अंग्रेज़ी भाषा में यदि किसी एक शब्द ने कम से कम कालावधि में अपने शब्दार्थ एवं भावार्थ की सीमाओं को लांघा है तो वह है “वोक” ! “जागते-रहो” के लघबग़ पर्यायवाची इस शब्द के, चेताने से ले कर अपमानजानक ओर फिर एक हास्यास्पद संबोधन होने तक इसके भावार्थ का तीव्र रूपांतर हुआ है !

कहते हैं सत्रहवीं शतब्दी के अमेरिकी गृहयुद्ध के समय में “वोक” शब्द का पहला प्रयोग हुआ था ! अफ्रीकी-अमेरिकी समुदाय के सामान्य बोलचाल वाली शब्दावली में श्वेत वर्चस्ववादियों के खिलाफ चेताने के आव्हान के रूप में इस शब्द ने अपनी यात्रा शुरू की। तत्पश्चाहत जब ऊबे हुए, अति उत्साही, अस्तित्व से वंचित झूटी श्रेशतठा दर्शाने और ढुलमुल तेवर वाले वर्ग के लोग जब इस शब्द का आवश्यकता से अधिक प्रयोग करने लगे तब इस शब्द के भावार्थ का गांभीर्य कम होते हुए हल्का और हास्यास्पद हो गया। सामान्यतः यह शब्द अब एक कृत्रिम और निष्ठाहीन वर्ग के संदर्भ में प्रयोग किया जाता है। “वोक” अपनी पहचान बनाने और अपनी ओर ध्यान आकर्षित करने की चेष्टा में किसी भी संदर्भहीन आंदोलन या मुद्दे का सहारा लेने से नहीं चूकता। इस पाखंडी एवं ढोंगी आचरण के चलते वर्तमान काल में इस श्रेणी के लोगो को पाश्चात्य देशों मे गम्भीरता से नहीं लिया जाता और ‘वोक’ उपनाम अब एक अपमानजनक स्तर तक गिर गया। ब्रिटिश व्यंग्यकार एंड्रयू डॉयल ने तो अपनी 2019 की पुस्तक “वोक” में “टाइटेनिया मैकग्राथ”’ नामक मज़ाक़िया काल्पनिक चरित्र का निर्माण करते हुए पाश्चात्य “वोक” चरित्र को संस्थागत स्वरूप दे दिया है। “वोक” समुदाय के सतत आंदोलनरत रहने के स्वभाव के चलते वर्तमान में “वोक” शब्द कुटिल वामपंथ से भी जुड़ा गया है।

नस्लीय भेदभाव, कट्टर नारीवाद, एलजीबीटीक्यू समर्थन, जलवायु परिवर्तन, वन्यजीव संरक्षण इत्यादि मुद्दों पर चरम वामपंथी सक्रियतवाद में पाश्चात्य “वोक” की विशिष्ट रुचि रहती है। परंतु इन मुद्दों की गम्भीरता को दरकीनार करते हुए अथवा उनकी गहरायी को समझे बिना, या फिर उनके समाधान से हट कर “वोक” केवल अपना उल्लू सीधा करने के उद्येश से इनके समर्थन में खड़ा होता है। स्वयं पर लोगों का ध्यान कैसे आकर्षित किया जाए इसी पर वह केंद्रित होता है। एक अवधी के पश्चात अब लोग “वोक” के इस आडम्बर को भांप भी गए हैं जिसके चलते “वोक” व्यक्तियों को हल्के में लिया जाने लगा है। “वोक” समाज का उपहासास्पद आडम्बर उनके कार्यक्रमों में भी झलकता है। उदाहरण स्वरूप, सशत्र शांतिप्रिय विरोध, वैश्विक भुखमरी के सर्थन में प्रीतिभोज, नारी उत्पीड़न के वरोध में फ़ैशन शो, वन्य संरक्षण के लिये बोनफएर पार्टी इत्यादि जैसे हास्यास्पद विरोधाभास से इनके कार्यक्रम लिप्त होते हैं। चिड़चिड़ा स्वभाव, उत्पीड़न का भाव, सतत आंदोलनरत, विशेषाधिकार से परिपूर्ण होना “वोक” व्यक्तित्व की विशेषता है।

अपने मूल अस्तित्व का आभाव एवं अपनी ओर ध्यान आकर्षित करने की लालसा वोक संस्कृति का आधार हैं। इसमें आश्चर्य नहीं है कि व्यक्तित्व को अस्तिस्व से अधिक महत्व देने वाली पाश्चात्य सभ्यता ही “वोक” समाज की जननी है। अस्तित्व उभारने के लिए योग्यता, उत्कृष्टता और कठिन परिश्रम सर्वोपरि है परंतु व्यक्तिव उभारने के लिए ध्यान आकर्षण करने मात्र से काम बन सकता है। इसी के चलते औसत बुद्दिमत्ता के लोगों को ध्यान आकर्षण की होड़ में वोक सक्रियता सुविधाजनक विकल्प प्रदान करती है। नियम सरल हैं। आप दिखने में जीतने अजीब होंगे, आपकी तरफ उतनी ही आँखें उठेंगी। महिलाओं की वेशभूषा में पुरुष, समलैंगिगता, नग्न आंदोलन, कट्टरपंति व्यवहार, निरर्थक सत्ता प्रतिष्ठान का विरोध इत्यादि ध्यान आकर्षित करने वाले ‘वोक’ कृत्यों और व्यवहार के उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण हैं।

