Thinking Swadeshi

Swadeshi means strengthening its enablers: ease of doing business and ease of living. If we can optimise these two, it will be other nations that strive for self-reliance, not us. Optimisation here means achieving parity with best practices worldwide in every conceivable domain, and, more importantly, remaining proactive in surpassing each benchmark. What matters more is not achievement, but the spirit of continuous endeavour.

Of the two, ease of living is more fundamental and critical than ease of doing business. The safety of person, possession, and dignity; the prevalence of fairness in public life; and the assurance of world-class civic amenities would retain domestic talent and attract gifted individuals from abroad. Only talented people can drive genuine development.

India is immense: in geography, population, resources, and in the wisdom of its ancients. It holds the potential to lead the world, and that for the benefit of the world. The real hindrance lies in our thinking, and we can overcome this mental blockage only by thinking deeply, originally, and courageously.

Niraj Kumar Jha 

Thinking Swadeshi the Morning After Diwali

Swadeshi for us cannot mean merely defending our home turf. It must be about rising to the commanding heights of the global economy. It should mean reclaiming our nation’s place at the centre of the world economy, a place India held for millennia. The DNA is within us. We must think it, act it, and achieve it.

Niraj Kumar Jha

तुम भी दीपक

रोशन होने की चाहत में,

मत बनो परावर्तक।
नहीं अधूरे, नहीं अंधेरे में तुम।
अमोल कृति हो तुम उसकी,
तुम भी दीपक हो
उसकी बनाई दुनिया में।

नीरज कुमार झा

जीवन का मूल्य

तुम पतंगे नहीं हो,

वह रोशनी भी नहीं है।
अंतस में दीपक जलाओ,
देखोगे मानव होने की गरिमा,
जानोगे जीवन का मूल्य।

नीरज कुमार झा

On Development

In a democracy, development can only be a collective mission. An authoritarian regime, if truly determined, may coerce its people toward development, but such a path is neither possible nor desirable in a democracy. It must be understood that development is not a final destination but a framework to construct and an ecology to sustain. Its foundation lies in enabling citizens to become substantial human beings, where every individual is assured of self-worth and a life of purpose. From this assurance flows respect for others and a spirit of cooperation, which together form the true essence of a developed society. The long legacy of bondage has left people oscillating between self-loathing and arrogance, depending on their social position. To overcome this, every citizen of this great nation must strive to realise their own self-worth and help others do the same, both for their own fulfilment and to be worthy of this country.

Niraj Kumar Jha

India as Vishvaguru: Reviving Civilisation for Humanity

India has incipient civilisational values which, if brought substantially to life, can transform the world. Even in places where humanism is claimed to be at its highest, we often witness disregard for human dignity and life. India can once again be a Vishvaguru, guiding humanity to be genuinely human. The legacies of the Vedic seers, Vyasa, Valmiki, the Buddha, Mahavira and Ashoka are in the very genes of Indians, and if that spirit and ethos can be reawakened in the light of present times, the world can indeed be transformed.

This is proven by modern Indian history. In the first half of the twentieth century, when leaders such as Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Stalin, Truman (who ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), and Churchill (whose policies led to the Bengal famine) condemned millions to death, India gave the world Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of truth and non-violence. Today, we must rise above the mundane and rescue an imperilled world.

Where will this begin? It must begin with reviving Indian education to its true purpose. We must build institutions at their finest, nurturing minds towards excellence in the service of humanity. The colonial system, which produces graduates haughty and insensitive, must be reoriented. Good and knowledgeable people must be encouraged to take charge of education and be allowed to work according to their own genius. Civil society must come forward. What we need are institutions with a soul, which come from people of integrity and vision at the helm.

Niraj Kumar Jha

The UN System: An Apology of Democratic Order

The UN system was designed to function only in a perfunctory democratic manner. In reality, it was built on domination and patronage by a few over the vast majority. What was required, instead, was for it to evolve into a fountainhead of ever more refined versions of democracy for humanity. A mechanical and surface-level democratic form scarcely addresses human sensibilities, aspirations, and the uniqueness of individual beings.

Democracy, as a universal value, as principles guiding governance, and as norms grounding community life, could not have progressed without the democratisation of the global order. However, this never occurred; indeed, it was never intended to happen. From the charred landscapes of World War II, what should have germinated was a genuine global constitutionalism. It did not. Instead, we were left with a mechanism that, far from being a true order, amounted to little more than an apology for one.

Today, that mechanism has fallen entirely into disuse, as barbarous geopolitical conflicts and crass coercive unilateralism overwhelm humanity. Yet, there is still no compelling voice calling for a global social contract that might bring harmony and fairness to international affairs.

Niraj Kumar Jha