Can India, having citizens like me, be a moral role model for developing countries?

“… the world needs developing countries as leaders on political and humanitarian issues, and India would be a natural. The U.S. and other developed countries can’t play that role, because we’re regarded as heavy-handed imperialists with secret agendas. China can’t play that role because it’s too authoritarian and is regarded with growing suspicion in Southeast Asia. India would be a natural leader as the conscience of the developing world, and it would be hugely important if it would speak out more forcefully about abuses in countries like Burma, Sudan, Zimbabwe. Given its experience and place in the world, India has credibility and moral and political capital, and it should use them”.

Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist, expressed the above lines as the US president, Obama, welcomed India’s claim for the permanent membership of UN Security Council during his last year’s visit to India. Since then, I have been very curious about exploring how we can have global influence and can become a role model on humanitarian issues for the rest of the developing countries. And what sort of our unique traits would the rest of the world like to emulate? On a closer look, the present picture of our national character looks a bit grim, mainly because of the following characteristics:

• Communalism: The majority is always failing to make minorities feel secure and the minorities are never satisfied with any concessions.
• Caste system: The ‘backwards’ find increasing incentives to remain backward and the so-called ‘higher caste’ people still consider others sub-servants and feel comfortable sending their children abroad to work as bathroom cleaners.
• Corruption: This is something that we have been undoubtedly leaders of. By chance if you come across any non-corrupt fellow, ask him/her on my behalf- “how did you become Indian citizen?”
• Separatism: We have unity in diversity; however, we also have diversity in separatism. There are so many forces internally that are always striving for a separate identify other than Indian.
• Human rights violation: From human trafficking and slavery to honour killings, we have every evil embedded in our social fabric. By all accounts, we have the largest force of child labourers. Also, ill-treatment of civilians in conflict areas is profoundly disturbing.
• Histrionic elements of Media: All sorts of extreme voices are loud in media. And the media dichotomizes issues into ‘pro’ and ‘anti’, which polarizes the public opinion (i.e., pro/anti-Hindu, pro/anti-Muslim, pro/anti-Capitalism, pro/anti-Naxalism, pro/anti-reservation, and pro/anti-everything). What’s wrong with helping people see common grounds and acquire a centrist perspective?
• Relations with close neighbours: We have had talks and even fought wars, but have been able to resolve difference with neither China nor Pakistan. How will India influence world without influencing its neighbours?

These and many more issues question India’s credibility to lead the developing nations on moral grounds. So, what’s the way out? Should we give up and declare our country a failed state, as many extreme leftists suggest? Or should we completely ignore the entire list of inconvenient issues and dance on the tunes of neo-capitalists?

I strongly feel that the way out is the way in. In simple terms, if I can work on myself and develop a character of global citizenship values, I can then expect my country to have a profound global positive influence. Only I can answer the following questions:

• Am I aware of the wider world and do I respect and value diversity, and have a sense of my own role as a world citizen?
• Do I understand how the world works economically, politically, socially, culturally, technologically and environmentally?
• Do I understand the extreme views and direct my actions with a centrist approach?
• Am I outraged by social injustice?
• Am I willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place?
• Do I participate in and contribute to the community at a range of levels from the local to the global?

Needless to say, the more strongly positive responses, the more globally influential India is likely to become. If its people become global citizens, India will surely become a role model for the rest of the world. I share Mr. Kristof’s views, but I am well aware of the fact that I have a great scope of improvement for becoming a globian (global + Indian) citizen.

I welcome your comments....