The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind. (125 Marks/1200 Words)
UPSC-CSE/2024
Written By Hemen Sarma
Introduction:
A poor boy Jason Lyndoh from Nogpoh in Meghalaya dreamt of expanding his pork shop to ‘CHOICE’ Brand. His dream of an empire was rooted in his mind which later becomes an empire of meat business.
In the following paragraphs we will explore how the above topic hold good in different perspectives.
Social:
Raja Rammohan Roy dreamt of gender equality by prohibiting Sati Dah Pratha. His dream of an empire of non-discrimination was manifested by abolishing Sati Pratha in 1829 by Bengal Sati Regulation which was passed under the governor generalship of Lord William Bentinck. This empire further bore fruit in Independent India by Article 14,16,42,243 of the Indian Constitution.
Nelson Mandela & apartheid.
Birubala Rabha & witch hunting.
Kailash Satyarthi & Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
Economic:
Indira Gandhi thought of a starvation free India. She and M.S. Swaminathan introduced mechanised agriculture,High Yielding Variety of seeds,improved irrigation in North Western India. And today India is 2nd largest producer of rice in the world.
Indian Economy was frought with License Raj.P.V. Narasimha Rao dreamt of an open business empire for India. Resulted in India bacame a global IT hub very soon. India is also known as Pharmacy of the World. Present Make in India campaign is also founded on that great pedestal.
Lee Kuan Yew,the founding father of Singapore dreamt of an economic empire for Singapore. His sound financial and economic policy coupled with a corruption free environment and technological advancement meant many multinational firms chose Singapore as a regional hub.His Preferential tax treatment turned Singapore into hub of Asian Dollar Market. That empire of the mind is today manifested in industrial,developed and modern empire of city-state Singapore.
Political:
Dream of B.R. Ambedkar,J.B.Kriapalani etc towards a democratic,welfare republic for India was manifested in Indian Constitution. Resulting in India is the largest democracy in the world.
Martin Luther King Jr dreamt of an equal society for Americans. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of non-violent resistance and non-violent civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalised discrimination. His American empire of the mind bore fruits years later through the election of Barack Obama as US President i.e. First Black President of USA. And Kamala Harris,a coloured Indian-American is on the race for presidency.
International:
Japan & 2nd World War: devastated by Hiroshima/Nagasaki but now developed country.
Dream of J.L. Nehru,during Cold War period for being neutral.NAM Movement. Panchsheel Treaty. Manifested presently in India’s role in Russia-Ukraine War or Israel-Palestine war.
Tunisians dream of removing corruption and economic stagnation gave rise to Arab Spring and it resulted in removal of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya,Hosni Mubarak in Egypt,Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen. All these countries moved one step further towards democracy.
Historical:
A handful of Britishers had the dream of a ‘Sun never sets’ empire.They followed the path of diplomacy instead of war initially. Later they embraced trade and business for financial prowess. Thus dream of a handful of Britishers got realised in the British Empire in Indian Subcontinent.
Dream of Woomesh Chandra Banerjee,Badruddin Tayabji etc was of an Independent India. That empires of the mind became a reality through Indian Independence i.e. the empire of the future.
Health:
World health Organisation(WHO)& polio eradication.
Corona virus & global lockdown.
Education:
Construction makers dreamt of universalisation of education as it will open doors of opportunities for Indians. But India didn’t have means at that time so it was included in Article 45 in DPSP. Article-21A i.e. 86th Amendment Act,2002 & Right to Education Act,2009 brought universalisation of education between 6 to 14 years of age.
Science and Technology:
ISRO story: From being mocked to 108 satellites to atmosphere in a single launch.
Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
Conclusion:
“Dream,dream,dream.Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.”
— Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
Subhash Bose dreamt of India’s independence,Vikram Sarabhai dreamt of technological prowess in space research,Varghese kurien dreamt of uniform food through milk to everyone,periyar dreamt of casteless society etc. Today India is treading paths shown by these greats in different spectrum of social,political,economic life. Our tryst of becoming global super power was sowed in the minds of those great beings.