To rise above mediocrity - the hour's need

India's intellectual colossus - Sarojini Naidu was gifted with the kind of moral fibre that comes to humans only once in a way. Her intellectual vibrancy has only to be experienced in her writings and public speeches - so very articulate and meticulous, deep and profound - not to forget she lived in a day and age when cloistered women was accepted social norm.

The applicability of her moral pronouncements over the Indian social scene is found in countries outside India as well. The mediocrity, vulgarity and 'ordinariness' that currently grips societies has been her primary concern - so very reflective in her address to the Madras Students' Convention and the George Town Students' Club.

"The real measure of a nation is the measure of average action of average man; it is not the great man or the great genius who is the true standard of a nation's capacity or worth. I wonder if it has ever occurred to you when you hold out great names as the guarantee of India's greatness, how false and illusory are your standards of judgement. Great men belong to no race; they are a kingdom apart. But it is the average man of a race that is the only true measure of that nation's capacity.

I want you to realise what the average of India is today - what is the average intellectual capacity? What is the average political capacity? What is the average literary and artistic capacity? Is it even mediocrity? I doubt it."

Using such verbal jewels as yardstick to measure the local scene, one wonders whether her observations are justified only through the Indian scene.

When system prone intellectuals, fighting legislators, gibberish churning media, teachers turned tutory 'mudalalis', labour unit producing parents striving towards elevated systemic position comprise the social gamut, one should not expect to get wheat after sowing barley - my father's choice expression.

Politicization of society, including a sacrosanct judiciary that once was, coupled with a neat cover of impunity that facilitated bad role models into responsible position are what the social whole is exposed to over here.

"So what? If he himself could do that type of thing, why not I?" people ask when emulating those in position who resort to moral deviance. In the absence of the rule of law for nearly over three decades, ironically, one observes only the law being carried out to the very letter - a typical story of how when the legendary Andarey was told to feign ignorance by behaving like a mindless cow (Gonek Vagey Indapan), he resorted to butting the crowd. Andarey sad to say never knew to interpret the advice coming his way and stuck to its very letter - the consequences of which were disastrous.

The Indian constitution believably of a unitary kind becomes flexible and moves away from constitutional stipulation in governance facilitating regional autonomy.

The states' request for monies from donor agencies is green lighted by the central government which according to the law's strict adherence need not necessarily grant approval.

As a result some Indian states are now economic giants - reflective of a political capacity that is above mediocrity. India surely has come a long way since Naidu's lament over Indian mediocrity.

India's Chief Justice - Mr. S. Bagwhati addressing a Colombo based seminar long years back elucidated how the judiciary there sees not the law, but its spirit - a far cry from societies that suffer judicial politicization. Self expression cannot result in politicised environs for only in these surroundings, such expression is inevitable. Such societies are more prone to ordinary, vulgar, mediocre mindset.

India in her political wisdom and maturity faces political reality in moving away from her constitutional stipulation of 'unitariness' paving the way for the creative genius to emerge of her respective populace that comprises the Indian mosaic - the diversity of ethno / religious / cultural / linguistic entities - certainly a great celebration of the Indian sub-continent.

Civil, criminal, constitutional or whatever, laws are there to be correctly interpreted to facilitate national development.

However, widespread intellectual, political, literary and legal mediocrity hurdles such an approach - the outcome of the absence in the rule of law - again a byproduct of the politicized social whole.

Upholding what is unitary, refusing to see the larger picture of national growth is far from prudent which India has cleverly avoided.

The dangers of sticking to the very letter in 'unitariness' favouring only the Hindu majority was avoided as India awoke to political realities emerging from regional demands.

The Indian central government did not perceive these demands as a threat to its Hindu majority. Instead, it viewed the emerging trend as sine-qua-non to power sharing.

As a result, India has, to say the least, kept at bay if not averted crisis that may have in otherwise situation drained off much of India's national wealth and whatever may have threatened its national wholesomeness by way of cessation.