What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
I cannot recollect who wrote this couplet. But in today’s frenzied world, it does make one pause and think. Why this desperate craze for speed to beat time? No one can annihilate time — it is a cosmic, deceptive and no-receding reality, ever ahead of thoughtless speedsters. I remember Sardar Swaran Singh telling an agitated and restless ambassador, “Don’t get worked up. The same sun will rise tomorrow. None can change the rhythm of time. Your time will come.”
My prayers to the Almighty have been in vain. I begged that he slow down the world so that we have time to stand and stare. Even my modest appeal for postponing the 21st century was dismissed by the celestial court.
My nature is rooted in solitude. My pleasure lies in contemplative leisure, not in the hedonistic and silly pursuit of speed. Metaphorically speaking, I am for the tortoise, not the hare. That probably makes me an outcast among the rat racers. So be it. T S Eliot put it succinctly in Four Quartets:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
Two other pests are information and knowledge. Again, I turn to Eliot:
Where is the life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have last in information?
Let’s now move on to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s substantive journey to Africa. It was long overdue. After the regimes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, sub-Saharan Africa was not considered diplomatically appealing. It was not a popular destination for Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers. Several foreign secretaries had not served even once in Africa during their entire tenure. Africa was neglected for long.
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The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has over 50 members. Their combined vote at the United Nations can no longer be ignored. In the past decade, several African countries have achieved 7 per cent growth. China caught on to this African turnaround much before India did. The private sector saw the potential and moved forward rapidly. Our government, on the other hand, lagged behind. Dr Singh has made a timely course correction. The first-generation leaders of post-independence Africa – Kenyatta of Kenya, Nkrumah of Ghana, Nyerere of Tanzania, Kaunda of Zambia, Obote of Uganda and Nkomo of Zimbabwe – were inspired by India’s freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The leaders of recent years are less familiar with that struggle. Their agenda is no longer restricted to battling apartheid or colonialism, but economic reforms, good governance, fight against corruption, AIDS, work for prosperity, national unity and benefits of new technology. The $5-billion credit to Africa will be used over the next three years. The Ethiopia-Djibouti railway project will be a boon to the people of that small and weather-ravaged country. Years ago, I spent a day in Djibouti and had no regrets leaving it. The talk about an India-China “African battle” is insane. Africa is a huge continent so there is enough space for both India and China.
Also, our high commissions and embassies in Africa must be given administrative priority. The ministry of external affairs should ensure that these missions get our best officers. Every IFS officer should complete at least one tenure in the continent. Africa is going places. Let’s do everything we can to help the growth process. At the same time, we must also learn from our African friends. Having served for two and a half years in Zambia, I am familiar with African vitality. Our engagement with Africa should be deliberate and sustained, not episodic.
Moving on to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at the moment, he is guilty before being proved innocent. Everyone praised his record as head of the International Monetary Fund. His character and conduct have finally been exposed. France must heave a sigh of relief that such a man will not reside in the Élysée Palace, where the great Charles de Gaulle once reigned.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s 47th death anniversary was observed yesterday. Even his ardent critics concede that he was a great noble man. His role in India’s freedom movement made him an authentic hero. As prime minister for 17 years, he laid the foundation of our democracy, pluralism and secularism. Mr Nehru made mistakes, but Lenin, Stalin, Churchill and Mao Zedong made worse mistakes. There was no blood on Mr Nehru’s hands. He came into the world with clean hands and with clean hands he left.
Tailpiece
While reshuffling his Cabinet, Dr Singh should seriously consider appointing a minister of state who will exclusively deal with the loquacity and public gaffes of some members of his council of ministers. At least two of them are serial offenders and are always complaining that they are being misquoted. But in this age of 24x7 TV coverage, can anyone be misquoted?