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India Notebook

(formerly Perspectives on India)

by

Inder Dan Ratnu

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In my opinion, India is the greatest democracy on the Earth. This "greatness" does not flow from the destructive power at its command, or from the wealth it possesses, but by the size of the vast masses governed by their own elected representatives and the kind of freedom they enjoy. President Clinton was given a glimpse of our highest elected representatives at Delhi at the Parliament House when he met and addressed them. He had seen the trunk -the giant, circular , strong and secure trunk of Indian democracy . But he had not yet found the roots.

It was the roots of democracy in India that the President set out  to discover for himself at the little village of Nayla on 23rd march 2000. Nayla is the name of a village situated about 20 kms from Jaipur on the Eastern side and about 10 kms from the hotel where President Clinton Stayed during his visit to India. The President appeared very impressed by what he saw there. In Nayla, there was no artificiality or anything  "arranged" to show to the President, except that because of his arrival the place had been cleansed and the ladies had put on the new dresses normally reserved for festivals or marriages.

The rest of it was a real thing. The statements of the members of the society and those of the Panchayat (village assembly-cum-executive body) were genuine, as were the proceedings they undertook. They in fact represented the soul of Indian democracy, and the President appeared overwhelmed by watching it all. Except for the fact that the venue was an old palace of the former lord of the village (and was chosen in view of the sensitive security of the President), the observance of a bit of formality (on the part of the members, not the President) and some well-rehearsed dialogues, it was all the real thing. Yes, a computer had been installed for the sake of demonstration to the President (this, along with the construction of a new road, was how the President's visit benefitted the villagers), but otherwise the village was presented to the President as it was.  

Thakur Hari Singh, the lord and owner of the venue, told the President that his ancestor Thakur Fateh Singh had founded the dynasty 4 or 5 generations ago. Since then they have been ruling the village under the feudal order. Their word used to be the Law, and there were often atrocities against the poor and the weaker. But now the situation has changed completely; now only the representatives elected by the village folks run the affairs of the village and ensure the well-being of the villagers.

Then came Mr. Meena the Sarpanch -- head of the village executive -- who apprised the President that he belonged to a scheduled tribe which had been discriminated against for all earlier generations, but in these democratic times he had been elected to be chief executive of the village and he along with other elected representatives was able to decide the policies governing the welfare of the village people. The newly elected female members also apprised the President of their own Political and social upliftment, stating that they are now coming out of the "pardah"(veil) and actively participating in the day-to-day government of their village. This was unthinkable only a few years earlier before their participation was ensured by a recent constitutional amendment "reserving" seats for women at all levels of government. This was clearly most impressive to the President.

The President then actively participated in the proceedings of the Panchayat, asking intelliegent questions of both male and female members. The President was so informal, so at ease, and so interested in it all that the entire nation was astounded with his simplicity and informality. It was simply incredible. People could not believe their eyes. Earlier he had reviewed the work of the Dhabolai Dairy Development Society, which is comprised exclusively of female members. The women explained to President Clinton how they were able to manage their own affairs through this society,emphasizing their use of computers for finding fat percentage etc., and other innovations that had uplifted them economically. On this occasion they issued a life membership card to the President, who said that he would keep in a prominent position of honor at the White House. The President then chatted freely with them before inviting them to line up with him for a joint photograph .

Having finished these proceeding in the hall, the President went into the open chawk (middle floor) of the house, where the village ladies were already dancing to celebrate his arrival. Then came what was perhaps the high point of his trip. Unmindful of security, he couldn't resist the call of his conscience. The ladies called him to join in, and he very gracefully danced with the women folk of the village. The whole of India watched this spectacle, which was covered live by the national and international channels. It was without a doubt a high moment of his greatness. All watched wonderstruck at how the highest elected representative of the most powerful nation in the world was so freely and so pleasantly mixing and sharing a unique experience with the people of another democracy. He even gracefully hugged the ladies as if they were his sisters, daughters, and mothers. The ladies, meanwhile, kept showering him with petals of flowers and dancing to the rhythm of the drum. This was a most wonderful spectacle -- a lifetime one for all those watching in person and on TV.

Afterward, President Clinton proceeded to shake some of the hundreds of impatient, outstretched hands trying to meet his grasp. He tried not to disappoint anybody, leaning forward as far as he could to touch as many hands as possible, seemingly unmindful of risks to life and limb. At one such occasion in Tamil Nadu , South India, an enthusiastic Rajiv Gandhi had been blasted to pieces . But this was Rajasthan, and the call wasirresistible to the President, who kindly and actively participated in this pageantry and pleasure. His behavior contrasted sharply with that of the Queen of England, who offered her GLOVED hand as if fearing infection from other human beings. Yet here was the President of the United States, glowing with warmth and sparkling with enthusiasm, ready to take everybody in his embracing fold or at least affectionately shake hands with the people of another great world democracy.

What a spectacular romance it was! The romance of freedom and democracy, which both of these giants on opposite sides of the globe value most as a way of life.

