Curtains are finally down on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Like most previous editions this too was politically coloured. More than sports and victorious athletes, China as a country has come up trumps on many counts.
1. China was once denied the chance to host the games due to its poor human rights record high pollution levels. I don’t know if much has changed, but at least the West and people who matter seem to have been convinced that things have changed for the better.
2. China was, and probably is to a great extent, a country hated by capitalist and democratic societies for its communist form of governanace. But deftly merging capitalism and communism, like no other country has, China has proved that their method is as effectve — if not more effective — than any other form of governance. The fact that it could host the most high-profile sports event in the world without a hitch is a testament to the success of the Chinese formula.
3. On the sports field China’s show has been dramatic. Some 20 years back, it was some where down in the medals tally. Yesterday, it ended up right on top with the most number of gold medals. It’s an amazing feat.
4. China has proved that good organisation and discipline are the keys to success.
Lessons for India
India — especially its group of Leftists — has a lot a lot from China. We may be the world’s largest democracy, and vibrant too. But as former US ambassador J K Galbraith once said it’s no better than a functioning anarchy.
One counter argument is that China is repressive. Quite possible. But disciplining may at times look repressive for people who do not fall in line. It’s not very different from the discplining in the armed forces, India included.
India is blessed with most essentials for a successful society, but their benefits are nullified because of indiscipline. Worse, people who must enforce it themselves are indiciplined.
China has proved itself, with its haul of medals and brilliant hosting of the Games ( I understand that the total expendituure was $43 billion!). We would do well to learn from this neighbour.
Well Said.
We are quick to criticize our neighbor and to castigate it for various reasons, but we refuse to learn lessons.
China olympics will go down in history as a wonderfully organised show.
From Manmohan Singh to Indian blogger, China and India are mentioned in the
same breath. They say, China functions under communist dictatorship where as India is the largest democracy in this planet. Looking at the shameful spectacle of MPs brandishing the rupee bill packets in the parliament during the recent no-confidence motion debate, any lingering acceptance of India as a democracy should vanish quickly like a wad of rupee bills demanded by a registrar as a catalyst in a land transaction registration process! Some Indians say in defence that corruption is prevalent everywhere and all Western Political Leaders accept bribes. These are the hapless victims who have grown up in the all pervasive graft culture of India. Best to leave them blinkered in their own unreal world!
By any measure, Olympics in Beijing is a success. Chinese coolly collected 51 gold medals as against India’s 1. For those who carp about pollution in Beijing, I would ask them to consider the air quality in Bangalore. Best if pot does not call the kettle’black’. China has proved its organisation ability in an endeavour like Olympic. Olympics is not the pigmy Asiad. In my experience and that of my colleagues, it is proper to say that India can’t even organise a large international technical conference. We have often moved such conferences to Hong Kong or Singapore
should there was a necessity to seek an Eastern Venue.
India’s stock in the world is nothing compared with China. India may have thousands of NRIs, may be dabbling with a few call centres and outsourced software sweat shops (sans innovation) and that does not make it a country to be reckoned with. China has the second largest dollar holding in hundreds of billions(next to Saudis) and the US has constant night mares of China flooding these billions in world the currency market if provoked. If it happens, the US rightly believes that the Dollar will be as much worth as a Monopoly game money. Hence US keeps China on the right side by pampering it with a ‘favoured nation status ‘in business. China has become a manufacturing giant, creating a balance of payment situation in its favour around the world in all continents, where as India is creating software coding sweatshops to serve Western masters like Microsoft and Google. Chinese students are studying subjects ranging from Science to Engineering to Economics in Universities, where as Science study in India is almost disappearing as IT skews the higher education curricula. Today, a call centre operator in India outsourced by a Western master, earns more than a top grade Science researcher with years of research experience. This line of thinking in depth and breadth has secured China golds in a very wide spectra of events in recent Olympics.
Now lessons for India. Two lessons: 1. Do not deliriously dream that you are at par with China. You are not and you will not be in generations. 2. Indians should stop and think about the depth of moral deprivity the country has sunk to, mainly due to CCN (the troika of corruption, casteism and nepotism), and extricate the country before the ship sinks in its own cesspool.
A tail piece:
When Nixon was sending his aircraft carrier near Indian shores during the Bangla Desh war as a gesture of support for Pakistan, he was at the same time courting Mao by secretly negotiating with him to end the war in Vietnam. China was soon in the UN Security Council as a permanent member and Taiwan, the US ally for years was kicked out as a permanent member to accommodate this change. India was left in the cold as the China bus speeded away! It is standing there still!!!
As a frequent visitor to China I am amazed at the infrastructure there…
India might be competing with China. However I am not sure that China is competing with India.. they are ahead… way way ahead…
Correction: i should have said ‘sped away’, too much Americanism creeping!
Wish your thoughts are printed and stuck as posters across the Country for everyone to read..!! Written with simplicity that reaches out powerfully.
“… But disciplining may at times look repressive for people who do not fall in line. It’s not very different from the discplining in the armed forces, India included.”
I liked that a lot Pradeep… This medicine is the need-of-the-hour.
Pradeep. Good to see you back. Enjoying the read.
China has been marvelous – of course lessons for India. But it has a lesson for the world too. You cannot simply ignore people power.
“… But disciplining may at times look repressive for people who do not fall in line. It’s not very different from the discplining in the armed forces, India included.”
A great post and like Kat said, the above lines stood out…
If you want to see a disciplined lot of Indians, one must come to Gulf. I am sure this holds true when they migrate to other countries too. So where lies the problem?
Of course the freedom that is lost is realized only when one is out of one’s own country, but this freedom has climbed Himalayan heights I should say.
But yet again going the Chinese way is not going to be easy with the freedom loving spirit of an Indian and I don’t think we should take that way.