पश्चिम में अब ‘वोकवाद’ उल्लेखनीय रूप से मुख्यधारा में संभागित हो गया है। विशेष रूप से उन युवाओं में जो अपने भ्रमित और प्रभावित हो जाने की उम्र में हैं। यह एक बड़ी आबादी है। उद्यमों और वामपंथी राजनेताओं ने उनमें एक श्रोता वर्ग ढूंढ लिया है। वैश्विक ब्रांड ग्राहकों की खोज में नियमित रूप से वोक मुद्दों के साथ जुड़ते हैं और वामपंथी राजनेता अपने कार्यसिद्धि के लिए वोकवादीययों में इच्छुक अराजकतावादी पा जाते हैं। और यह दोनो ही पसचिम में वोकवाद के चक्र को आगे बढ़ाते चले जाते हैं।

वैसे तो एशियाई संस्कृति से ‘वोकवाद’ अनजान है, पर इसके बीज यहाँ भी अंकुरित होने लगे हैं। भारत का अपना एक “वोकिस्तान” है। आम तौर पर,  महानगरों में विशेषाधिकार प्राप्त कुलीन अंग्रेज़ विचारधारा वाले, विशेष रूप से युवा, जिन्हें मेट्रोपप्पू भी कह सकते हैं, भारतीय वोकिस्तान को गठित करता है। इसमें आश्चर्य नहीं है क्योंकि सामान्यतः इसी वर्ग के युवा अमेरिकी वोक-विश्वविद्यालयों में, जो कि वैश्विचक “वोक” संस्कृति के अंकुरण का उपजाऊ खेत है, अपनी शिक्षा प्राप्त करते है ओर अपने मस्तिष्क को “वोक संस्कृति” के चरणो में समर्पित करते है। भारत लौटने पर और भारत में रहते हुए भी सांस्कृतिक स्वरूप में यह वर्ग एक पाश्चात्य बुलबुले में ही जीता है। भारत की तपती धूप और धूल भरे पठारों पर जहां सामान्य वर्ग का भारतीय कड़ी मेहनत करता है, प्रतिस्पर्धा करता है और सफल होता है उस वातावरण में भारत का यह वोकिस्तान अपने आप को असमर्थ पाता है और इसलिए अपने लिए वोकिस्तान का आसान विकल्प चुन लेता है।

भारतीय वोकिस्तान को पहचानना आसान है। आम तौर पर, विरोध प्रदर्शन, कैंडललाइट मार्च, कॉमेडी क्लब आदि में इन्हें पाया जाता है। निजी स्वरूप में ये वर्ग शहर के अभिजात क्लबों, साहित्य उत्सवों, कला उत्सवों आदि मे दिखते हैं। पहचानने के लिए पैनी नजर चाहिए बस । सोशल मीडिया प्रोफाइल कुछ सुराग दे सकता है। इनके संगीत, भोजन, किताबें, छुट्टियां, शौक, भाषा, शिक्षा, पॉप आइकन, आदतें सभी आमतौर पर पश्चिमी होते हैं। आचरण में विरोधाभास यहाँ भी खूब दिख़ेगा। स्टैच्यू ऑफ लिबर्टी के साथ सेल्फी; अच्छा है, स्टैच्यू ऑफ यूनिटी के साथ; नहीं। स्पेन में पैम्प्लोना का खेल रोमांचक है, तमिलनाडु का जल्लीकट्टू नहीं। मैकियावेली होशियार हैं, चाणक्य नहीं। वाशिंगटन का नेशनल मॉल शानदार है, दिल्ली का कर्तव्य पथ नहीं। हैलोवीन के लिए हां है तो होली ना है। मूलतः वोकिस्तान के लिए भारत, भरतीय एवं भारतीयता लो-क्लास और हीन है। क्योंकि इसी से वे अपने आप को दूसरों से ऊपर होने की भावना जागृत कर पाते हैं अथवा उनके अस्तित्व की आधारशिला बना हुआ पाश्चात्य सामाजिक – सांस्कृतिक बुलबुले के फूटने का ख़तरा होता है।

