The Great Indian Dream: A Question of Evolution and Not Revolution - Essay Example

THE GREAT INDIAN DREAM The Great Indian Dream refers to the rise of India and Indian products on the global scene. Like the Great American Dream which became a proverbial symbol of prosperity and limitless opportunities, the great Indian Dream also stands for almost the same things. But what is more amazing in this case is that this great dream came into existence within a very short time. Just 15 years ago, India was nothing but a poverty ridden country in one far end of the world. To Americans, it was almost non-existent.

So was great Indian Dream a case of evolution or revolution. On the surface it seems, that it was all about taking the rights steps at the right time. The revolutionary steps that government took in early 90s to change its economic system has had huge impact on the market. As Friedman (2004) observes: “The good timing starts with Indias decision in 1991 to shuck off decades of socialism and move toward a free-market economy with a focus on foreign trade. This made it possible for Indians who wanted to succeed at innovation to stay at home, not go to the West.

This, in turn, enabled India to harvest a lot of its natural assets for the age of globalization.” But when we closely study the changes that were taking place in the country for some time, it becomes clear that this is more a matter of evolution than revolution. One dictionary defines evolution as “a process of. continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a. higher, more complex, or better state.” In the course of this discussion, it will become clearer how India rose from lower to higher form with small changes over a long period of time.

It was not like things started happening for India within a short span of 15 years, the truth is that there were several small changes that contributed to its sudden rise in the 90s. For example, the country that ones treated its daughters as a burden started seeing them as an asset when it became clear that they could achieve just as much as any boy could. India has produced some truly remarkable female writers include the Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy. Now women are contributing a lot to the economy which has made Dr M K Chaudhuri, author of The Great Indian Dream, say with confidence that: “India can not only catch up but also beat America and the other western countries in terms of growth and life style in a matter of 25 years.

”Le Conte defines evolution as: "(1) continuous progressive change, (2) according to fixed laws, (3) by means of resident forces." Whereas Revolution on the other hand refers to “the application of tremendous force within a short time to destroy the formidable control of any era and replace it by the next era” The difference in evolution and revolution is thus clear. One happens over a certain period of time while the other is radical and rapid. India’s change may appear revolutionary but it was not in the last fifteen years that it had made changes.

Changes had been occurring since a long time but it was only in the last decade that they became taking shape and making visible effects. Indian refused to give up in the face of many troubles and made some very smart choices from the very beginning of its independence. Once it had freed itself from the clutches of Britain and even before that, education was the one thing that India focused on with tenacity. Even before the independence, it had some very educated men running the Congress including Nehru.

But once it got independence, the focus gained greater emphasis and India became a learning center of quality education. The second important thing was the complete eradication of the feudal system. This resulted in immediate growth in rural areas which had hitherto been abused and ruled by the feudal lords. With the end of Feudalism to a large extent, land reforms could be introduced and implemented effectively. These are some very important changes that made it possible for India to make small gains over the years.

If we feel that Indian Dream has its roots in the economic changes of the 90s, we are wrong. This is because realizing the Indian dream has been more a matter of evolution than revolution. The rise of India was imminent if we study the progress in made in several unrelated areas over the last few decades. ReferencesThomas Friedman, The Great Indian Dream, New York Times, 2004India can beat America Retrieved online 16th April 2006 from http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?

msid=129574Prout cited in Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, Ananda Sutram, Ananda Marga Publications, 1961. 5-4Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition.