From The President
Dear Professional Colleagues,
India has hit the headlines once again. Slumdog Millionaire
has won 8 Oscars including the one for The Best Film, and A. R. Rahman, the
heartthrob of millions for his composition and background score. One really
feels proud to be an Indian.
There have been some comments that the film is really a
British film and only the performers are Indians. I believe that the Awards are
for the excellence in performance and there is no doubt that many of the
performers are Indians. Any film is a team effort and India therefore deserves
the credit and the accolades. I felt really happy for those six children who are
a part of this film. One only hopes that this glory, which the film and its
artists have achieved, results in improvement in the quality of life of all
those kids whose story the film depicts. While today’s newspapers are expectedly
filled with coverage of the Oscar Awards, a story in a reputed daily which was
carried alongside these reports caught the eye. The report stated that even
though public expenditure on health had increased, the percentage of
undernourished children both in the rural and urban areas had gone up — a clear
indication of the fact that the expenditure is not achieving expected results.
Without detracting from the fabulous achievement of the
entire team of Slumdog Millionaire, I feel that the reaction from the government
could have been different. As I write this communication, three States have
already declared this film tax free. One really needs to examine whether these
exemptions achieve the intended results. If the desire is to ensure that more
people watch the film, it would be better to collect the tax and earmark it for
providing facilities to those who cannot afford the luxuries of visiting a movie
theatre today. Passing on the benefit of a tax exemption to the urban elite who
visit the multiplexes, really makes no sense.
The reaction of the public fortifies one feeling that we are
a nation that enjoys celebrations and loves celebrities. We do not tolerate
losers. The moment our cricket team wins a tournament, the cricketers are
worshipped, the minute they lose they are trashed, cursed, their homes attacked.
To the media everything is an event to be milked to the maximum.
The world believes that India is a country with immense
talent. Occasions such as the Oscars for the Slumdog team prove this confidence
is not misplaced. The challenge is to ensure that the achievements, successes,
victories, do not remain merely events, but encourage actual action on the
ground. An A. R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty, Bindra, Sachin, Sania will definitely
inspire the talented youth of this country. It is our duty, and responsibility
of the powers that be, to provide them with the opportunity.
A week before the mega Oscar event, Pranab Mukherjee, the
Finance Minister, presented the interim budget, the last one of this government.
Considering the prevailing economic situation, many were expecting the Finance
Minister to provide substantial tax cuts and other incentives. It would have
been politically expedient, but Mr. Mukherjee refrained from going overboard. He
has provided some marginal tax cuts in excise and service tax, but they were
necessary, and cannot be treated as an election bonanza. He has left the task of
providing a more comprehensive economic stimulus to the next government. By the
time this communication reaches you, election dates may have been announced, and
the nation will prepare itself for another mega event.
In the coming elections let us all vote, and encourage our
friends and relatives to vote. Undoubtedly, our choice may be limited, but we
must exercise our franchise and send the best from the available to parliament
as our representatives. One of the duties of the government is to legislate, but
our politicians have no time for this. At the end of this Lok Sabha, 39 bills
which had been introduced will lapse, while 29 others which had been introduced
in the Rajya Sabha will await action by the next government. Compare this with
the seven bills lapsed at the culmination of the first Lok Sabha. I am putting
down all these thoughts not with a view to criticise but when I witnessed the
Oscar ceremony, I felt that our country has tremendous latent talent. All we
need is better governance.
The entire world is on the threshold of an economic slowdown
or possibly a recession. All economists feel that India is one of the few
countries which will register positive economic growth, while all other major
economies will decline. The world believes that India will be the first off the
block, when the turnaround takes place. We must start believing in ourselves. We
must not let this opportunity pass. We have the potential; if we utilise it, we
will be well placed to lead when the world order changes in the coming decades.
Jai Ho India !
Anil Sathe