वोकिस्तान पासपोर्ट के प्राप्ति के लिए एक स्पॉन्सर्ड या प्रायोजित जीविका मददगार साबित होती है। आप यदि रोज़गार कमाने में व्यस्त हैं तो शायद वोकिस्तान आपके लिए नहीं है। ख़ानदानी रईस हैं तो फ़ायदे मे रहेंगे परंतु किसी भी प्रकार की प्रायोजित जीवनशैली जैसे सरकारी सब्सिडी, छात्रवृत्ति, मुफ्त छात्रावास, एनजीओ अनुदान आदि आपको पास्पोर्ट दिलाने में मदद दे कर सकते हैं। और यदि आप अपने प्रायोजित अस्तित्व के एवज़ में विनम्रता तो दूर बल्कि घमंड से उसे अपना विशेषाधिकार समझते हैं तो आप पास्पोर्ट के सही हक़दार है। आपके सामान्य ज्ञान की सीमा इंस्टा रील्स, यूट्यूब शॉर्ट्स और अख़बार के पेज-थ्री तक सीमित हो तो और भी खूब! विदेश में छुट्टियां, खास अन्दाज़ में अंग्रेजी उच्चारण, डिजाइनर अध्यात्मवाद, विदेशी मदिरा आदि का आपको शौक़ होना चाहिए या कम से कम इन सब का दिखावा करने के क्षमता तो होनी ही चाहिए। भारत का सामाजिक या सांस्कृतिक ज्ञान ना होना भी “वोकिस्तान” की शुरुआती योग्यता है। आजकल अपने नाम से पहले लैंगिक उपनाम जैसे he-his-her लगाने का भी वोकिस्तान में एक प्रचलन है।

फ्लैश कैंडललाइट विरोध और टी20 धरना वोकिस्तान के पसंदीदा आंदोलन हैं। नियमित रूप से इन में भाग लेने से इन्हें अब एक उपाधि भी मिल चुकी है – आंदोलनजीवी ! जनोपयोगी परियोजनाओं और सामान्य जनमानस को उपयोगी नगरीक सेवाओं के विरोध के आंदोलनो में इनकी ख़ास रुचि रहती है। इन विरोध प्रदर्शनों मे वोकिस्तानियों की संख्या कोई मायने नहीं रखती। अपने उपद्रव से दूसरों को परेशानी होनी चाहिए बस यही मायने रखता है। आंदोलन के मुद्दे का संज्ञान होने की भी आवश्यकता नहीं है। सच कहें तो, वोकिस्तान में बुद्धिमत्ता को कोई वरीयता प्राप्त नहीं है अपितु बेवकूफी और बेहूदा आचरण उन्हें अधिक ध्यान आकर्षण की गारंटी देता है। राजनीतिक रैलियों के लिए ट्रैक्टर-ट्रेलरों में लायी गइ ग्रामीण भीड़ के साथ इसकी तुलना की जा सकती है। लेकिन एक अंतर है। वोकिस्तानी को आंदोलन की जागरूकता कम होती है।  वह खुद के वाहन की व्यवस्था करता है, सर्वश्रेष्ठ डिजाइनअर कपड़े पहनता है और शैंपेन ब्रंच और शाम के कॉकटेल के बीच की ऊबा देने वाली शून्यता को भरने के लिए विरोध प्रदर्शन में अपने सुविधानुसार भाग लेता है। आंदोलन में कपड़े भी मायने रखते हैं। समलैंगिक पोशाक, एथनिक पहनावा या फिर फ़ंकी फ़ैशन का आप प्रयोग कर सकते हैं।

पाश्चात्य “वोक” सभ्यता पर निकट भूतकाल में काले बादल मंडराते प्रतीत होते हैं ! सामन्य जनमानस अब उनके प्रति सहिष्णु नहीं दीखता। अपितु “वोकवाद” एवं चरम वोक कृत्य जैसे “न्यूडिस्ट-मार्च” और “पीपल हैव पीरियड्स” जैसे आंदोलनो के प्रति एक घृणात्मक प्रतिक्रिया होती दीखती है। भारतीय वोकिस्तान के प्रति भी एक अससंतोष की भावना प्रतीत होती है जिसके जनआक्रोश में बदलने की सम्भावना है। मेहनतकश सामान्य भारतीय नगरीक इन वोकवदियो के हथकंडो से ऊब गया लगता है ! समय आ गया है कि वोकिस्तान भी अपनी ऊटपटाँग हास्यास्पद हरकतों सा बाज आए और अपने प्रति उठती नकारतमक भावना के प्रति जागृत हो जाए !

जागो वोकिस्तान…… अब भोर भई

From pious to pejorative to ridicule, if there is one word that has traversed etymological frontiers in a short span then it is Woke & Wokeism. Rumored to be born amidst throes of American Civil War, this word from colloquial African American lexicon began its journey as a caution call by earnest vigilantes against white supremacists. Thereafter, as primitive vigilantism bifurcated into modern serious activism and flippant posturing it is to the practitioners of latter that the term Woke stuck. Bored, privileged, overzealous, identity seeking activists fell into this flippant posturing class more interested in gaining visibility by identifying with a cause, any cause, than being conscientiously concerned about it. This hypocrisy and non-seriousness did not go unnoticed and in time the moniker Woke degenerated to a level of being lampooned. Titania McGrath, the hilarious fictional character created by British satirist Andrew Doyle in his 2019 book “Woke” has institutionalized Western Woke caricature. Of late Wokeism  has even found association with the sinister left.

Extreme left pseudo-activism in the name of blacks, LGBTQ, radical feminism, climate, race, wildlife, or any issue that helps carve an intersectional identity characterizes the Western Woke culture or Wokeism. Their ecosystem is epitomized by hilariously confounding contrasts. Cheese and champagne events for world hunger, armed peaceful protests, environmentalists supported by plastic spewing corporations, cola corporations promoting health, private jets for climate conclaves, fund raising barbeque in aid of wildlife preservation are only few examples. Perpetual victim hood and persecutory delusion characterize the woke personality. Edgy, permanently agitating, self-righteous, virtue signaling is a behavioral pattern.

Identity crisis and attention seeking are cornerstones of Woke culture. Not surprising since it emanates from a society that puts premium on personality over individuality.  Merit and excellence are arduous pursuits to stand out in a hypercompetitive society. Woke activism offers convenient alternative for the mediocre. Rules are simple. More the weird more in your face, more the eyeballs. Cross dressing, gender pronouns, illogical anti-establishment, unisex toilets, naked protests, gender activism, hyper-ventilating over patriarchy, radical feminism are classic examples of eyeball garnering woke acts & behavior.

Significant mainstreaming of woke culture has happened in the West. Especially amongst youth in their confused & influenceable years making it a sizeable population. Enterprises and Left politicians have found in them a gullible audience. Leading global brands routinely align with Woke causes and Left politics finds in them a willing anarchist fueling the Wokeism cycle.

While Wokeism is alien to Asian culture, green shoots have sprouted. India has its own “Wokistan”. Generally, the privileged elite anglosphere in metros, especially the youth, the Metropappu, largely constitute India’s Wokistan. Not surprising since many in this segment have incubated their minds in the global petri-dish of Woke culture, the US Wokeversity. This class lives in a culturally incongruent bubble, unable to compete in the dusty plains where Bharat toils, competes and succeeds.

Wokistan spotting is easy. Public sightings are generally at flash protests, candlelight marches, comedy clubs etc. Private preserves are elite clubs, lit fests, art festivals etc. For solo sightings a keen eye is required. Social media profile can offer a clue. Their music, food, books, holidays, hobbies, language, education, pop icons, habits are usually all Western.

Confounding contrasts remain a common strain even in Wokistan. Selfie with Statue of Liberty is hep, Statue of Unity is not. Pamplona is exciting, Jallikattu is not. Machiavelli is smart, Chanakya is not. National Mall is brilliant, Kartavya Path is not. Halloween is yes, Holi is not. For Wokistan India basically sucks. Because if it doesn’t then it puts Wokistan in an existential crisis. It puts their socio-culturally incongruent bubble at risk.

To be a card-carrying member of Wokistan, a Wokistani, one must be living a fully funded existence. Being busy earning ones keep can be a disadvantage. Born into privilege helps but government subsidy, university scholarship, free hostel accommodation, NGO grant basically any kind of funded existence, with an overbearing sense of entitlement puts you in pole position. Insta Reels and Page Three must be your holy grail for news and information. Luxury holidays, accented speech, designer spiritualism, exotic wines must be your pastime. Even if not in reality you must at least put up a manageable pretense. Socio Cultural ignorance about India is of course base level qualification and a pronoun before your name is a visible passport.

Flash candlelight protests and T20 dharanas are a Wokistans favorite watering holes. Regular attendees even have a name now. Andolanjeeevis! Protests on issues that obstruct mass public utility projects & citizens’ rights rank on top. Numbers don’t matter at these protests. Inconveniencing others and creating nuisance does. Being educated about the cause is also not a requirement. In fact, there is little premium for intellect in Wokistan. Dumb & disingenuous utterances guarantee extra eyeballs. One could draw a parallel with crowds that are huddled into tractor trailers for political rallies. But there is a difference. A Wokistani is less aware, organizes own transport, dresses up in best designers and picks a convenient time to attend the protest to fill that boring void between champagne brunch and evening cocktail. Outward appearance also matters. Cross dressing is reserved for the core group, ethnics are for pseudo intellectual Wokistanis and funky careless with bling and a fashionably unkempt look works for the celebrity Wokistani.

Education – Our Broken Intellectual Infrastructure Time to envision “OUR” own

Wokeism in West has however tipped over. There is general disgust all round. Amused bystanders are no longer tolerant. There is a reactionary push back. Of late a rather severe one even. Hopefully Wokistan takes a cue. Disgust seems to be mounting even in India. Bewildered masses no longer identify with antics of the privileged. Besides the Woke movement is after all an alien import. Extreme Woke acts like “Nudist- march” & “people have periods” are eschewed even by hardened Wokistanis. Cornerstones of Woke culture, attention seeking and identity crisis, do not go with our ethos in any case. Heck, those who wrote the Veda’s or built the Ellora temple didn’t bother to even put their names against their creation!

Its time Wokistan realizes that reaction is not far even in India. Besides what’s the point in being painted as a ludicrous lampoon!

“California Orange” to “Nagpur Orange” Our disgraceful self-flagellating habit

Good Morning Wokistan …. It’s time to wake-up … else India will pass you by!

Are We Blunting Our Children’s “India Advantage”

Dollarization & The plummeting rupee, a cause or an effect?

India’s Global Trade

Much is being discussed and indeed much has also been written about the spiraling downward trend of the rupee against the dollar. But lets spare a moment to ponder whether the recent phenomenon concerning the rupee is going to be the cause for some unforeseen future impact on our economy or whether it is itself an effect of some events and actions that have occurred in past? Or perhaps both?

Or whether the root of the phenomenon can be traced to some amorphous, unexplained and uncontrollable aspects, conveniently clubbed with a helpless shrug by our government and termed as “global uncertainties” or whether they are indeed embedded in putatively isolated economic and financial policies of the government? Or perhaps both?

Or whether the down spiraling rupee is going to spell doomsday for our economy or whether it is in fact a signal of grave portent for its significant other, the US Dollar? Or perhaps both?

Answers are many and perceptions are diverse. References to CAD, decreasing capital account inflows, depleting reserves, BOP crises precipitated by a surging oil bill, increased gold imports are all real yet obvious and oft repeated and therefore tend to appear cliched. Moreover they point at the impacts of the devalued rupee and not towards its real cause. For that another question needs an answer

Who says we need  dollarization ?

It is obvious that the run on the rupee and a sudden surge in demand for the dollar has resulted in this spectacular depreciation of the rupee. But the real question is not why the sudden surge for the dollar, or not even, why do we need to exchange the rupee for the dollar, but the real question is, who says we need the dollar? Confronting this question is an economic and geopolitical imperative for India

The geopolitical strength of a country is reflected in the strength of that country’s currency.  Beginning with the industrial revolution in the mid 18th century, Britain established its unquestioned hegemony over the world and its currency, the pound sterling emerged as the preferred trading currency of the world. Similarly in the post war world order the United States emerged as the single most powerful nation and by incidence, its currency, the dollar, became the currency of choice for world trade

The formal coronation though of the dollar as the primary trading currency of the modern world was done in 1944 through the now famous Bretton Woods system where the United States promised to back its currency with solid gold. Specifically, an ounce of real gold in exchange for every 35 US dollars for anyone who wanted to redeem them

This promise was readily accepted by the representative countries (44 in number, including pre independence India represented by CD Deshmukh) partly because together they constituted the allied forces amongst whom the United States anyways exercised considerable clout but also because it was commonly believed that the United States had the largest official gold reserves in the world.  This belief was indeed close to fact because significant gold deposits discovered in California in the mid 19th Century coupled with the gold deposits that it received from others for wartime safekeeping not to mention the spoils of war in the form gold indeed made the United States gold reserves significantly large 

As trade progressed and more countries started participating in global commerce the demand for the anointed trading currency, the dollar, increased manifold. The world started demanding the dollar and the United States started obliging by supplying it with dollars

A few other events resulted in significant increase of the supply of dollars during this time. The United States took upon itself to fund the reconstruction of a bombed and battered Europe by supplying dollars to European nations under the Marshall plan. Significant amount of dollars were additionally supplied domestically to fund the Great Society Programs initiated by President Johnson which included expansive (and expensive) projects concerning healthcare, urban development, transportation etc. And the Vietnam war which consumed another huge supply of dollars for equipment and ammunition

While there was no physical constraint for the United States in supplying the world with any amount of paper dollars, there surely was that little problem of backing every 35 dollars with an ounce of real gold. There simply wasn’t enough gold to continue the promise of redeeming dollars for gold. If the dollars indeed came back for redemption it would spell doomsday for the US with a capital “D”. Anticipating this, in 1971 the then US President Nixon emergently and unilaterally announced to the world that the United States will suspend the convertibility of dollars to gold, famously called the Nixon shock

Normally reneging on such a promise should have impacted the confidence of world community and reduce its demand for the dollar and begin the search for an alternative trading currency. But events occurred which once against established that geopolitical supremacy of a country ensures the trading supremacy of that country’s currency

Around the same time of the Nixon shock, the United States structured one of its most significant and spectacular trade arrangement with Saudi Arabia, a country that had the most proven reserves of oil, a commodity for which the world was working up a voracious appetite. Under this arrangement (which had obvious dimensions of ideology, politics, religion) the Saudi’s agreed that the sole currency for trading in their oil would be the US dollar. From that year if any country had to buy oil it had to do so by paying the Saudis, and soon the other OPEC countries in US dollars

So the world readily swallowed and quickly forgot the reneged promise of the yellow gold and switched to accept the promise of the supply of the desperately needed black gold for the same US dollar. And the demand for dollar continued

The world and India realigned its trading strategy and put its agriculture, industry and services to work with a singular objective to earn the dollar from the United Sates to pay for its fuel to major oil producers

So in 1944 forty four countries agreed that the world needs the dollar and in 1970’s two countries decided that the world keep needing the dollar

But can India ignore the dollar?

