The rise of the Neo-Bourgeois

"The most perfect political community is one in which the
middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes."

Thus spake the great philosopher Aristotle while he sat and spoke to his disciples on the steps of the acropolis. These words ring as true now as they did 2500 years ago. This fact is proved by the political, economic and social growth of India in the last decade and a half. Though government policies and global conditions have helped India's growth, it is the zest and vitality of the Indian Bourgeois (middle-classes) that has made the greatest impact.

And this isn't the first time the middle-classes have played a pivotal role in the nation's fortunes.The Independence movement wouldn't have been a success had it not been for the hard work and sacrifices of the then middle-classes. So history has repeated in its inimitable way and the new middle-classes - the Neo-Bourgeois - find themselves pitch-forked in the middle of the Indian success story.

Right from the blue-eyed techie walking into his state-of-the-art IT firm to the first generation entrepreneur starting off on his mission with handful of cash and heartful of vigour to the Young graduate coming out of a B-school ready to take on the world , this breed of Neo-Bourgeois is all set to take India and the World by storm.

The primary difference between this generation and the previous has been the confidence with which it attempts any task. The attitude is more 'Why not?' than 'Why?'. The opening up of the economy provided this new generation with the ideal catalyst to turn from bronze to Gold. India moved from a "Socialist" set-up which was beyond its sell-by date that believed in an over-powering state to a "new third way" state that acted as a facilitator and encouraged Private enterprise. This proved to be incredibly beneficial as budding entrepreneurs mostly from the middle-classes spun high-end jobs for the rest of the society which in turn triggered a chain reaction of yet more jobs in the market. This unleashed the market forces which has brought prosperity and financial support to millions in the country. Though huge disparities still exist between the rich and the poor, they are perennial problems faced by even the developed nations and the next wave of the Indian success story should therefore focus on bridging this gap so as to ensure the foundation of the country remains rooted in solidity.

Finally to borrow Lenin's quote - during the Russian revolution, when asked to comment on the ability of the common man in changing history - the Indian Neo-bourgeois can indeed "give history a hand" and change the course of India's history and fulfill its tryst with destiny.

Failure of the Parliament

The word Parliament was allegedly taken from the French "Parler" which means "to speak" and today our politicians in the legislature do just that - "talk" and most of the times 'rubbish'. So the Parliament which ought to have been a place for discussion and decision making has been reduced to a mockery owing to our Politicians. So this raises an important question...Has the Parliament failed the nation? If you ask me the answer would be probably yes.

The reasons are not too hard to find. Take for instance the Budget presented for the last three years, all have been passed without a trace of discussion on the topic. After all who ever cares for a mere 100,000 crore budget that would power India into an economic powerhouse when there are other pressing issues like scams and sting operations. It just illustrates the appalling state of affairs. So it would be safe to say that the country is moving forward despite the best efforts of the politicians to hold it back. Also parliament instead of being the jewel in the crown of democracy is turning out to be its biggest embarrassment.

So now lets focus on the solution rather than the problem. One of the things that can be done according to me is having a minimum attendance for each legislator per session. If one does not attain this mark he would be forfeiting the perks that come with being a legislator and also puts a black mark against his name which will hurt his public life. How does that sound, pretty radical but then again what do they say - desperate situations demand desperate measures.

Finally how about this remedy. India being the largest democracy in the world can hark back to the past to take a leaf out of the book of Classical Athens- the cradle of democracy. In Classical Athens there was a yearly practice called 'Ostracization' which was more like a 'unpopularity' contest wherein all the citizens would gather and vote for the most unpopular politician and the unlucky man was exiled for 10 years, basically rendering him politically defunct. The Athenians got rid of many a tyrant owing to this practice. This seems rather dramatic but it can be implemented in some form or the other so as to achieve the ultimate goal of making the politician accountable. I wonder how many parliamentarians will stand the test of 'Ostracization' in today's India.

Shakespeare's Italy

I have been reading some of Shakespeare's plays (in their abridged version) these past few weeks and as always found it very fascinating as i was transported to a completely different world every time i read it. Every time you read Shakespeare you discover something new which you hadn't noticed earlier.

Likewise, as i was reading the plays this time one thought struck me - Why an English playwright writing for an English audience set most of his plays in an Italian backdrop. In this day and age of neo-nationalism its hard to find any contemporary writer setting his work in another country ,for instance when was the last time harry potter left England. But Shakespeare's most famous plays were based in Italy probably Greece comes a distant second.Sample this - Romeo serenades Juliet in Verona, The merchant comes from Venice,The two gentlemen are from Verona, The shrew gets tamed in Padua, Ceaser gets assassinated in Rome, Othello hails from Venice etc etc.

Some theorize that he was a sailor in his youth and spent a lot of his time in the ports of Italy while some others argue that he was in fact an Italian immigrant who came to England and became a play wright in the guise of an Englishman (which i find a touch funny). Personally i think there could be two reasons for this.

Firstly, the fact that Italy unlike other European countries until the middle of the 19th century existed as a collection of cities similar to the city states of classical Greece lent itself to portraying drama. For what better place to find warring families,princes at each other's throat than medieval Italy.In his plays Shakespeare showed the vices of mankind which can be more vividly shown in a feudal setup rather than in a republican one.

Secondly the fact that Italians are some of the most passionate people in the world came in handy to etch the characters. For a taste of Italian passion try listening to a bunch of Italians conversing in a bar.The Italian unlike the romantic Frenchman or the sober German was more easy to be portrayed as a passionate person and since drama was all about passion it fitted in well with Italian characters.

Whatever be the reason Shakespeare's Italy is one of the most fascinating places to explore the inner mind and persona of men transcending the borders of nationality,race and time.