Development discourse
V. K. NATRAJ
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Essays critically looking at the different dimensions of recent developments in India
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CONTESTED TRANSFORMATIONS — Changing Economies and Identities in Contemporary India: Mary E. John, Praveen Kumar Jha and Surinder
S. Jodhka — Editors: Tulika Books, 35 A/1
(III Floor), Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049. Rs. 625.
The papers in this volume concentrate on the changes that have taken place in India's social, economic and political landscape since the 1980s and 1990s. Although the introduction is not especially satisfying in tying the papers together the message that comes across is that the changes discussed are contestable. And that message is not contestable.
The six sections of the volume have the following themes: democracy and globalisation; dimensions of rurality; emergence of the city; patterns of migration; significance of the middle classes; and, marginalisation and identities. The common threads running through the volume can be described as under.
Globalisation
Globalisation, which is seen by Prabhat Patnaik as a process, impacts upon state policy in several ways. Possibly its most important effect is in promoting deflationary policies which is an outcome, inter alia, of the domination of finance capital one of whose objectives is to work against an activist state (Utsa Patnaik).
Secondly, there is an active nexus between secularism and the economic policy of the state. Of particular importance is the direction in which the economy moves (Aijaz Ahmad, Pradip Kumar Datta). Aijaz Ahmad in fact contends that secularism is part of the "enlightenment project" whose defeat has resulted in the "rise of savage identities based on race or religion."
Globalisation and democracy also share a nexus. However, this theme, which is central to the concerns of several papers, does not receive the attention it deserves. There is recognition though that in India domestic opposition (which should be read as a proxy for democracy) has succeeded in mitigating some of the more harsh effects of speculative financial flows.
India's federalism has evolved over time and while initially it appeared to be reluctant in recent years it has developed into a more vibrant and robust model (Arora).
More public investment in the rural sector is essential and without this employment expansion will be impossible. In arguing this V.K.Ramachandran and Madhura Swaminathan add modestly that the conclusion is "embarrassingly simple" but the exercise was necessary only because of the persistence of contrary positions, which are not justifiable empirically.
Migration
There is an emerging rurality today with major implications for education. "Schools are imbricated with local social relations." (A.R.Vasavi) This has resulted in contested areas such as Panchayat control over schools and compulsory SC and ST membership of management committees.
The papers on the city by Partha Chatterjee, Janaki Nair and Sharit Bhowmik are among the volume's best contributions. All three use an evolutionary and truly interdisciplinary frame of analysis. Partha Chatterjee expresses scepticism about the possibility that our native genius will turn the imported model of the post-industrial city into a less malevolent hybrid as Ashis Nandy has contended. Janaki Nair using Bangalore as an example speaks of the efforts to "forge a new relationship between private and public, between residents' associations and elected representatives," yet, as she points out local elections continue to be important.
On migration there are somewhat divergent perspectives. While Amitabh Kundu contends that the Indian population is by and large not mobile Srivastava argues that there has been an increase in mobility. However labour migration does not appear to have contributed to a decline in poverty. The paper by Raju and Sasikumar examines the results of migration from Kerala into the Gulf. They question equations which posit somewhat simplistic relationships between remittances, returns and development.
Caste and class configurations have also been impacted upon by political and economic changes. The middle classes represent an affluent group "with a very skewed caste-community composition" and cannot be perceived as a national class representing the nation as a whole (Satish Deshpande). While this is quite likely the case, Deshpande does not appear to gauge correctly the influence that this class has not excluding the "demonstration effect" in terms of consumerist values and their spillover into political attitudes. Jeemol Unni attempts the intricate task of bridging the gap between the class and caste perspectives. In doing so she utilises data on surplus accumulation to identify the "intermediate classes".
In the last section there are papers by Virginius Xaxa, Sukhadeo Thorat and Uma 0Chakravarti. Xaxa focusses on the tribes. He traces the different perspectives on tribes such as assimilation, absorption and recognition of diversity. An important point he makes is the rise of a middle class in tribal society and the coexistence of differentiation and assertion of tribal identity. Thorat examines a wealth of data relating to the Scheduled Castes with reference to their economic status. He draws pointed attention to an aspect of positive discrimination which receives relatively little attention, namely, the need to enquire into the "nature and various dimensions of discrimination suffered by the SCs" in the market.
Women's development
The final paper by Uma Chakravarti is a fascinating enquiry into the Women's Development Programme in Rajasthan. She raises questions of fundamental importance. Paucity of space precludes the discussion they merit but one of them is whether there is an inherent contradiction between power from below and authority from above. As she demonstrates the state, international funders and NGOs have a bounded notion of empowerment whereas the women's movement and those working at the ground level have a vastly different perspective. The latter have successfully utilised spaces opened up by the programme and even the withdrawal of the state has not crippled their efforts altogether. The book has one limitation but it is becoming all too common — inadequate copy editing with too many infelicitous sentences remaining. Also Arora's paper expands the PMK in Tamil Nadu as P.Munnetra Kazhagam whereas it should be Pattali Makkal Katchi.
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