The answer at least partially lies in a rhetorical question, does India have the spine to ignore the dollar? Ignoring the dollar or even attempting to chart a course out of the dollar quicksand requires a strong political will, exemplary geopolitical courage, short term economic sacrifices by the rich and a complete realignment of our sectoral priorities. Comfortably ensconced in its “soft state” image and the personal interest of the high and mighty linked to dollar denominated assets it looks unlikely that we can ignore the dollar at least in the near future

At this point all sectors of the Indian economy are working hard to produce cheap goods and services to earn every dollar that it can lay its hands on to pay for its fuel. The rising dollar is conspiring to turn India into the worlds dollar store. In fact with every basis point fall in the rupee against the dollar, India works that much harder to provide cheaper goods and services to the world. With an open economy, the spiraling rupee ensures that a level playing field is difficult even in own country. Simply put, at current exchange rate, Indians and Indian companies have to work work 68 time harder than their counterparts who earn in dollars to get similar returns ! How can we possibly correct this anomaly?

Does the answer lie in economics or geopolitics?

Is there light at the end of the dark dollar tunnel? Can at least attempts be made to shake ourselves free from the clutches of the dollar?

Tweaking interest rates, suggesting ludicrous bans and rationing, reducing money supply are all short term economic and fiscal solutions which are merely tactical. These are reactive and cannot prevent a long term tailspin of the economy. Let the economist spew out any jargon but the real panacea is in a geopolitical solution that is more strategic and proactive and has both short term and long term dimensions

To prove this point lets just look at three areas (and there are many more) that drive rupees relationship with the dollar because of the demand of the latter.  All three are concerned with broadly two questions, what are the commodities that we trade?  and secondly, who do we trade with?

Oil and Gas

A whopping 37% of our trade in value terms is dedicated towards buying this commodity. Rather than suggesting ludicrous bans on petrol pump timings what stops us from structuring slightly more robust solutions like non dollar denominated trade deals. Why does it take a currency emergency for our government to look at non dollar denominated sources like Iran. Why couldn’t we have done it anyways. And its not as if others dont do it. Russia and China have a dollar independent deal. So do many others. And why are both the foreign minister and the petroleum minster so apologetic and almost hushed when talking of restructured deal with Iran. Surely our domestic economy can not be subservient to someone else’ foreign policy? Restructuring a currency deal is also a relatively short term solution compared to unrealistic austerity measures and becoming energy secure on which our policy makers routinely pontificate  And then there are long term measures like investing in public transport infrastructure and developing alternative energy resources and laying transcontinental gas pipelines. What has the government been doing for a decade or for that matter for the last 60 years?

Gold and Precious Metals

Another 17%. But is the solution in banning people from buying gold? We all know it.  People buy gold when the confidence in every other asset class is shaken. So will banning gold imports magically improve the confidence of people in other asset classes. On the contrary, It may just give a fillip to the parallel economy

Or will merely requesting temples and lay public to pledge their gold result in them opening their vault doors? Lets face it, people pledge gold only when they have the confidence of getting it back. People may even pledge gold for a compelling emotional national cause. In absence of both it seems unlikely that people will look favorably at buying gold bonds for something that they do not understand. Besides, even the poorest farmer in India knows not not to pledge his dwelling to feed his bullocks. Pledging your safest long term asset for a recurring revenue expenditure makes no sense

Unless the government comes up with creative solutions. Like issuing gold bonds for localized and specific infrastructure projects or facilitating easy mobility of gold in capital markets. But the former requires accountability and the latter credibility both traits woefully short supply with our policymakers

Creative short term solutions and visionary long term strategies concerning just two of the top categories may just start the process of India moving away from the dollar trap

Our trading partners?

Why can’t non dollar denominated bilateral trade deals be structured with some of our leading trade partners? China alone accounts for a significant share of bilateral trade (USD 66 Billion). Currently this bilateral trade is tipped in favor of China. We import three times as much as we export to China. And we pay for these in US dollars. Why cant we trade in rupee or renminbi. We hear that the Chinese dont trust the rupee and they dont issue renminbi freely to the world. Why cant both the countries agree and back it up by bilateral guarantees? The Indian people would have been more excited to hear developments in this regard from the recent visit of our foreign minister instead of his appreciation for Beijing and his longing to live there !

Once again Geopolitics comes to the fore. Surely structuring a rupee renminbi deal is a possible short term solution for the spiraling rupee compared to waiting for protracted border disputes to get resolved. Or is it that the India China mutual mistrust story is a well orchestrated military bogey by the world that prevents both form getting together economically? But if we have ourselves made our domestic economic policies subservient to the external foreign policies who are the Chinese to bail us out

Sure we can do precious little about our other large trading partners like the US, Saudi, Iraq ( not anymore) & UAE. But an effort with China is worth a try even if it means shaking up the global equations

Lets please start looking inward

Its high time our foreign policy, our economic policy and our energy policy synchronized to serve us rather than be subservient to someone else’s foreign policies

And whats in store for the future of rupee dollar exchange rate?

Lets face it, the rupee plays no role in the exchange dynamics. It gets kicked around helplessly. So do we behave as curious bystanders and live from day to day and run around like headless chickens or do we take charge and intervene? Obviously the latter. But then steps involved in taking charge do not lie in the domain of economic and fiscal measures alone. Its more in geopolitics and our ability take charge of our own political destiny. In any case most of our economic and fiscal policymakers of recent years owe their education and professional emergence to the west. Will they then be able to take on system that made them and make it work in favor of India? Only time will tell

Honestly, being a democracy the only indication, that India has finally gathered the courage to take significant geopolitical steps in favor of our rupee, our economy, will come from within politics. Till then lets get ready for the rupee to be tossed around between 60 – 70 like a twig in a turbulent stream with economists, bankers and intelligentsia shouting suggestions from the river bank but never jumping in to rescue it

And what happens to the dollar?

