Let us try to be winners

Sir, - Mr. Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer has called for a second struggle (or should it be third as the one started by Jayaprakash Narayan in 1975 was termed the second) ``for swaraj aimed at protecting the secular, socialistic and republican ideals enshrined in the Constitution.'' Secularism in practice here seems to have undergone a sort of contortion. The Common Civil Code (advised in the Constitution itself) is considered communal, but Muslim Personal Law is secular, the BJP is communal, Muslim League secular and so on. Everything is done to widen the divide between communities rather than closing it.

Socialism practised in the last four decades has failed to reduce disparity or poverty, but ushered in widespread corruption. Communist China, which liberalised its economy ten years ahead of us, has moved ahead of us too. Chinese goods are now available in India. Comparable goods made here cost more than three times. How are they able to sell at such low prices? Mass production may be one reason, but Chinese workers too must have put in more work for less pay, so that the cost is much less. Here the constant demand is for `less work and more pay', with frequent `stop work' tactics. Comparatively, the productivity level of the Indian worker is lower, leading to higher cost. Swadeshi too is tricky, for, practically everything we use and enjoy in life like electricity, electronics, information, communication, transport, etc. as well as parliamentary democracy are all videshi technologies and techniques. Could we discard them in our love for swadeshi? Perhaps, our aim is to keep improving our capability to compete and stay afloat with pride and self- confidence rather than fight to live in cocoons and call it our birthright. As a republic, we seem to have developed a habit to criticise even where honest analysis is required. `Cynics criticise, winners analyse'. For a change, why not we try to be winners?

R.P. Chockalingam,

Kochi

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