I believe that there is always a lot you can learn from history and the
world around you. I sincerely hope there are young Indians out there
watching Barack Obama's speech during his political campaign. He is a
great orator. There is no question about that. However, what struck me
today while listening to his speech was the clear cut understanding and
the courage to tackle the real prejudices that are inherent among
individuals belonging to different races. In the US, affirmative action
is undertaken to support Black people for the mistreatment they
received for years prior and after abolition of slavery. The White
Americans feel they are being forced to face the consequences of the
mistakes from previous generations. Similarly, the Black Americans feel
they deserve the change and it is not being administered properly.
There is a similar line of thought in the way reservations are handled
in India. They are similar prejudices, never expressed in public among
Indians (well sometimes they are expressed). But, it would be a dream
to expect a politician of this generation to tackle them head on and
talk of unity as Obama so eloquently did. I am hoping to live to see a
man/woman of such stature and openness in Indian politics.
For more on the speech and comments
see here, here
The video of the speech is here
world around you. I sincerely hope there are young Indians out there
watching Barack Obama's speech during his political campaign. He is a
great orator. There is no question about that. However, what struck me
today while listening to his speech was the clear cut understanding and
the courage to tackle the real prejudices that are inherent among
individuals belonging to different races. In the US, affirmative action
is undertaken to support Black people for the mistreatment they
received for years prior and after abolition of slavery. The White
Americans feel they are being forced to face the consequences of the
mistakes from previous generations. Similarly, the Black Americans feel
they deserve the change and it is not being administered properly.
There is a similar line of thought in the way reservations are handled
in India. They are similar prejudices, never expressed in public among
Indians (well sometimes they are expressed). But, it would be a dream
to expect a politician of this generation to tackle them head on and
talk of unity as Obama so eloquently did. I am hoping to live to see a
man/woman of such stature and openness in Indian politics.
For more on the speech and comments
see here, here
The video of the speech is here
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