Instantly a great cheer arose. The man at the helm was Jawaharlal Nehru. He was supposed to steer the Ship of State to a pre-determined destination — supposedly spelled out in the tryst with destiny address to the nation.
Why did all this happen? The State supposed to bring into being profound socio-economic changes morphed into what sociologists call a Soft State — a glib euphemism for a passive and reactive role where levers of power were usurped by business-as-usual vested interests. Fortunate, indeed, are the countries that have their Founding Fathers, i. United States, for example, is one of them. Four of the seven commonly referred to as the Founding Fathers — George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison — were fortunate to get elected as Presidents to have a decisive say in the evolution of the institutional infrastructure to give shape and form to their dreams.
The Indian polity shares this distinction with the United States. And it was in that capacity that he shaped the curves and contours of the polity that he bequeathed to the country.
He takes, thereby, the prime responsibility for the gap that exists between what our polity could have been and what it actually is. And the most important attribute of that gap is the deplorably Soft State that India is today.
He used it to describe India as a pre-eminent example of this new nomenclature of political vocabulary. It stands in sharp contrast to the kind of modern state based on rule of law that had emerged in Europe after the British Glorious Revolution. In a Soft State, according to Myrdal,. Within the concept of the soft states belongs also corruption Myrdal, Asian Drama , p Italics added.
Myrdal attributed this phenomenon to destruction of many of the traditional centers of local power and controlling influences under foreign rule and the failure to create viable alternatives by the colonial powers. Combined with this was the development of an attitude of disobedience to any form of authority which stood in the way of achieving independence from alien rule. This attitude persisted even after independence. He had based his non-violent struggle for independence by flouting British laws.
On the contrary, he himself went on fast to extract certain decisions from the Government of the day. And following his example others resorted to this stratagem and continue to do so. Soft States are dominated by powerful interests that exploit the power of the State or government to serve their own interests rather than the interests of their citizens. Policies decided on are often not enforced, if they are enacted at all, and in that the authorities, even when framing policies are reluctant to place obligations on people.
The rulers in the Soft State crave only to be loved. Hence, their extreme reluctance to take action that might displease their numerous constituents. There are two basic forms of power: hard and soft. The distinction between these two rests not on their relative brutality, but rather on their relative materiality. In other words, soft power is the ability to make others do what you want because of how they see you.
The soft power of states is akin to the power of movie stars to endorse a certain brand of soap or fried chicken. The soft vulnerability of states is akin to the vulnerability of movie stars to the paparazzi. The relationship between hard and soft power and vulnerability is not straightforward. But quite often, just the opposite occurs. Consider, for instance, the fate of Germany in the years leading up to World War I.
Among the Ministers, there have been no complaints. Modi has himself set a sterling example. And there has been little coercion. Black money has not disappeared, but is much reduced.
With taxes low enough, payment in white is gradually becoming the habit. India is becoming digital, as is the need in the modern world. Pakistan has learnt several lessons; Kashmir is quiet. Imagine a Prime Minister turning up within four days at Ladakh to visit our injured soldiers in hospital and addressed our troops. What a difference that gesture made. No other leader in India has done anything of the like before. Another way of explaining this is that India was a half sovereign State, whereby it was not effective and its writ did not run up to all its frontiers.
This was so even domestically in some ways. Narendra Modi has taken India on the road to strength and full sovereignty. Those who thrived in the erstwhile paradise do not know what has hit them. Saturday, 13 November Home Columnists Opinion. Performing basic function include protecting the state from internal and external aggression, better governance, a strong law and order, strict implementation of laws, spreading awareness among people for following the law, a good redressal policy, quick action for the wrongs, etc.
These are some of the basic functions of the state that a state should surely accomplish. Whether call it a Gandhian influence or our moral values which we possess within ourselves since a very long period of time that the Indian are very generous.
If we go through the pages the history, the Indians had never initiated a war against any other country, they always fought when others initiated against the country.
The country was invaded by many rulers but never invaded other country. The virtue of generosity and calmness endowed by India, distinct it from all other countries.
Other countries mock us for being soft but the country has proved that thought filled with generosity, the Indians are capable of taking action when other tries to overpower it. They even say that in a country like India, criminals are excused and pardoned which encourage this community to commit more amounts of heinous crimes.
This is because no harsh action is taken against such people and in turn any change. India believes in settling the disputes in amicable way rather than adopting a hostile means. Soft state is a lenient attitude of state what social deviance soft state does not take hard decision even if the situation demands. But, considering India, the country has taken many hard decisions from time to time, according the need of the hour.
The Britishers and the other powers were successful in invading India because the state was always welcoming. These foreign powers were capable to rule the country because India at that time was already struggling from a lot of inner conflicts. They were mesmerised by the British lifestyle and their pomp and shows and therefore they whole heartedly welcomed them. But gradually the Britishers started ruling us. The freedom struggles divided the leaders into two wings, the moderates which followed the path of peace and talks and the extremists who believed actions rather than talks.
The moderates like Mahatma Gandhi, followed a soft path of non-violence, which is criticised by many and is also considered as a sole reason in delay of our victory.
This was one instance which tells us about India being a soft state. We have many instances when India adopted a soft policy towards many critical issues. The major issue that hovers around India is terrorism. Day by day lethal threats are rising, terrorism is growing, but the actions of government were never rigid.
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