2020 - too far or too near

Hey..

I have been reading the India 2020- A vision for the new millenium by APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan. The book was published in 1998. It carries a lot of relevance and message to the citizens of India. Of the various articles that I have come across and books I have read on this subject of making India a developed nation, this is definitely a precise and "upto the point" book. Seven years after the publishing of this book, we can visualize some of the predictions/assumptions turning true already.

Anyways, this book was lying on my office desk, when one of my esteemed colleagues, who has a broad vision on national & foriegn affairs (no prizes for guessing you-know-who) looked at the topic and skeptically said "2020 ! That isnt a long way.. Just 15 more years and that time is nothing in a nation's life". I barked back saying that his pessimism would lead us to nowhere and we gotta do something and just not say that it is too long or short or what !. (Travelling in the elevator this evening with you-know-who, I was amused when another colleague echoed "well, 15 years would go just like that" and he snapped his fingers.)

I have been reflecting what I heard. It was possibly not just pessimism that prompted you-know-who to be skeptical. Maybe he was right. We have been doing five year plans and we really arent sure ourselves on what path we are treading. While we have enriching statistics and reports from Planning commission of India, still we arent convinced that we are moving positively towards a well developed nation. Of course, the top cities are expanding rapidly, the IT revolution is giving rise to a cultural revolution etc., but how many of this makes any difference to kuppusamy in sembakkam village ?

But then again, we need a plan. We simply cannot sit and argue that certain things will take a long time and hence let the natural course take place. We cannot take historical references and stop working. We cannot sit and make a plan for 200 years ahead for envisioning success. There needs be a sense of urgency in some of these things to realize them. And there needs be a sense of giving - we work towards enriching and developing our nation, so that it may be a better place for our future young generations to dwell upon.

Vision 2020 should be treated like a project with full attention and backing from the government - the sponsors. The scope, schedule and cost need to be identified. The ROIs need to be nailed upon. Communication, resourcing and risks need to be managed skillfully. Phases need to be identified and milestones need to be met. Reviews need to be regular. Accountability and responsibility are key factors for progress. This is a project where every citizen is a stakeholder. It is all about change; changes to the socio-economic & cultural aspects of the people. We will never get a complete consensus and we cant choose to ingore sensitivities either. We will face opposition, both internal and external, making this one of the toughest project to execute. Borrowing a dialogue from a popular movie, "We have serious problems and we need serious people to solve them".

Yes. Fifteen years may not be a long time in a nation's lifetime. Maybe it will go away just like that, in a snap. Maybe we wont be able to reach the stars and fulfill all our dreams within this time. But there is no harm in having a vision and working towards the right things. It is worthy to lose in a cause that would win some day, rather than win in a short term cause that will lose one day.

With all the advancements in technology and science, with all the human power and brilliant brains, with all the passion and energy - if we dont make it, who else will ? As the Vision 2020 - report of 2002 concludes - Our future depends not on what will happen to us, but on what we decide to become, and on the will to create it.

Find the ends, the means will follow.

Chao..