After a long suspence and a lot of pursuasion from e newly-appointed Pak-Ambassador to Washington Maleeha Lodhi, President Clinton finally consented for a "stop over" at Islamabad during his visit to the Indian subcontinent. The U.S. President's agreement to meet with Pakistani leaders was interpreted by Pakistan as an endorsement of their Military regime, which drew an immediate and unambiguous rebuttal from the White House and the State Department . The Pakistanis had also hoped that the President would voluntarily adopt the role of a fond spokesman for their Kashmir cause following his arrival in Pakistan, in the apparent belief that America is a cow that they can continue to milk by offering up green pastures for grazing. Or perhaps they view America more like a woman whom they had wedded long back and Clinton as only a child of America who would do anything they dictate or wish him to do, however unjust.

But things turned out contrary to their expectation, even though they had consistently and persistently been given the signals of the American position -- signals which they must have thought wise to ignore or interpret it in their own way . When the United States said that it was a dark night in Pakistan, the Paks tried to console themselves by saying: "Look , it is quite a white day in America right now , therefore they are joking ." When the United States time and again emphasized she was neither interested in nor in fact able to mediate between India and Pakistan, the Paks insisted she was indeed out  to mediate if the President was coming to India, as if President were committing a crime by coming to India and mediation was the penalty. Such are their funny interpretations.

Distrust between the USA and Pakistan is at such a low point that President Clinton had to outfox Pakistani security agencies by using an altogether different aircraft to land at Islamabad than the one he used while in India. This craft was preceeded by the decoy planes of  the American Air Force, which were reported to be well-equipped to neurtralize a missile attack . The Americans knew that the Afghans and their like minded Pakistani "friends" were all over Pakistan naming their children after Osama Bin Laden . They also knew that the Afghans had hardly forgotten the recent rain of American missiles upon their so called  Mujjahiddin strongholds (which are in fact terrorist camps). The earnest  Afghan hopes of revenge by almighty Allah in the form of volcanoes and storms  taking care of the Americans could any time inspire a practical concrete plan to hit the Americans back with Afghani guerilla missiles. And it would indeed be a feast if the target was the aircraft of the American President. They would not miss this life-time chance, just as the Indians did not miss the chance to shake hands with him.

In all probability  the entire fleet of Pakistani fighter aircrafts must have been grounded as a pre-condition for President Clinton's arrival. No one could be sure at what moment the fighter crafts of the Pak Air Force could transform their role of defending the American craft into the role of shooting it down. No one could detect what was going on in the minds of the Pakistani pilots. Therefore, the grounding of the Pakistani fighters  must have been well monitored by satellites and radar on the accompanying American Air Force planes in order to ensure the President's security.

On arrival, President Clinton headed directly to meet President Tarar of Pakistan. In contrast to his demeanor in India -- smiling freely, talking freely, and freely exchanging ideas -- the mood of the American President was quite grim and unsmiling at Islamabad. Anybody with common sense could see the absence of warmth between the Americans and the Pakistanis . In the formal parleys, President Clinton made it plain to General Musharraf and his cabinet colleagues that it was vital for the progress of their nation for them to create conditions of direct dialogue with India, and that the United States had no intention of mediating the dispute between India and Pakistan. He also emphasized the need NOT to waste the precious resources of the Pakistani nation in an arms race with India, particularly in the development of nuclear weapons and missiles. President Clinton advised Pakistan to respect the line of control and discourage cross-border terrorism, which is the main source of tension between  India and Pakistan . His greatest emphasis was on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan and not to proceed against the life of the deposed PM Mr . Nawaz Sharif. The President knew that once democracy was restored in Pakistan, all else would fall into place. Therefore, he repeated his advice in a live telecast message directly to the people of Pakistan .

But all the President's well-intentioned advice seems to have fallen upon the totally deaf ears of the General, who was unable to give any time-table for  the restoration of the democratic institutions. At a press conference just following the departure of President Clinton, the General disclosed  that the President had asked him "to exercise restraint in the matter of 'Nawaz Sharif'" -- not "Miya Nawaz Sharif" nor "Nawaz Sharif Saheb," as if  "Nawaz Sharif" was either his child or a lower-class subordinate in his office, not the man who was still constitutionally the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Such were the utterances of the General, and such is his respect for democracy .

Judging from the TV interviews and comments from the Pakistani press, the general impression in Pakistan (particularly in the mind of the General's staff), appears to be that the United States has clearly sided with India in this dispute. It is most distressing for them to see the President of the United States mixing and even dancing with the Indians and paying his rich tributes to Indian democracy and leadership, as opposed to his lukewarm attitude towards their own country. It burnt their heart to the core . What they do not seem to realize is that they have already burnt down with their own hands the bridges of goodwill with India which were so painstakingly constructed by their own political leadership -- bridges that were built with the vision and wisdom that led to the high lands of the goodwill of the United States.

The Pakistanis need not appease the United States .She would automatically come to them in respect, as she did with India, provided  that they respected the democratic values that she respected . "Values:" that is the watch-word . Unless they understand this very basic thing, the odd events will keep turning and their hearts will keep burning.

Back to current installment of India Notebook

Perspectives on India, Installment 1: "Charans and Churchill"

President to Visit India

Preparations for President's Visit

Diplomatic Issues facing Clinton during visit

Clinton & Chelsea in Jaipur (w/photos)

The Afterglow

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