Sunday, April 27, 2008

april editorial

Dear Friends,


What you have in your hands is the inaugural issue of Core Sector Communiqué - a new entrant in the world of Indian print media. Before you wonder why, let me try and explain.


We live in momentous times to put things mildly. Things that we even did not dare to imagine are today things of the past. Double digit growth, hostile raids on global giants, overseas acquisitions paving way Indian behemoths, captive mines securing supplies in distant shores, the emergence of a knowledge economy, the march of a million mind workers … we have seen it all. A cherished dream, steel making capacity ahead of Japan and just behind China, today seems well within the realm of the possible, that too, within a decade.


Suddenly, India is no more a “developing nation”, eking out a meager living at the bottom of the heap. India is hip, happening and fast being recognized as a super power, as a economy that is ready to claim its rightful place, a people that is increasingly beginning to speak out around the world and being heard.


Take a look at the dark side of the moon now. The rapid strides that the country is making, will also bring in its wake myriad things that will not be as rosy. Pressures on the land will increase manifold as will migration and social strife. Rural urban divides will blur, creating another set of concerns that will need to be addressed. What is today being tom-tomed as our core strength – trained manpower, may soon become a bane of contention if we continue in this scorching pace.


Another “India happening” billboard is our democracy. The Internet is flooded with patriotic power points that sings paeans of our firmly rooted democratic ways that, many feel is our edge over the fire spewing dragon. Only thing is that in vast swathes of the country, fellow Indians have taken up arms and are fighting is very democracy and the institutions it espouses.


Infrastructural bottlenecks. The flow of hot money. Sectoral imbalances. Stock market meltdowns. Belly-ups. And many dreaded terms like these will gain currency as we transform into a Nation of Neons, at least in the short term – all signposts and no destination.


We must remember that we Indians are also amongst the most corrupt in the world, consistently making place towards the bottom of any list ranking corruption. An issue that will need to be faced, fought and banished on the way.


I have felt the need for a chronicler that will bring these diverse issues facing the nation. Issues that make the core of our conscience. Issues we must discuss and find solution to, in order to add steam to India’s flight to fancy.


Wish the Nation God Speed.

Yours


Suvobrata Ganguly


If you have any suggestions, do drop me a mail at :

Chawm.ganguly@gmail.com