Not long ago, Sri Lanka was better off than India was on these global indexes. And hence, a lesson to the Modi government on how to govern
When I was a child, we used to live a few doors away from the home of this kid we called Piku. He was older than me, and a couple of grades ahead. In fact, I saw very little of him. Now, as a typical middle-class Indian kid, I would dread bringing home my report card thrice a year from school to show my parents. Do you see that your marks have gone down in this or that subject, they would ask. Okay, maybe you scored better than last time, but what about last year? You used to be more diligent. All you want to do these days is play cricket.
And finally, what will you do when you are older and need to study even more? Do you know how many hours Piku-da studies every night? The answer to this question, supplied by my parents, would range anywhere from four hours to six hours and sometimes even an impossible nine hours. Nevertheless, I would shudder.
Since we all went to the same school, I found out one day. Piku-da had failed the sixth grade. It turns out that my parents had made it all up. About Piku being a brilliant student and all. It had just been a tactic to keep me scared.
Something very similar is happening between India and Sri Lanka right now. As India ships thousands of tons of food and fuel to keep the island nation afloat, we cannot help asking. Whatever happened to all those global indexes on which Sri Lanka was beating India hands down? And to the experts who made these indexes? I am afraid I cannot see them as ambitious, but ultimately unselfish parent-like figures who just want India to do better. More likely that these are grown-ups with specific interests in mind, and who respond to specific incentives.
It seems that every other day, some ‘global index’ comes out, showing India’s rank has gone down this or that number of places. We told you so, critics of PM Modi proclaim triumphantly. Whenever the government tries to defend itself, or question the methodology of these indexes, they are mocked. Don’t run away from reality, they say. Don’t you know that these indexes are prepared by experts? How dare you question them?
The reality, however, is cargo ships crossing the straits near India’s southern tip right now, loaded with lakhs of tons of urgent relief material for the people of Sri Lanka. You may or may not be someone who likes to stick it to common Indians by saying that ‘Ram Setu’ is a myth (while keeping silent on Jesus, for instance). But I assure you that the 2.7 lakh metric tons of diesel that India just sent to Sri Lanka are not a myth.
As an Indian, I take no joy in the troubles of Sri Lanka. I am glad we are doing everything we can to help. My taunts are meant for the experts who came up with all those indexes looking down on the state of affairs in India. I remember the noted expert Kaushik Basu, a former chief economist with the World Bank, had shared a chart showing India’s GDP contracting more than Sri Lanka (in 2020), and India also having more Covid deaths per capita. