Essay: April 2023 UPSC Current Affairs | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

History Repeats Itself, First as a Tragedy, Second as a Farce

'The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.'

Winston S. Churchill

In the Indian context, Marx's statement "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce" holds immense relevance. India is a nation with a rich and complex history, with various cycles of events repeating themselves over time.
Communal riots have been a recurring problem in India, both before and after independence. These riots are conflicts between religious communities, and they often result in violence, property damage, and loss of life. The nature and intensity of communal riots have varied in pre- and post-independence India. These riots were often triggered by religious or political factors, such as the demand for a separate Muslim homeland or the assassination of a prominent political leader. There were several communal riots that took place in pre-independent India, fueled by religious, linguistic and ethnic differences.
The Moplah Rebellion was a violent rebellion that took place in 1921 in the Malabar region of Kerala. The rebellion was led by Muslim tenants against their Hindu landlords and the British government. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of around 2,000 people, mostly Hindus. The Direct Action Day was a call for a communal strike by the Muslim League on 16 August 1946. It was observed as a "Day of Action" by the Muslim community to demand the creation of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. The strike led to widespread communal violence, especially in the city of Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), resulting in the deaths of around 4,000 people.
The Punjab Riots took place in 1947 during the partition of India and Pakistan. The riots were fueled by religious tensions between the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities. The riots resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, with estimates ranging from 200,000 to 2 million. There have been several instances of communal riots that have taken place in India even after independence.
Gujarat Riots, 2002 communal violence broke out in Gujarat following the burning of a train carrying Hindu activists in Godhra. The riots lasted for several weeks, resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people Muslims. Delhi Riots in 2020, communal riots broke out in several areas of Delhi, primarily between Hindus and Muslims.
The riots were triggered by protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and resulted in the deaths of around 50 people. Mumbai Riots in 1992-1993, communal riots broke out in Mumbai after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The riots lasted for several months and resulted in the deaths of over 900 people.
Sikh riots in 1984 were triggered by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After India gained independence in 1947, the country continued to witness communal riots. These riots have been caused by a variety of factors, including religious differences, political tensions, and socio-economic disparities.
India faced several economic crises during the pre-independence period, some of which were a result of British colonial policies. The Great Famine of 1876-78 was one of the worst famines in India's history, which occurred during the British colonial rule. The famine was caused by a combination of factors, including drought and the export of food grains from India to Britain. It is estimated that between 5.5 million and 10 million people died due to the famine.
The Bengal Famine of 1943 During World War II, India faced another severe famine in Bengal, which was exacerbated by British policies such as the export of food grains and the diversion of resources to the war effort. It is estimated that between 2.1 million and 3 million people died due to the famine.
The Great Depression of 1929 had a severe impact on India's economy. The prices of agricultural products fell, leading to a decline in the income of farmers. The depression also led to a decline in international trade, which affected India's exports and industrial production. The Partition of India in 1947 had a significant impact on the country's economy.
The partition led to the division of industries, railways, and other resources between India and Pakistan. The migration of people also resulted in the displacement of skilled workers and entrepreneurs, leading to a decline in industrial production. India has faced several economic crises after independence, some of which were caused by internal factors and others by external factors.
Balance of Payments Crisis (1991) was a severe balance of payments crisis, caused by a combination of factors, including a large trade deficit, high oil prices, and a decline in remittances. The crisis forced India to seek a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and implement economic reforms, including liberalization, privatization, and globalization. Inflation Crisis (2013-14), India faced a high inflation crisis, with consumer price inflation exceeding 10%.
The inflation was caused by a combination of factors, including a decline in the value of the Indian rupee, high food prices, and supply-side constraints. The crisis forced the government to implement monetary and fiscal measures to control inflation.
Agricultural Crisis in India's agricultural sector in recent years due to factors such as declining farm incomes, low productivity, and climate change. The crisis has resulted in farmers' protests and demands for better prices and support from the government.
Covid-19 Pandemic had a severe impact on India's economy, causing a decline in economic growth, loss of jobs, and reduced consumer spending. The pandemic also highlighted structural weaknesses in India's healthcare system and led to a humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing hunger and poverty.
Ideological repetition refers to the continuation of certain ideas and beliefs before and after a significant event, such as independence. In the context of India, there are some ideological repetitions that can be observed before and after independence. The idea of Indian nationalism was prominent before independence, as leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru emphasized the need for an independent India that was free from British rule. The idea of secularism was also a part of the pre-independence ideology, as leaders like Nehru advocated for a secular India that would not discriminate on the basis of religion.
The idea of Indian nationalism continued after independence, as the country sought to establish itself as a sovereign nation and maintain its territorial integrity. The idea of secularism also continued after independence, as it was enshrined in the Indian Constitution and remains an important principle in Indian society. The idea of social justice also continued after independence, as the government has implemented various policies and programs to address the social and economic inequalities that exist in Indian society.
India has a long and complex history of war, both before and after its independence from British rule in 1947. The Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767-1799) is a series of four wars fought between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore, led by Tipu Sultan. The Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775-1818) is a series of five wars fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire. The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-1846) is a war fought between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, this was a major uprising against British rule in India, which ultimately failed but had lasting impact.
The India-Pakistan War of 1947 was the first of several wars fought between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. India-China War of 1962 was a border conflict between India and China that resulted in China gaining control of Aksai Chin. The India-Pakistan War of 1971 led to the creation of Bangladesh, as well as India's victory over Pakistan. Kargil War (1999) is a limited war fought between India and Pakistan over the Kargil district in Kashmir. India-China Border Conflict (2020) is a border dispute between India and China that resulted in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. There have been many wars in India's history, both before and after independence, the causes and contexts of these conflicts have varied widely. However, it is important to remember the human cost of these conflicts and work towards peaceful resolution of disputes in the future.
Caste-based discrimination has been a long-standing issue in India, both before and after its independence from British rule in 1947. The practice of untouchability was a severe form of caste-based discrimination, whereby certain castes were considered "untouchable" and subjected to extreme social and economic marginalization. Social reform movements such as the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj emerged in the 19^th century, seeking to challenge the caste system and promote equality. The Constitution of India, includes provisions prohibiting caste-based discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens.
The Indian government has implemented a reservation system, whereby a certain percentage of government jobs, educational institutions, and political positions are reserved for members of historically disadvantaged castes and tribes. Anti-discrimination laws have been enacted to address caste-based discrimination, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Despite these measures, caste-based discrimination continues to be a pervasive issue in India, affecting millions of people from historically disadvantaged castes and tribes. The Peshtigo Forest fire is often referred to as the deadliest in U.S. history, as it claimed the lives of over 1,500 people. The fire was caused by a combination of drought, high winds, and human activities such as logging and clearing land for farming.
The Great Hinckley Forest fire in Minnesota was caused by a combination of dry weather, high winds, and sparks from logging operations. The fire killed over 400 people and destroyed much of the town of Hinckley. The Black Saturday Bushfires (2009) wildfires in Australia were caused by a combination of extreme heat, drought, and human activities such as arson and negligence. The fires killed 173 people and destroyed over 2,000 homes.
The Oil spill incidence Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill (1978) a supertanker, ran aground off the coast of Brittany, France, spilling more than 200,000 tons of crude oil into the ocean. The spill caused significant environmental damage and killed thousands of marine animals. Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) during the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi forces intentionally released approximately 240 million gallons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf, causing one of the largest oil spills in history.
The oil polluted more than 600 miles of coastline and killed thousands of marine animals. An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig (2010) in the Gulf of Mexico caused more than 200 million gallons of crude oil to spill into the ocean over the course of several months. The spill killed 11 people and caused significant environmental damage to the Gulf Coast.
The recurrence of past mistakes is a complex occurrence that brings up inquiries about human nature and our ability to learn and progress. It implies that our aptitude to identify patterns and derive lessons from experience is not entirely dependable, and we have a tendency to replicate the same errors, even with the advantage of hindsight.
These inquiries highlight essential philosophical queries regarding the essence of knowledge and wisdom. Is wisdom merely a product of experience, or is it a more elusive attribute that requires profound contemplation and understanding? Can we gain knowledge from the mistakes of others, or do we need to encounter the outcomes of our actions directly to truly comprehend them?

'Study the past and you would define the future.'

Confucius

Just Because You Have a Choice, It Does Not Mean That Any of Them Has to Be Right

May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.
Nelson Mandela

A choice is the act of selecting something from a range of possibilities or is one of your options. Choice may also mean that something has been carefully chosen. Existence of choices does not mean that all choices are legally right or socially acceptable. Existence of choices does not assure your righteousness. If something has been asked to do it does not mean that it is right. If something was done according to the wishes of others, then it cannot be claimed that you are not guilty because someone else has asked to do so.
Concerns related to right or wrong are independent of virtue or wishes. Something is absolute in this world and no negotiation is possible regarding such kinds of things. Moving from one choice to other choices is your discretion but its righteousness or wrongness sometimes depends on your act. It means the choice is neutral. You have to prove that the choice you made is right. In some other circumstances the right or wrong is predetermined i.e., it is absolute, and you cannot negotiate it. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ provides a cohesive response to the claims of righteousness and wrong. The fundamental idea that promotes harmony and joy is generally considered as the path of righteousness.
Civil Servants have fundamental characteristics such as patriotism, neutrality, rationality, hard work, Honesty, Transparency & Integrity etc. A civil servant must have to make decisions according to preexisting circumstances to solve the issues of the people without fear. The ability to make appropriate choices is critical for survival.
In order to choose the optimum course of action, successful decision-making involves the integration of sensory information, motivational states, and probable consequences. A civil servant has to make decisions not just for sake, but he has to prove that his decision is right because a wrong decision can destroy several lives and their future. A person with such a huge responsibility cannot rely on circumstances for decision making. He cannot just watch the right time to make an appropriate decision. He has to make a decision and choose the steps to implement his decision irrespective of circumstantial constrains.
Due to fundamental characteristics of fearlessness the Civil Services in India is considered as the “Steel Frame of India''. A civil servant has to make the best choices out of several choices fearlessly. After taking decisions he has to strive hard to prove it right and to implement it for the welfare of society. The bureaucratic process is prone to criticism and is equated with duplication, arbitrary decision-making, and inefficiency.
The underlying causes may be the inefficiency of the entire system, but responsibility lies on the civil servant or on bureaucrats. Accountability always comes to the head who takes the decision. Civil servants cannot claim that he is not guilty of the adversity which is the outcome of his decisions. The decision making or making choices are physiological aspects of life which are highly influenced by the personal thought process and existing circumstances and conscience of the individual. Possessing the power to choose is not necessarily a good thing always. When we must choose between two courses of action, we typically also assume some of the responsibility for our decisions.

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.
Napoleon Bonaparte

If we talk about world history in the late 18th century, France was a country in turmoil. This turmoil and the resulting power vacuum presented an opportunity to Napoleon, who by all accounts, was a shrewd opportunist in his quest for power. He was keenly aware of the opportunity of how being on the winning side would benefit him in his quest for power. Napoleon carefully analyzed possible scenarios to develop the best strategy to further his goals.
In successfully dispersing the insurrection, Napoleon became a hero to everyday French citizens looking for change and tired of the bloodshed. The Battle of the Nile in August 1798 is considered to be Napoleon’s first big mistake. He “quit learning from the past in order to direct the future” and started making impulsive and emotion-based decisions.
The life of an individual either personal or professional, is full of right and wrong decisions. If a person makes the right decision he enjoys and if the decision goes wrong, then he has to face adversities. The crux of life is just to make decisions. Making decisions or choices should be based on awareness, knowledge and conscience. Decisions should not be impulsive, and emotion based.

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
M.K.Gandhi.

An individual's thought process shapes his or her personality. The guiding force that determines an individual's future course of action is his own thinking. The future of an individual is determined by their current course of activity. Everything is based on the decisions or choices that a person makes. Thoughts may be constructive or destructive, good and bad; what we choose to think about shapes who we are.
Mahatma Gandhi describes how his upbringing, experiences, and unwavering principles influenced his way of thinking in his book "My Experiments with Truth." This finally facilitates decision-making. Mahatma Gandhi also says that a person's decisions and behaviors are both strongly impacted by their cognitive processes.
We the human beings are on the earth because we have chosen life. Life is an absolute thing in itself so we cannot say anything about whether life is right or wrong. Utility of choices may be right or wrong, but it again depends on our choices which usually we make in life for the very survival of the life. Life gives us choices at every turn because we choose it to do so. Ultimately life choses death.

“The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die, and you to live. Which of these two is better only God knows.”
Socrates

Multinational Corporations: Savior or Saboteur

In last week of February 2016, news of hepatitis C patients protesting outside India’s patent office in New Delhi was splashed across all major national newspapers in India. The patients were protesting against the American multinational pharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences and the United States government for pressuring the Indian government “to blindly and speedily grant patents” to Gilead’s exorbitantly priced drug named Sovaldi, whose generic versions manufactured by pharmaceutical companies in India are used by millions of hepatitis C patients across the world.
So who are these multinational corporations that can even influence sovereign governments and impact millions of lives in the process? The term ‘Multinational Corporations’ (or MNCs) refers to companies that have operations and offices in multiple countries even though headquartered in only one or few of them. Even though the term itself may be of modern origin, such MNCs have existed at least for the past four to five centuries. East India Company, the English trading company that grew its influence in India in the 17th century and laid the foundations of English rule in India, can easily be classified as one.
In today’s globalised and increasingly interconnected world such companies are only increasing their tribe. Exchange of goods, services, ideas, labor etc. are being encouraged worldwide; specialization is being touted as the need of the hour and increasingly more and more companies are spreading their influence outside their country of origin. While one country may be specialized in manufacturing of certain types of goods using patented technology, others may have abundant supply of qualified human resources or cheap labor along with market for selling the finished goods.
Therefore such difference in availability of resources, skills, markets etc., caused not only by geo-political reasons but by historical reasons like imperialism and colonialism, has meant that companies today are increasingly looking to have a global footprint. Most of the major MNCs today are headquartered in the industrial or developed countries. These companies, armed with the latest technology and surplus capital, are mainly looking towards the markets in less developed and developing economies to expand their operations.
A number of MNCs are operating all over the world today. In India, MNCs like Standard Chartered, HSBC, Colgate-Palmolive, Castrol etc., to name a few, have been operating for decades now. However such multinational corporations can be both, a boon as well as a bane, especially for the less developed or developing countries and for a number of reasons which we will be discussing.
Multinational corporations bring with them capital to invest in developing countries. Such capital can be of utmost use in developing economies where capital is scarce and where tremendous growth opportunities exists. Therefore it becomes a win-win situation for both the MNCs and the developing countries as MNCs can deploy their surplus capital for good returns, whereas, the receiving country can expect a boost to its economic growth.
However, quick and mass repatriation of such capital in volatile times can be equally harmful to the economy of the developing country. The East Asian crisis of 1997 caused due to such flight of foreign capital from Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia etc is a good example. Similarly, usage of tax havens to avoid payment of taxes and ‘transfer pricings’ are also major sources of financial loss caused by MNCs to the developing countries. In recent studies it was also found that majority of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) being received from developed world was only a reinvestment of profits by the MNCs and their investors and not a deployment of fresh capital.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the share of reinvested earnings is reported to have accounted for as much as four-fifths of total outflows in 2014 for select developed countries. UNCTAD also underlined the large amount of losses to the exchequer of developing countries ($100 billion a year) due to the routing of FDI through tax havens.
