Kerala and West Bengal’s fall from Glory
When India got its independence from the British, the area we now call West Bengal and Kerala had huge advantages over most other states. Literacy, social and land reforms which most other states are still struggling with were undertaken in these states decades ago. But if you look at the state of affairs today you are left to wonder how the mighty have fallen in the last 60 plus years.
For the past couple of days I have been reading about the constant power cuts in Calcutta. Calcutta was once the capital of British India which included territories as far away as parts of modern day Afghanistan to Myanmar. Calcutta even at that time was the second largest city in the British Empire next only to London. Can you believe that this once mighty city does not have electricity most of the day in the year 2010?
The power situation in Kerala is no different. In addition to frequent power cuts Kerala also has the problem of low voltage. In most cases you have to sit within a few feet of the light bulb to be able to read properly at night. How did it come to this? West Bengal’s State and Industries minister Nirupam Sen stated the following as reasons for the power cuts: high temperature, rise in power consumption, old power plants that are unable to meet the heavy load, poor quality of coal supplied by Mahanadi Coal Fields Limited and the shortage of rakes to carry the coal.
Is it not amazing that the Leftist parties (CPI(M) and CPI) that have run these two states for the most part since our independence are also the same parties that strongly opposed the India-America Nuclear deal? The main goal of this agreement was to allow India to get modern nuclear reactors and the fuel that it badly needs to generate electricity. Their opposition to this agreement was so strong that they withdrew their support and potentially risked the collapse of India’s governing coalition!!
Politically both these states are at a log jam. West Bengal in my opinion is not a democracy anymore. The Left Front Alliance has ruled the state for over 30 years and for 23 out of these 30 years the Chief Minister of the state was Jyoti Basu. There has to be a transfer of power once in a while for a democracy to work. Even after such a dominant run by the Left Front the state is plagued by extreme left Maoist movements (an indication that 30+ years of left rule has significantly shifted the “center”).
Malayalees have a slightly better choice. It is between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and their outdated ideologies and the Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) and their communal politics. Any business that cares about their investment would be smart to stay away from these two states. I often wonder what would be the condition of Kerala if Malayalees stop sending money to their friends and families in Kerala from overseas. There has been more Temples, Mosques and Churches built in Kerala in the past sixty years than roads, railways or industries.
Another area where both these states have suffered tremendously is culture. There was a time when Kerala and West Bengal dominated the country in literature and many forms of arts including movie making. The public discourse was of high quality. But the fall has been dramatic. Today an average Malayalam move is unwatchable because it appeals to people in the “bleacher” crowd and does not attempt to elevate the level of discourse.
It is very difficult to reverse the trend in Kerala and West Bengal. People are set in their ways and their loyalties are firm. These conditions do not normally allow for major reforms to take place. But I hope it does before it is too late.
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- High Literacy Rate in Kerala Not Because of Catholic Church
- A Sharia-Compliant Bank in Kerala (India)
- Onam And The End of Buddhism in Kerala
- India Reacts Differently To Terrorist & Maoist Attacks
Category: News & Government
I would say that workers unions have prevented these states from developing…workers pays are high, which is good…but where’s the work? rights fought for and won…but rights do not feed a empty stomach, work does!
Right. And the environment does not exist where businesses can create new jobs.
Bangalore power cuts are worse and it is so called IT city. Pity even us, Bangaloreans.
Welcome Nethra … India is one of the few countries in the world (other than some nations in Africa that simply do not have the means) that has this problem.