markandey katju
Today India, a country of 1.43 billion people ( over one sixth of the world population ), has huge problems of massive poverty, massive unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second child of India is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index, and the situation has got worse in recent years https://www.downtoearth.org.in/health/global-hunger-index-2023-india-reports-highest-child-wasting-rate-slips-4-notches-on-ranking-92282 ), skyrocketing prices of food and other essential commodities, almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, etc.
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-the-truth-behind-indias-explosive-gdp-growth
In my opinion the solution to all our massive socio-economic problems is science ( which means not just physics, chemistry and biology, but also scientific understanding of historical and social forces ).
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When our country was on the scientific path it prospered. With the aid of science we had built mighty civilizations thousands of years ago, when most people of Europe ( except in Greece and Rome ) were living in forests.
We had made outstanding scientific discoveries and inventions e.g. decimal system in mathematics, plastic surgery in medicine, the concept of scientific town planning ( e.g. in the Indus Valley Civilization ) and scientific harbours ( e.g. in Lothal ), scientific architecture ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Indian_architecture ) etc
https://indicanews.com/indians-were-once-leaders-in-science
https://indicanews.com/indians-and-science
https://indicanews.com/the-great-hindu-intellectualism
India had at one time 25% of the world GDP and was perhaps the richest country in the world
https://indicanews.com/justice-katju-indians-benefitted-greatly-during-mughal-rule
https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/culture/reads/india-and-world-trade
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/satyam-bruyat/dinner-at-the-german-embassy-sunday-7-9-2014
However, we subsequently took to the unscientific path of superstitions and empty rituals, which has led us to disaster.
The way out therefore is to go back again to the scientific path shown by our ancestors, the path of Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta, Sushrut and Charak, Panini and Patanjali, Ramanujan and Raman.
This requires changing the mindsets of most Indians ( which are presently steeped in casteism, communalism, and superstitions ) and developing modern minds
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-changing-peoples-mindsets
To be modern does not mean appearing modern by attire and external physical appearance. It means having a modern mind, which means a rational mind, a logical mind, a questioning mind, a scientific mind
http://justicekatju.blogspot.com/2012/04/90.html
Today 75-80% of our people are poor, and nobody respects the poor. When the Chinese and Japanese were poor people they were called ‘ yellow races ‘ by the Westerners. Today China and Japan are highly developed, highly industrialized nations, and nobody dares to call them that.
The assertion that Indians are not respected by the developed countries is proved by the fact that India is denied a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, although countries like UK and France, which are more than 20 times smaller in population and territory are permanent members.
https://justicekatju.com/indias-quest-for-a-permanent-unsc-seat-4f7b6696c673
So what must Indians do ? They must make India a highly developed, highly industrialized, highly prosperous country with its people enjoying a high standard of living.
And for that our people must modernize, modernize, modernize.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reality-india-markandey-katju
As said before, to be modern does not mean wearing a nice suit or tie, or a nice skirt or jeans.
To be modern means having a modern mind, which means a rational mind, a logical mind, a scientific mind, a questioning mind.
Why were the ancient Greeks so great ? It was because they questioned everything ( see the works of Plato, Aristotle, the Greek scientists and mathematicians, etc )
Similarly, why were our ancestors so great ? How could they have achieved so much in science, mathematics, philosophy, literature and art ? It is because they questioned everything, and were constantly debating over everything. There are hundreds of instances of ‘ shastrarthas ‘ recorded in our literature. These shastrarthas were debates of scholars before audiences in which the participants questioned one another over everything.
https://justicekatju.com/the-great-hindu-intellectualism-63334d4dd2ea
http://justicekatju.blogspot.com/2014/10/indian-philosophy-if-you-wish-to-know_6.html
So our people must question all old ideas of our forefathers, accept and develop the rational ones, but reject and denounce irrational, outdated and feudal ideas and practices, e.g. casteism and communalism. We must patiently spread scientific ideas among our people, and combat unscientific ones. This will not be an easy task. Most people are conservative by nature, and wish to cling on to their old ideas, and will condemn, and sometimes even physically attack you for attempting to refute them. Even one’s parents may condemn one. But if one is genuinely patriotic one must do one’s duty to one’s country.
However, while doing so one must not be arrogant and must not look down on one’s countrymen, who mostly have a low level of intellect ( whom I have called the 90% ). Patriots must have modesty and humility, and must remain students who wish to learn. Before you can be a teacher you must be a student. For 70 years I was a student, and only now, when I am over 75 years old have I become a teacher. But I regard myself only partly a teacher, I am still partly a student, still learning.
No doubt most of our people today are still backward, with casteism and communalism steeped in their minds. But that is not their fault. Their minds have been crammed and brainwashed over the centuries by stupid, feudal and backward ideas ( which I often call gobar or cow dung ), and it will take a long time to get rid of them. But we must begin the process now if we wish our country to be respected in the comity of nations. We must make India a highly developed, highly industrialized and prosperous nation, with its people enjoying a high standard of living and decent lives.
And for that, Indians must use their creativity for resolving the massive problems facing the nation. My own ideas are in the articles below :
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-the-task-before-indian-patriots
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-a-call-to-indian-patriots
https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-the-grand-indian-theorem
