Living up "Atlas Shrugged"

I read Ayn Rand’s magnum opus “Atlas Shrugged” during my final year at college and I have been reading it over and over again, ever since. I’m sure everyone who has read the book faced that “swept off your feet” feeling and I’m no different.

What struck me the most was the way we can relate the on goings around us to the instances depicted in the book. It is as if, we are living the story of the book. And there are various instances around us to enunciate that!!

“Businessmen needing good Washington connections” –
This is well portrayed by the Ambani brothers. While Mukesh Ambani frequently has many a rendezvous with CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, his arch-rival and brother Anil Ambani is known to be particularly close to Samajwadi Party honcho Amar Singh.

“Nat Taggart was issued a notice by a local senator to shelf his transcontinental project” –
Ratan Tata and his Nano project received the exact treatment from the West Bengal government, kudos to the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Bannerjee. But of course, West Bengal’s loss became Gujarat’s gain. Narendra Modi has to be commended for striking gold at the right time. Ashok Kheny’s NICE project and Deve Gowda's subsequent road blocks against the infrastructural development is yet another example.

“The concept of a person’s need being glorified irrespective whether he toils to achieve it” –
The best example for this is something we have been witnessing for over decades in our country now; the reservation policy in our country!! With the passing years, the situation is only deteriorating rather bring about the desired progress. The Constitution, as originally drafted, laid down a percentage of reservation in the public sector for selected backward classes that were historically oppressed and denied opportunity, for a period of ten years, after which the situation was to be reviewed. This period was routinely (and conveniently) extended by our politicos and the idea which was supposed to be for a noble cause has been thoroughly exploited for vote banks with their “vote your caste” mantra, and no revisions were undertaken. A minister can claim “backward” status and benefit from the policy while a starving farmer, ignorant of the opportunity, continues to starve. Azim Premji, Narayan Murthy and their kind have no takers; be it their opposition over expanding reservation, or their idea of having reservation based on economic status.

I’m sure many more instances of this sort can be listed but there is no purpose served by listing out our issues and lamenting. We need to begin the change, to think and to act. I’m loathe to think of what would happen to our country, if God forbid, our very own Atlases choose to shrug. Viewing the situation around, I do wonder if we are heading the John Galt way!!