India - Back To The Future !!!!

Over the week end of 16th March, Nitish Kumar , the Chief Minister of Bihar and the leader of Janata Dal (United), held a huge rally to flex his muscles and to show that he had no less a clout than his perceived rival , Narendra Modi of the Bharitiya Janata Party . The latter is the perceived  leading candidate for the Prime Minister's role, in the event that the Opposition were to gain more votes than the ruling Congress Party.In his speech, Nitish Kumar made a point that there if any party wanted  to rule at the national level, they would have to depend on the regional dominant parties who rule Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

Prior to the entry of the British , Mughal India which extended from Afghanistan to almost Myanmar, the overlords were the Mughals, but they relied on alliances with the smaller kingdoms of the Maharaja's to control and ensure that no one stepped out of line. In turn, these nobles were rewarded by increased estates or alliances sealed by marriage. This was constantly a fluid situation as at various times, ambitious satraps tried to break away and extend their territories . The Emperor would then send his troops which would be supported by the smaller kingdom who would provide the logistical and manpower support to put down these upstarts.Alliances were made and broken and re-made depending upon the circumstances.

After India gained independence, the Congress Party was the dominant  national ruling party until the seventies. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride with Congress increasingly becoming dependent on regional parties to be able to rule at the National level. Even within the regional parties, you have caste,community or provincial overlords who play in a strong role in the decisions and policies.

In turn for supporting the Congress ( or the BJP) at the center,  these  regional parties are rewarded by plum ministries where there is considerable opportunity to extend their influence , financially and otherwise because  they control   large expenditure budgets and where "leakages"of large amounts occur. The ruling party in the meantime had the exclusive control over certain areas, such as defence, national security, and foreign policy.

However , of recent the Congress seems to be loosing their grip even on such matters. You had Mamta Banerjee putting the government in a embarrassing position by staying away from a meeting with the Bangladesh head of state and refusing to be part of a water sharing agreement. At present you have the politicians from Tamil Nadu influencing the government from voting in a matter which is in the national interest to please their own state constituency. Similarly you have the state government and in some cases, not even the state government , but a regional party threatening to disrupt sporting and cultural events if these included Sri Lankan and Pakistani participants. While these might be private events , it nevertheless has a ripple effect on the relationship with the neighbors, which China and Pakistan are quick to exploit. 

Unfortunately it does not appear that going forward the situation is going to get any better. Looks like we will be back to the Mughal days, where the central government will continue to depend on the regional satraps to be able to rule. The days of single national political parties are sadly over.

Mea Maxima Culpa

In my blog of  February  twenty seventh, Getting Addicted To Food, I had pointed fingers to the parents for being responsible for not preventing the children from eating food which was unhealthy. Someone who is more knowledgeable about this matters than I am, pointed out that it is not quite as simple as that. A lot depends on the socio-economic factors. While one can berate the middle class, the lower middle class and the working class , where the obesity levels are higher ,is due to the need to fill your stomach at the cheapest cost.

In the United States, in the slums, the ghettos and the barrio's, you do not see the full range supermarkets where you can buy your balance meal of carbohydrates, vegetables , and proteins. You rely on the mom and pop convenience stores, which do not store perishables. Or you go to the neighborhood fast food joints. You can get your fill at a relatively low cost, whereas the balanced meal which has to be cooked would add up to much more.

This is increasingly the case even in the emerging market countries such as India, where there is a  influx of people to the urban areas. Increasingly both the husband and wife work and if you are in the lower end of the socio - economic spectrum , you will look for stomach fillers, such as deep fried samosas or fried spicy battered  bread fritters or kulchas, the Indian equivalent of a burger bun. Eating this day after day, you are bound to put on weight and develop numerous health ailments.

I therefore have to limit my critical comments to those parents who can afford , but who still allow the children to go for the type of food which they  know are not healthy. Finally , I also have to close with my mea maxima culpa . I plead guilty to  having allowed  my children to have sugared cereal, and the bi-monthly ( and sometimes more) outings to the fast food outlets. Perhaps I will be able to influence my grandchildren - if their parents allow me.