I have been a proud Mumbaikar and benign Marathi inhabitant of this Maharashtra state, of which tomorrow we celebrate 50th anniversary. However, my thinking pattern and thought processes have been like the entrepreneurial people of Gujarat, another state that shares its birthday with Maharashtra. I am amnesic about when this trait of doing something of my own seeped in me, as I have always felt this deeply that being employed will make you sustain in life but can never make you rich. I do have a full time employment though, traces of Marathi bana are highly residual, I presume. I am emotionally a Marathi manoos and practically a gujju, for whom “Sensex” is more exciting than heroics of “Shivaji”. I have grown up to be a compassionate Marathi man, a characteristic that I learnt during my young days which I spent in chawls in Parel. I also cavorted the streets of Mumbai and its market to learn tactics of making money, where words like dhanda and takka (%) constantly resonated on my eardrums – “aa dhanda maa ketla takka profit che”.
Mentalities derived from both these states made me a balanced person in terms of taking decisions; I learnt the tricks of risk taking, venturing into new avenues at the same time being considerate for everyone associated. I respectfully can appreciate what I derived from both these states (and the people of these states) – I began to become “a capitalist at mind and a socialist at heart”.
However, when I sit today writing this, staring out of my window, through which I can see a orange flag hovering on a temple top, typical of a Maharashtra symbolism, I feel that my state in which I was born has remained only a heap of historic memories that we still flaunt – a pseudo approach to proclaim that we are still a “Maha Rashtra”. When compared with the other state, Maharashtra has regressed while its sister state Gujarat is on super-mega-highway of progress; both the states had began their journeys at precisely the same time.
Maharashtra had a lead start in terms of making itself a power house of the nation. The state was blessed with political stability with single party governance and focused decision making. Maharashtra was truly a state that established itself as a frontrunner in politics, economics, culture, agricultural growth. However, things became gloomy after Maharashtra’s political structure changed into coalition governance, thereby changing the entire decision making policies, submitting to the pressures of other leaders for political survival, all in the selfish yen to amass wealth. Worst is the case today, when Maharashtra is not only at the mercy of leaders from Delhi but also dents with the push-n-pull of realtor’s lobby.
Gujarat, on the other hand, had shaky twenty years of political leadership. However, the scene changed with Narendra Modi taking the command. Though litigious, his leadership has changed the way Gujarat is looked at today. His policies of single window and prompt clearances, and corruption less functionary have perfectly worked out as bait for investors. The decision making lies with a single person and he remains accountable for everything that is happening in the state. And this is where the difference lies. Take the case of shifting of Nano plant, everything was done in a single day.
When in Maharashtra, the farmer deaths are on rise, Gujarat at the same time is peaking high on agricultural growth figures. When the state is plagued with load shedding for more than half a day, a political rivalry is of prime importance than jointly looking at Jaitapur nuclear plant, which possibly could solve many of the power related problems. Gujarat puts its focus on economic growth and progress of the state, unlike Maharashtra, where pocketing money for self and securing a seat in the cabinet are primary interests of the leaders.
The situation is worrisome. It is high time that in Maharashtra politics becomes docile to economic and social growth. It should learn from some of the states around like Gujarat and even Karnataka where investors are still pouring in due to less bureaucratic hassles, or even from the from Bihar, which is still a point of hatred among Marathi leaders but Nitish Kumar has changed the scene in Bihar by the way of which he has proved that state’s progress secures a seat in the cabinet and not by doing “jee-hujuri” of others.
Maharashtra today is at the behest of goons like MNS and Shiv Sena, and the selfish, blood sucking center in Delhi.
I pity.
Mentalities derived from both these states made me a balanced person in terms of taking decisions; I learnt the tricks of risk taking, venturing into new avenues at the same time being considerate for everyone associated. I respectfully can appreciate what I derived from both these states (and the people of these states) – I began to become “a capitalist at mind and a socialist at heart”.
However, when I sit today writing this, staring out of my window, through which I can see a orange flag hovering on a temple top, typical of a Maharashtra symbolism, I feel that my state in which I was born has remained only a heap of historic memories that we still flaunt – a pseudo approach to proclaim that we are still a “Maha Rashtra”. When compared with the other state, Maharashtra has regressed while its sister state Gujarat is on super-mega-highway of progress; both the states had began their journeys at precisely the same time.
Maharashtra had a lead start in terms of making itself a power house of the nation. The state was blessed with political stability with single party governance and focused decision making. Maharashtra was truly a state that established itself as a frontrunner in politics, economics, culture, agricultural growth. However, things became gloomy after Maharashtra’s political structure changed into coalition governance, thereby changing the entire decision making policies, submitting to the pressures of other leaders for political survival, all in the selfish yen to amass wealth. Worst is the case today, when Maharashtra is not only at the mercy of leaders from Delhi but also dents with the push-n-pull of realtor’s lobby.
Gujarat, on the other hand, had shaky twenty years of political leadership. However, the scene changed with Narendra Modi taking the command. Though litigious, his leadership has changed the way Gujarat is looked at today. His policies of single window and prompt clearances, and corruption less functionary have perfectly worked out as bait for investors. The decision making lies with a single person and he remains accountable for everything that is happening in the state. And this is where the difference lies. Take the case of shifting of Nano plant, everything was done in a single day.
When in Maharashtra, the farmer deaths are on rise, Gujarat at the same time is peaking high on agricultural growth figures. When the state is plagued with load shedding for more than half a day, a political rivalry is of prime importance than jointly looking at Jaitapur nuclear plant, which possibly could solve many of the power related problems. Gujarat puts its focus on economic growth and progress of the state, unlike Maharashtra, where pocketing money for self and securing a seat in the cabinet are primary interests of the leaders.
The situation is worrisome. It is high time that in Maharashtra politics becomes docile to economic and social growth. It should learn from some of the states around like Gujarat and even Karnataka where investors are still pouring in due to less bureaucratic hassles, or even from the from Bihar, which is still a point of hatred among Marathi leaders but Nitish Kumar has changed the scene in Bihar by the way of which he has proved that state’s progress secures a seat in the cabinet and not by doing “jee-hujuri” of others.
Maharashtra today is at the behest of goons like MNS and Shiv Sena, and the selfish, blood sucking center in Delhi.
I pity.
- Amol Redij