Another way in which these MNCs can boost the economy of developing countries is via the introduction of state-of-the-art technology that can increase productivity and efficiency while making available better and cost effective products to the customers. However, at the same time, danger persists of some companies bringing in obsolete technology and flooding the market with low quality and potentially harmful goods.
If proper care is not taken to enforce modern regulatory standards, poor technology can even lead to industrial accidents, environmental degradation etc. causing severe loss of lives while impacting future generations. India has been on the receiving end of such a disaster in the form of the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 where leakage of methyl isocyanate from a pesticide plant of Union Carbide, an MNC, caused tremendous loss of lives, and scarring even the future unborn generations of Bhopal.
MNCs may also seek to exploit weak intellectual property laws in developing countries leading to the patenting of hitherto freely available technology or methods, which may cause an increase in price of related goods and services. MNCs are also reluctant to allow technology transfer to local partner companies in developing countries, rendering it forever reliant on expensive import of such technologies. Recent struggle by pharmaceutical companies to fight against compulsory licensing norms in India and attempts for ever greening of licenses even with slight variations in drug properties are examples of MNCs only caring for their bottom lines even when millions of lives are at stake.
By allowing MNCs to operate in its markets, a developing country may also benefit by increased competition in such sectors that can mean increased efficiency in domestic firms and better service or increase in choice of goods for the customer. However at the same time, this can destroy the domestic companies leading to the demise of domestic industry and large scale loss of employment in the domestic labor market. Big MNCs with their surplus capital, backing of private equity funds and better technology can sustain the ensuing losses for longer while wiping out the domestic competition who can’t match their deep pockets. A good contemporary example can be the e-commerce companies in India like Amazon, E-bay etc. which being backed by big private equity can cause losses to domestic offline retail business by offering huge online discounts to its customers.
Most of the developing economies also have relatively higher unemployment ratios as compared to the first world. MNCs can help by providing employment as they hire the comparatively cheaper labor in emerging economies to produce the required goods and services at low prices. However, an unregulated labor market can only mean exploitation via low paid manual work in harmful conditions.
With an increase in productivity, efficiency, employment etc. the developing country can potentially see an increase in its gross domestic product (GDP), average per capita income, as well as increase in living standards of its people. However, at the same time it can also be a drain on its precious natural resources in the form of neo-imperialism and lead to gross inequality in growth with the majority of capital getting concentrated in the hands of a few ‘haves’ at the cost of the ‘have not’s and the underprivileged sections of population.
Multinational Corporations can also harm sovereign interests of a developing country by dragging its government to international arbitration over policies that the MNC perceives harmful to its own interest. In most of these cases, it is a case of the domestic government protecting its poor population over the contractual rights of an MNC. Also, by forming lobbies and associations in the first world countries and then by pressurizing the developing nations to allow concessions; is another way in which MNCs can employ their arm twisting tactics. For e.g. the pharmacy association of the United States has been pressurizing India via the offices of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to have softer or more lenient IP regime for foreign pharmacy companies.
Therefore, clearly, MNCs have their merits as well as demerits, especially for a developing nation. On one hand with their surplus capital, cutting edge technology, management expertise etc. leads to increased production, productivity, efficiency, employment and better living standards, whereas on the other hand they can also harm by quick flight of money leading to volatility, obsolete technology, exploiting poor regulatory environment, killing indigenous industries etc. However the demerits can be restricted or avoided altogether by having tough yet encouraging regulatory environment in the field of finance, intellectual property, competition laws, labor laws, framing of contracts etc. and by ensuring speedy and just reddressal of grievances and disputes.
India has been reasonably successful in its liberalization attempts since 1991 mainly due to carefully opening up only specific sectors to foreign investments on a case-by-case basis and in a phased manner and not allowing full Capital Account Convertibility. India has been able to benefit from the dynamicity of MNCs while at the same time allowing enough space for its domestic firms to grow. This is the reason why India today boasts some of its very own home grown MNCs in the form of Tata, Infosys, Reliance, Wipro etc. who are now operating not only in the emerging countries of Africa and South Asia but also in the First World countries of North America and Western Europe.