Dear Rajiv Ji,
The only battle I seem to be fighting, I hope not alone, is this idea about jobs, jobs and jobs. I am not convinced with the idea of – from being slaves only to become servants, as if. 7 Million is what you say we, as a nation, need to generate. So much of energy is spent to generate, sustain and to prepare people for, jobs.
The Anād Foundation’s resolve, for example, is to save the indigenous pedagogical processes. Our vernacular – art forms and cultural traditions – has been dying a slow death while some has only been commodified. Precious time has being lost, and our priceless intangible wealth almost irretrievably lost. There is no effort to, ignoring the cosmetic attendance, inspire the finest talent to become custodians of our cultural traditions. We have constantly lost our harvest of the intangible wealth and the tangible therein at an alarming pace and no one seems to have had the faculty to care for it all. In the very near future, every penny spent in safeguarding and rejuvenating all that still remains, will bring a lot of revenue and charisma that will attract the rest of the world to know us better as a people and even to visit us.
I have been in Bihar a lot in the last 12 months. Take for example, Pandit Raghuvir Mallik, a scion of the Dumraon-Darbhanga tradition of Dhrupad. Some of the rare repertoire he still possesses, he has forgotten quite a lot, needs to be organically preserved. Likewise, the exegetical attendance, languages (recognised and unrecognised) and their dialects, customs and traditions. One it is to run the country well, but then, one is to be the country as well.
Warmly,
Bhai Baldeep Singh
This letter was written by Bhai Baldeep Singh in response to Rajiv Kumar, Director, Pahle India Foundation’s statement which can be read here.