Saturday, May 16, 2009

Counsel for the New Government by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The people of India have voted for a new government. The leaders of our newly elected government need to be Satyadarshi (truthful), Samdarshi (equanimous), Priyadarshi (pleasant), Paradarshi (transparent) and Doordarshi (visionary). These values need to percolate all the way to every sphere of governance and our national public life. This may sound very idealistic, but the need of the hour is to pull the cart in the direction of idealism.
Firstly, corruption has to be rooted out. Every aspect of public life in India today is infested with this. This has resulted in large-scale apathy and lack of faith in the public process amongst the people. Legislation alone cannot root out corruption. The faith of the people and their participation is the key, and mindsets need to change.
Faith-based and humanitarian initiatives often generate greater confidence and encourage more active participation from people. To create a catalyst for change, the new Government would do well to create an independent agency of different humanitarian organizations to be empowered to become a watchdog for Government spending.
That said, the country needs stringent legislation so that criminal elements do not enter into politics. The new government should initiate a radical de-criminalization process at all levels to ensure that anti-social elements are rooted out from the government system. The new government needs to follow the footsteps of the US model to bring back the black money from Swiss banks.
Today, there is more than a lakh of court orders pending implementation, weakening the people’s faith in the judiciary. Radical measures are needed to clear this large backlog of execution of pending court orders and to remove corruption in the judiciary.
The development of India’s infrastructure is intrinsically linked to her overall economic prosperity. The new Government must have the wisdom to identify and replicate tested, successful models of development in the sectors of agriculture, small-scale industries, water conservation and flood control. The revival of the initiative to connect and de-silt India’s rivers to create an inland water navigation system needs to be taken up very speedily.
A drastic improvement in relations with neighbors and a fresh look at our foreign policy by the new Government is urgently needed. Today, India is like a sleeping lion allowing the fire to rage all around it without taking any responsibility. India should take the lead in bringing about peace to the entire South-Asian region which has become a global hotspot for terror.
As terror threats loom from sources inside and outside the country, India needs stringent laws and timely action to combat terrorism and cross-border infiltration.
The country needs drastic changes in the education system to make it more job-oriented as well as one, which breeds self-confidence rather than a slavish mentality. Students need to learn skills, have a questioning mind and strive for excellence rather than settle for mediocrity. Mahatma Gandhi’s writings including the commentary on the Bhagavat Gita should be made part of the text book curriculum in schools and colleges to encourage the values of Ahimsa (non-violence).
A thrust towards the preservation of India’s ancient heritage needs to be taken up to ensure that it is given due representation in international forums. India’s gift to the world: the timeless Vedic wisdom has not been adequately represented nor presented in international forums. Though Hindus are one sixth of India’s population, their rich traditions have neither been presented, nor have they been educated to do so at the international arena. India should take a more proactive role in developing language and culture. As Ayurveda and Yoga continue to gain mass international appeal, the government needs to put in concerted action to encourage this at the tehsil and village levels to ensure all Indians have access to it.
The National Integration Council will have to be modified, strengthened and made more active. Legislation alone cannot bring transformation. A council of religious and spiritual leaders should be established to bring in faith-based initiatives to root out extremism, eradicate superstitions and to bring in harmony in diversity. Spirituality is ingrained in the Indian polity. Since ancient times, Raj Gurus have guided and counseled rulers and in turn rulers have supported religious and spiritual leaders. Mahatma Gandhi had appeal to people across religious and ethnic borders, because of his spiritual approach. Spirituality brought freedom to India. Indian spirituality has given a secular ethos to the world. The need of the hour is a prejudice-free political system. The new Government needs to recognize this.
Our leaders today must have qualities of compassion, caring, courage, and commitment and take a leap of faith in high ideals to take the country forward. Sri Sri

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