Anwar Maqsood, despaired at the economic social and political degradation of his country, Pakistan, in this interview with rafter.tv, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
*Coming from a usually sunny personality; a Rishi, these observations were deeply disturbing. His ardent wish for a saviour in a “good mullah” or a “good general” has an uncanny resonance with Dr Ambedkar’ who cautioned that “good wo/men’ operate the Constitution.
*Rishi Anwar Jalalpuri of Lucknow rightly argued that Vedic literatures underpinning the subcontinental culture and civilisation were composed eons before the advent of currently dominant religions. Though our civilisational DNA is same we, India and Pakistan took divergent paths to creating democratic republics that work FOR the People (supposedly).
*Pakistan took on the formidable but core challenge of reconciling ‘religious and democratic values to develop institutions of the State. Pakistan took 26 years to craft a Constitution: In 1973, post the cathartic separation of the East.
We Indians, got lucky in that for the first 20 years after 1947 our ‘good’ leadership was able to establish and strengthen democratic institutions lay the foundations for economic growth.
*While researching for the source of Janab Maqsood’ despondence, it came to the fore that the Hindu businessmen of the East eagerly pushed for partition of Bengal, while their Muslim counterparts did that in the West. Kindly recall that only propertied and monied classes could vote (about 3% of the population) and they drove (funded) the politicians as usual (the world over).
*The Pakistani politicians rowed hard towards Middle-East to craft new Pakistani identities that are far removed from the subcontinental ethos; with little success. The continuously pumped-up war hysteria is another such effort (to my mind).
*We, Vanprasthi’s have a panoramic view of life as experienced, and know that one man’ patriot is the opposing party’ terrorist. The Big Wo/Men ruled for 12000 years: it is only 225 years that democracies were forced upon them: They now masquerade as democrats.
*The real push back will come from the educated masses, that have grown from 17% in 1947 to about 70% in three nations (there is evidence of slide back in Pakistan). The West achieved this level in 1750’s, a good 275 years ago.
*Maqsood Saheb’ eyes lit up while discussing Jaun Elia and his normal witty personality came alive. Allow me to attempt a smile from Maqsood Bhai: “Pakistanis got religion as a “Jhtaka’ in 1947, we in India are getting it as “Halal” now. (Pun intended!)
You may enjoy the mind- expanding (or bending) by reading my book.
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