Development, is it a problem?
Development is one solution to all problems, announces PM Modi. Any other PM in his place would have said the same thing. So this is not about who said it, but it is about what is said. Now I will play a casuist.
Two important terms are used in the statement, namely, ‘development’ and ‘problem’. Without thoroughly appreciating the meaning of these terms it is difficult to comprehend the significance of the statement. I do not pretend to know the meaning of these terms, I only show the terms mean different things to different people or class of people.
Development is one solution to all problems, announces PM Modi. Any other PM in his place would have said the same thing. So this is not about who said it, but it is about what is said. Now I will play a casuist.
Two important terms are used in the statement, namely, ‘development’ and ‘problem’. Without thoroughly appreciating the meaning of these terms it is difficult to comprehend the significance of the statement. I do not pretend to know the meaning of these terms, I only show the terms mean different things to different people or class of people.
As for ‘development’, a Gujarati story by Dhumketu (pen name, real name
Gaurishankar Govardhandas Joshi) comes to my mind. In a village, there
are a few tangawalas (carriage drivers) that wait at the local railway
station for an upcountry train to arrive. The tangawalas ferry the few
passengers that alight at the station, to the village. The village then
sees ‘development’. A motorised bus is introduced by an enterprising man
of the village. The bus goes to the railway station and competes with
the tangawalas in attracting passengers. One bus can carry all the
passengers leaving none for the tangawalas. This gradually drives the
tangawalas out of business. It was no doubt ‘development’ as we
understand the term to mean, but was it development for the tangawalas
and their horses? Did it solve all problems? I am sure there are no easy
answers.
As for ‘problem’, nobody saw any problem in the village until the bus service was introduced. A problem is a problem when it is perceived as such, not otherwise. We cannot call something to be a problem by applying alien standards.
I often wonder whether ‘development’ itself is a problem seeking solutions in further development.
As for ‘problem’, nobody saw any problem in the village until the bus service was introduced. A problem is a problem when it is perceived as such, not otherwise. We cannot call something to be a problem by applying alien standards.
I often wonder whether ‘development’ itself is a problem seeking solutions in further development.
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