Bharatiya Elections are the biggest festival of the democratic world.
Although a formal Census, possibly digital, is expected to happen this year, our population is already expected to have crossed 140cr. 96.88 Crore people could vote in these elections, of which, 47.15 crore may be women, 1.85 cr may be youngsters between age of 18-19yrs and 19.75 cr may be youth in the 20-29 years age bracket.
Whatever goals the Prime Minister keeps for the country, in the end people’s participation is necessary to achieve them. Luckily, Narendra Modi has turned out to be one of the most influential democratic leaders of the 21st Century. As he leads by example, people find his words deeply motivating.
Viksit Bharat is a campaign for a long-term program with a goal to become a $30 trillion Economy by 2047. Govt is certainly resolved to achieve this, but they know well that people must work towards this goal whole-heartedly, so a pledge campaign for Viksit Bharat is running on MyGov.org.
At the first glance, the program may appear to be about the Economic Development of Bharat, but Prime Minister is a far-sighted man. During his address to the Vipassana fraternity on February 4, 2024, on the occasion of the Birth Centenary of Principal Teacher S N Goenka, Modi ji announced that Viksit Bharat program gets some of its inspiration from the lines of Buddha – samaggānam tapo sukho, meaning meditating together brings happiness. In his own words, the Prime Minister said, “This sentiment for togetherness, this force of unity, is the firm base for Viksit Bharat.”
Viksit Bharat needs mobilisation of people in a peaceful environment, driven with a single-minded focus. And, hence, Janbhagidari is the key.
A large void stares at us, which needs nothing less than the shared-vision led by the Prime Minister himself. Since Independence, Bharatiya People may be governing their own destiny, but Bharat has failed to establish a Vision for its most precious resource, its people, the Human Resource.
In 1985, Rajiv Gandhi renamed Ministry of Education as Ministry of Human Resource Development, but despite name-change and existence of this Ministry for about 35 years we could not bring out Bharat’s Human Resource Vision. It continued to publish just the Education Policy. In this light, it was only right that under Narendra Modi, when the MHRD brought out New Education Policy in 2020, the Ministry was renamed again as Ministry of Education.
With a population of 140 crore and growing, and along with Viksit Bharat, when Bharat harbours a dream to becoming a Vishwaguru by 2047, Bharat cannot escape the need for a holistic Human Resource Vision.
It is not to say that the boat is entirely rudderless, things are happening in bits and pieces in their own silos, but the convergence of it all to bring better efficiency and higher effectiveness to the ongoing work is important as we become the most populous country in the world.
The vision document must focus on the entire lifespan of a Bharatiya, from the time of conception in the mothers’ womb till the time of last rites. In terms of attributes, it has to state the vision about the physical & mental attributes, wherein the mental attributes must be detailed into general personality traits as well as life-skills.
The vision document should be such that it benefits the Sports, Agriculture and Health Ministries on one side and Education and Culture Ministry on the other. So the Vision that flows from the Prime Minister’s Office will ensure that many different Ministries are driving towards a common goal that is going to build the esteem and respect of a Bharatiya within Bharat as well as abroad, improve the productivity across the board from Government to the Farmlands and everything in-between and might also have a massive impact on the Law & Order within the country.
Let this vision guide the environment that an expecting mother should spend her time in, the kind of food we must grow in our fields, the climate our people should breathe in, the subjects that our children should study at school, the mental traits that our youngsters must inculcate at every turn in their lives, the conduct that adults must display at work, home and in society, the approach to maintaining good health, preventing and curing ailments and how one may pass away and bid farewell in a dignified manner. So from Union Govt to State Govt to Municipalities and Panchayats, all could be inspired by such a vision. That a common Bharatiya should be inspired by it and the society may be motivated to make endeavours towards this.
The vision needs to be drawn in a manner that while the Bharatiya carry their own distinctive physical and mental attributes, at the same time they have a broader common set of attributes, like creating an identity of an Bharatiya. Let the regional, linguistic, gender, religious identities remain, yet develop an identity as a Bharatiya.
In fact, various communities in Bharat established their identity in such a manner, in the past. Take an example of a martial tribe or a community, from strength as a physical attribute to courage as a mental attribute, to skill at using a weapon and battle tactics and war strategies, the communities would bring up their young ones in such a manner, men-women and children all would be driven by the idea of such an identity and would conduct themselves in a worthy manner till the time of their passing away.
In Ancient Bharat, householders were advised to follow the four purushārthas of Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Moksha. We also see example of Emperor Asoka, who maintained a direct communication with his subjects through his periodical Edicts written on Rocks and Pillars, where he advised on good expected conduct from his subjects, like respecting the elder, conducting oneself ethically, being truthful etc. He even noted the gains his administration made from the more cultured conduct of his subject, in his Rock Edict no.4 and Pillar Edict no. 7.
While we can take inspiration from the past, the vision of tomorrow that we work towards should be based on the times we live in.
The idea of identity of Citizens, built using practices aimed in a certain direction are less common today, that doesn’t stop others from perceiving people of different nationalities based on visible common physical or mental trait. If a person is Australian, you expect certain attributes, if they are Japanese, you expect another and in this manner for a Russian or a German or a Chinese or a Pakistani or an Arab or an American or an African.
Viksit Bharat is a program that needs inter-generational continuity. Generations of today as well as those of 2040s need to contribute to the nation to achieve the massive goal. Human Resource Vision must therefore compliment the program. The Bharatiya identity we spell out today should be such that it continues to inspire Indians for the next 50-100 years. Clearly, it is not an easy task and therefore, nothing less than the Prime Ministers’ personal involvement will fill this void.
A challenge that we can perceive today is the percolation of the idea amongst 140-150 crore people. And that is where an elaborately curated plan, deployed on-ground as well as on digital platforms will come in. Digital platforms will not only ensure sustenance of the communication, they will also allow adoption and celebration, instilling pride across all age-groups. Afterall, the dividend of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Start-up India and Digital India has to begin with their alignment with Bharat’s interest. But we can leave this exercise for after the Vision Document reaches its final stages.
For now, let us ask ourselves, what is our goal and how do we want a Bharatiya to see oneself and be seen by others?
Viksit Bharat must create an opportunity for Sabhya Bharat, so that Bharat can truly become a Vishwaguru.