Well, there is a school of thought that not too far in the future the world, leave alone India will go short on the dollar. Does not the Big Mac index say most currencies are significantly devalued against the dollar. The rupee in fact is said to be pegged in the 30’s!  But I do not want to take on academics and economist on this serious topic. At least not now. I mention it merely to end the article in a lighter vein. But clearly the race is on, between the world going short on dollar and the dollar searching for new ways to keep the world hooked. Lets leave that for another article…..

Language, specifically Bridge Language issue has been a recurring irritant in India since independence, and its days are perhaps even numbered. But re-occurrence of language politics as a burning issue compels one to wonder whether the issue is about language itself or a deliberate attempt to foment dissent and divide.

Language for “Conducting Business of the State” and language for “Conducting Social Exchange Between People” are different topics. Former is a functional necessity of a state while the latter is about a tool for social exchange.

Our society has been a melting pot of languages serving us in culture and practice and there is no evidence of language being a cause of social conflict ever. People have traveled for study and trade forever. Great personalities like Adi Sankara and others equally peripatetic have crisscrossed this land and comprehension for them was never a problem. Perhaps Sanskrit helped. But that apart it is unheard that two people fight just because they speak a different language. Their social exchange may include discomfort, bemusement, gestures, laughter at worst exasperation. But never a fight.

Language politics on the other hand is almost always in context of “Conducting Business of The State” and is more often political posturing than about language itself. Unlike medieval or colonial times, when governance could be either in the realm of oral instructions or via autocratic decree of colonial elite, a modern democratic state cannot afford distance between the governing and those governed. Communication is the bridge that allows a state to convey its business of legislation, governance, and administration to its citizens and one way to obstruct a state from conducting its normal business is to attack that bridge.

The issue of language for conducting business has been extensively debated and settled by the constituent assembly in 1949 while discussing articles 343 to 351. The Official Languages Act 1963 doesn’t mention a “national language” but states that the Indian Union will conduct its business at center and in its states through a designated set of “official languages” as per provisos listed therein. Eighth schedule lists out twenty-two such languages. But even before the act was implemented the States Reorganization Act 1956 had laid the ground to create linguistic states. Jury is still out whether that was good idea at inception is indeed the root cause of all language politics problems.

Intermittent flareups primarily happen because of erroneous cross referencing of “official language” with “national language” by some and not always with innocuous intent. The confusion helps them transition a purely functional matter into a potent emotional issue which is good fodder even to serve nonlinguistic political pursuits. This perhaps is the reason for reoccurrence of language politics at coincidentally opportune electoral times.

Arriving at a standardized communication protocol is no mean task. World of technology offers a microcosmic example. For seventy-five years programming languages have been on an evolutionary hyperdrive working toward digital convergence. But had a bunch of FORTRAN programmers picketed against those attempting COBOL who in turn had led an agitation against the “C” guys who then took to the street against the JAVASCRIPT and PYTHON chappies and we would be staring at a “Digital Apocalypse”! Thankfully none of the kind happened.

Similarly, if precipitating governance apocalypse is not the intention, then language for conducting business of the state needs intelligent deliberation. There is no way a billion people will ever comprehend one single language. Even within regions different languages are not comprehended by everyone. Even English, the colonial remnant is spoken and understood by less than ten percent of our population.

What language should then the government use? We are not an autocracy like China that has a non-negotiable mandate to use Mandarin as its official language. Democracy has obvious shackles.

What that language should not be is a luxury of opinion and everyone in Bollywood and TikTok is entitled to one. But what it should be is subjected to tyranny of thought. While an ideal solution is impossible, it is the intent behind facilitating communication that should be put to scrutiny. If the governments intent is honest then extreme patience, respect, zero confrontation and zero imposition should be exercised by all without giving any room to those searching for an opportunity to ratchet emotions.

In any case for those who have invested political capital in language politics, disruption is around the corner. Technology and an increasingly converging world will soon render the language debate a non-issue.

Language translation is a thrust area for most tech majors. Much work is happening in Text to Speech (T2S), Speech to Speech (S2S) domains. IBM Mastor, Google Translate, Microsoft Translator and open-source technologies like Moses are at various stages of development. Encoder-decoder modules in multiple language permutations are being rapidly tested assisted by AI & ML. Before we know it, useful applications will aid the state. Government in-fact should proactively encourage innovations and technopreneurs in this domain.

While language for conducting business of the state will be aided by technology, language for social exchange will continue to evolve as it always has. To suit functional needs of a society.

Because at its core language is first about functionality. Early humans communicated with gestures and grunts. But gestures are useful only at a physical level. Indicating hunger or pointing out direction is easy. Gestures may even work partially for conveying emotions. Like a hug when in love or a slap when angry. But gestures have limitations when it comes to intellect, a domain of infinite thoughts and ideas which when exchanged make up society. And this exchange needs a standardized functional code which is language. Emotion gets entangled later, but language keeps evolving to address a societies functional needs.

