal expanding middle class will ensure that India, with all its advantages of history,
culture, brain power and aspiration, avoids the risk of implosion.
Notes
Examples of Manmohan Singh using the phrase are here
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/
Vikram S. Mehta, now chairman, Brookings India, in conversation with JE, and
in an article, 'Dimming of Brand India, Indian Express', 2 September 2013,
ht-
JE, 'A BMW kills six, no questions asked. India has become ungovernable. But who
cares? Good government might threaten the elite',
New Statesman
, 22 April 2002,
ht-