Transformation of India’s Heroes and Role Models
Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai and other scientific managers of newly Independent India made their mark not just by their individual achievements but the force of their personalities! They were fair skinned, eloquent in English and were educated abroad. They were the new Raj! They had the gravitas! They could speak to the Prime Ministers and navigate the bureaucracy with confidence and authority. For an unassuming middle class scientist of the time whatever be the talents this wouldn’t have been possible. The transition came with Abdul Kalam and the crop that followed. Most new leaders from then on are graduates of state colleges. Not many from IITs (Most went abroad or went on to sell soaps. I know it sounds rather harsh). At the best they would have pursued Masters or a PhD from IITs after they have joined the establishments. In case of ISRO it is mostly South Indian and in a majority Tamil or Malayali (It is just an observation and no judgment!). These are men and women of the soil who came up the ranks. Their middle class ethos is the backbone of these institutions. The language skills are modest and they led by example rather by the force of their personality. How endearing the Director of ISRO broke down like a child when Chandranyan-2 couldn’t make a soft landing! The women engineers in sarees and gentle manners are personifications of tradition and modernity. The heroes of modern India! The role models!
Similar transformation happened in other walks of life too. The first that comes to my mind are the IAS/IPS. The elite classes dominated the services. Even in miserably hot weather they wore suits and dark glasses. The “billa bantrothu” fancy dressed orderly/assistant in tow they were the new Raj. Of late you see the very corps of officers and they look like normal guys, very middle class and very aspirational! The break from the Ivory Towers is very conspicuous!
The officer corps of defense forces during independence and the ensuing years were from the elite sections of the society. There were officers from the princely families to the ultra rich Parsis mixed with supposed warrior castes (Coorgis/Rajput/Punjabi etc.) They were the representatives of the new Raj. Many years back India Today carried an article on the changing faces of Military Officers. Now it is dominated by Jats, Marathas and other hinterland people. The chick English and Hindi which was the lingua franca of the Armed force officers is no longer the case. It is predominantly Hindi. I am certain that there won’t be another Maneksha in the Armed Forces in future! I even doubt if there would be any Parsi (or a descendant of guardians of a princely state) at all in the whole of the current armed forces.
Looking at the board of Tata Sons and other business houses the transition to the home grown middle class leaders is remarkable.
Democratization is a positive sign! Though incremental in India’s case it shows progress. Middle class is the backbone for any modern nation. Their vibrancy leads the way! It is no longer the remnants of Raj’s elite that drives India. It is the normal folks! We are a nation yearning for heroes. It need not necessarily be an entertainer from the silver screen or from a cricket pitch. The boy or a girl from any corner of the nation can aspire to be that hero! We have miles to go before we sleep and the grandeur the dreams of the middle class are, the better would be the state of the nation!