India can learn from some of the unique attributes of neighbours
Learning is a continuous process of gaining or inheriting knowledge
and skill. There is no class or caste bar when it comes to learning from someone. However, the same is also applicable in trans-national relationship; especially a country can learn a lot from its neighbours. Many of the Latin American countries have gone democratic because, the big neighbour the US, inherited it successfully. Many preferred capitalism because it turned out to be a successful economic system in the US. Similarly, if European countries are somewhat equally prosperous and united, it is because each strived to learn lessons from neighbours. Even in Asia, China is perhaps a classic example. It's incorporation of positives of capitalism - initiating liberalisation and privatisation led by Deng Xiaoping after he found that neither the socialist command economy favoured by Communist Part of China (CPC) nor Maoist ideology of shifting from socialism to communism as exercised in agriculture but failed had actually worked in favour of an economy unique in itself. Initiating reforms in a communist country like China was not easy!
In that context, India has many to learn from its neighbours. To start off with, Bhutan, perhaps India’s closest neighbour possible, have some things unique to teach India, if fact, the world. No other country in the world perhaps witnessed such a peaceful transformation from monarchy to democracy that took place in the country in 2008. 100 years of monarchy went democratic silently. Credit goes to His Royal Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, en spite of peoples' request the King democratised Bhutan simply for the sake of the future generations of Bhutanese. The speech of the incumbent king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, delivered while inaugurating the first parliamentary session in its capital was unique in itself. We are so engrossed with Obama’s speech that we forget the fact that a 28 year old king can deliver such a revolutionary speech – rare in India! Another aspect to learn from Bhutan is infrastructure and architecture that the country has to offer. A tiny country surviving by donations can have better infrastructure than its donor. India had financed Bhutan's first two Five Year Plans (Bhutan is grateful for the fact though). India’s donation to Bhutan has gone up from just Nu.107 million to Nu.10 billion while Bhutanese government urges Indian authority to improve its infrastructure, what an irony!!! The kind of architecture Bhutan offers to the world remind us that architecture and wealth are not necessarily synonymous. Similarly, Pakistan may be its biggest headache for India but there is lot to learn from it especially when it comes to handling international politics and world diplomacy. It is such a country that can host world’s most dangerous terrorists like Laden, Baitullah Masood or Dawood Ibrahim and terror organisations while it can also maintain good relationship with world’s most powerful countries who spend billions of dollars to find and kill them. It’s not easy to do. India has also a lot to learn from Sri Lanka. Despite being a tiny and poor nation it has proved that if a country truly wants, it can overthrow world's dangerous terror group, LTTE.
Learning is something that helps always, that which enlightens the thought process and keeps learners updated. For a country aspires to be a leader, it should also have the temper to learn from its fellow brethren leaving apart personal enmity, hatred and ego. India has ample scope to improve. Let not that aspirations go in vain.
Learning is a continuous process of gaining or inheriting knowledge
and skill. There is no class or caste bar when it comes to learning from someone. However, the same is also applicable in trans-national relationship; especially a country can learn a lot from its neighbours. Many of the Latin American countries have gone democratic because, the big neighbour the US, inherited it successfully. Many preferred capitalism because it turned out to be a successful economic system in the US. Similarly, if European countries are somewhat equally prosperous and united, it is because each strived to learn lessons from neighbours. Even in Asia, China is perhaps a classic example. It's incorporation of positives of capitalism - initiating liberalisation and privatisation led by Deng Xiaoping after he found that neither the socialist command economy favoured by Communist Part of China (CPC) nor Maoist ideology of shifting from socialism to communism as exercised in agriculture but failed had actually worked in favour of an economy unique in itself. Initiating reforms in a communist country like China was not easy!In that context, India has many to learn from its neighbours. To start off with, Bhutan, perhaps India’s closest neighbour possible, have some things unique to teach India, if fact, the world. No other country in the world perhaps witnessed such a peaceful transformation from monarchy to democracy that took place in the country in 2008. 100 years of monarchy went democratic silently. Credit goes to His Royal Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, en spite of peoples' request the King democratised Bhutan simply for the sake of the future generations of Bhutanese. The speech of the incumbent king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, delivered while inaugurating the first parliamentary session in its capital was unique in itself. We are so engrossed with Obama’s speech that we forget the fact that a 28 year old king can deliver such a revolutionary speech – rare in India! Another aspect to learn from Bhutan is infrastructure and architecture that the country has to offer. A tiny country surviving by donations can have better infrastructure than its donor. India had financed Bhutan's first two Five Year Plans (Bhutan is grateful for the fact though). India’s donation to Bhutan has gone up from just Nu.107 million to Nu.10 billion while Bhutanese government urges Indian authority to improve its infrastructure, what an irony!!! The kind of architecture Bhutan offers to the world remind us that architecture and wealth are not necessarily synonymous. Similarly, Pakistan may be its biggest headache for India but there is lot to learn from it especially when it comes to handling international politics and world diplomacy. It is such a country that can host world’s most dangerous terrorists like Laden, Baitullah Masood or Dawood Ibrahim and terror organisations while it can also maintain good relationship with world’s most powerful countries who spend billions of dollars to find and kill them. It’s not easy to do. India has also a lot to learn from Sri Lanka. Despite being a tiny and poor nation it has proved that if a country truly wants, it can overthrow world's dangerous terror group, LTTE.
Learning is something that helps always, that which enlightens the thought process and keeps learners updated. For a country aspires to be a leader, it should also have the temper to learn from its fellow brethren leaving apart personal enmity, hatred and ego. India has ample scope to improve. Let not that aspirations go in vain.
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