And evolution is continuous, unidirectional, and organic. Society as we know today, and some languages can be traced back to barely five hundred generations. An insignificant blip in the planet’s evolutionary timeline. Just in this period many languages have emerged, merged, morphed, extinguished, and survived. Cuneiform, Sanskrit, Tamil, Aramaic, Norse, Avestan, Latin, Greek, Slav, Sinitic, Mesoamerican and Afroasiatic languages all have gone through their evolutionary journey. Even in postmodern context languages like Flemish, Catalan, Guarani, or Quechua all are organically assimilating towards functionality. UNESCO estimates 230 languages went extinct between 1950 & 2010. So while we must nurture, enrich and care for our languages while in use, we must be accepting of their evolutionary objective to bridge humanity.

The holy VIP In the land of nirvana

And those aiming at the bridge should perhaps consider that language is only one element of our composite culture. It is one structural element of a complex cultural bridge that makes up our society that has evolved over time. Language row may be a ripple of adjustment in that evolutionary process, but unlikely if it will impact the superstructure that is the bridge.

Battle Of The Fringe

To create an enduring legacy beyond one’s own lifetime is an emotion nurtured by most entrepreneurs and business owners, and they would have a better chance at creating that legacy if the two phrases, succession planning and inheritance planning are used with dispassionate clarity. For there is a world of difference between the two. Succession planning is about business continuity whereas inheritance planning is about fulfilling a tradition driven filial contract. But when it is time to hang those boots and find a successor, there is a tendency amongst most to knowingly or even unconsciously use these terms interchangeably. What is termed as a succession planning exercise is in reality inheritance planning.

Ownership and management are distinct and modern business and mercantile law allows for their clear separation. Yet, few can overcome the force of tradition to practice it. On-boarding next of kin in key operating roles with a clearly scripted road map to corner office is an accepted convention. This trait is largely universal in both MNC’s or SME’s whether in tradition bound Europe or in Chaebols, Zaibatsu’ and Indian business across Asia.

What is the reason that most business owners are unable to separate business continuity from a filial contract? Why can’t the successor be a professional manager and not family? One could argue that the system of a board construct and position of CEO is designed precisely to address this. But in reality, the Managing Director or the person calling the shots is in all likelihood from within family.

But before we go further, let me put to rest for those who have picked a contrarian thread at this stage. It’s not all black or white but about grays in such matters. By no means it is suggested that an inheritor from within family cannot be an efficient business successor. Of course, they can be. And in fact, many are. But professional managers do get blindsided in favor of family during a succession planning exercise. There are examples to the contrary though, where professional managers are the chosen successors and are in charge un-encumbered. Tatas, Infosys and L&T are good examples of such. Yet, as a norm, most succession planning endeavors end up choosing family over a professional manager.

The reason for reticence in separating ownership from management is perhaps because it is a leap of faith after all. Handing over reigns to next in family is a social tradition that is rooted in medieval ancestry. Dynasties ruled by divine order and crown passed from father to son. Though in an Indic context, Arthshastra does not subscribe to this filial view and has clear and practical statutes on governance and inheritance, but that is for another article.

Modern business allows the entrepreneur to take that leap of faith. There are well defined structures from trusts to managing agencies to facilitate the separation. American corporations have been successful to a large extent in keeping ownership and management distinct. Perhaps because the New World is not burdened by tradition. Then there are some good examples in Europe. Asians; Koreans, Japanese and Indians seem to struggle with it though.

A reason for this could be that institutional capital, leverage and structuring is a recent phenomenon, and business’ in these traditional regions have relied on family silver and that’s why the tendency to keep it all within the family. Control is a powerful emotion stemming from this tendency which is also perhaps the reason why even publicly listed Indian corporations have a relatively less free float compared to their peers elsewhere.

In a modern free market enterprise, family silver can be separate from company silver and both can turn to gold. But for that ownership and management must be considered exclusive of each other. Even if company stock is willed to the next of kin as inheritance, it may pay to expand search for a worthy business successor outside family and include professional managers. One could of course luck out if the search loops back to within the family, but a sincere attempt at a broad basing the exercise can yield attractive returns.

“Skin in the game” is an argument put across in favor of keeping it all in the family. That ownership stimulates operating interest. While this may be true in case of first-generation inspired pioneers it may not hold true for their next gen. And why should it? Afterall each is motivated differently, and destiny may have a different plan for them. Perhaps to be a world-renowned musician or a scientist or even a deep-sea conservator. On the other hand, managing a business may motivate a professional manager which could be his skin in the game. Motivation is after all complex and people can be motivated by aspects other than just stock.

MAKING INDIA A HIGHER EDUCATION EXPORTER

In the end, by keeping ownership separate from management, a business owner can in fact double his chances at legacy. A business legacy through an efficient professional manager and a personal legacy through an accomplished next gen in an occupation of their choice and the entrepreneur can be proud of nurturing both. That would be doubling the odds in favor of legacy.

Thank you for reading.