A long walk home
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And these days those pictures are aplenty. Heart wrenching, distressing images of our fellow countrymen, whom we conveniently labeled as migrants — carrying everything and anything they can hold of — their belongings, stray pets, kids and parents and just walking. Walking to get away from these bright, resplendent city lights which attracted them previously like fireflies in the hope of a good life.
It is this aspirational group of fellow Indians, which has become a strong foundation on which the wobbly building of us city dwellers rests. And when your foundation moving, you become angry at first and then jittery. We reason out with them that now is not the time to leave, things will become better and the all pervasive law less supply will help them ultimately get them higher wages. But our migrant class is much smarter and strong on reason than we think. They know, that when there is no demand, supply less or more does not matter. No demand means no wages. And it is this no demand conundrum that our policy makers need to fix immediately.
Der Aaye. Durust Aaye
The government is finally coming out of its economic slough. The announcement of the last few days, a few structural and a few trivial, finally show that Modi 2.0 has realized that it is time to deliver what he promised at the start of Modi 1.0. Botch ups of demonetization, GST implementation and a bid to consolidate the Hindu vote had strayed that agenda. The current slew of announcements may not be the best but help us wake up from slumber. With a nudge here, a slice there, we can create conditions for demand which is the need of the hour. It is what we need today to get employment levels looking upwards.
The pandemic is not going to go anytime soon. They say whatever happens, happens for a reason. Apart from it being nature’s way of cautioning the humankind on the perils of interference with it, it should also act as a reset button of the Indian growth story. We should seize this moment with both hands.
People’s memory is short. You clean up this act of economy misery by creating conditions for growth again and they will forgive you for everything — der aaye, durust aaye. The same migrants will then come back again to the glistering lights of the city — and will stay back for good.