Atmanirbharta is neither protectionist nor separatist; It refers to a self-reliant India that deals with the world on its own terms.
Atmanirbharta is neither protectionist nor separatist; It refers to a self-reliant India that deals with the world on its own terms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in May 2020 highlighted the reality that in a post-COVID-19 world, India cannot exist in isolation. It is clear that the world is small and connected. In just the past month or so, the impact of the war in Ukraine on our economy and democracy has made it imperative for us to engage continuously with the world around us. As Rabindranath Tagore said, it is not possible to live behind “narrow domestic walls”. The pandemic has shown us that whether it is a stressed economy or human rights, rural development or climate change, defense or foreign policy, we need to re-imagine the way forward for India and its relationship with the world.
road ahead
Atmanirbhar Bharat is Shri Modi’s roadmap for India to move forward. a recent book, Atmanirbhar Bharat: A Vibrant and Strong IndiaThe eminent thinker S. Gurumurthy and Arvind Gupta, is a thoughtful and comprehensive conceptualization of a wide spectrum of policy issues that are the building blocks of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. Atmanirbharta is neither protectionist nor separatist; It refers to a self-reliant India that deals with the world on its own terms.
Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Swadeshi enthused our country. Atmanirbhar Bharat is Swadeshi in line with India in 2022. The ideological foundation of this concept is not relevant to today’s India; It also addresses the existential challenges in the country and the challenges of its engagement with the tense world order. It is even more important within the country that the conflicting aspirations and expectations of the states are managed and harmonized to present a united, confident and self-reliant India. For example, the aspirations of the Dravidian model of development and other region-specific aspirations must be in sync with the overall concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat. If India does not develop a cohesive national model, only chaos will result. In our politics, it becomes important to emphasize unity rather than diversity. In the absence of cooperation, fundamental issues such as sharing of Cauvery water and coal for energy will remain unresolved. Former Tamil Nadu chief ministers CN Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, while remaining uncompromising nationalists, ensured that their politics was regionally segregated. Significantly, in the 1967 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Dravidian icon Periyar actually supported and supported the Congress party, not the DMK, while C. Rajagopalachari supported the DMK. Learning from history and introspecting how these stalwarts responded dynamically to evolving circumstances is vital for today’s political leaders.
As Francis Fukuyama noted, national identity is critical to the fate of modern states, especially when states are built around liberal democratic political values and the shared experiences of diverse communities. In fact, national identity makes liberal democracy possible and is vital to maintaining a successful modern political system.
a human-centered model
Sri Gurumurthy writes how, like Swadeshi, but different from it, Atmanirbharta is a model for a rising India. It is based on civilizational pride, experience and a self-belief that will help India become a contributor to the world rather than just a consumer. He argues forcefully that no one-size-fits-all Western model can work for a country as diverse as India, as evidenced by the devastating financial crisis of 2008. Social capital, family and community are now at the heart of the development model, which was previously not human-centred. It is an impenetrable foundation on which to base a development model based on equality and humanity.
Defence, human rights, climate change, agriculture, rural-urban divide, economy, governance and federalism have all been addressed in the five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat propounded by Shri Modi. The time has come to take the views expressed in this important book seriously and discuss the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat with an open and non-partisan mind. Differences will always be there. Indeed, in those differences lies the vitality of our democracy.
The world is facing economic crisis today. The war in Europe has dire consequences for the whole world. The leaders should realize that this is not a time for narrow political gains, but a time for the nation to come together. Atmanirbhar Bharat is a human-centred way of moving forward based on our own civilizational ethos and values. It envisages working for a self-reliant India Vasudhaiva Kutumbkami, This is a time when there is a need to reconcile the legitimate aspirations of the diverse people of our country and bridge the differences.
Jayanti Natarajan is a former Union Minister and a political activist and lawyer.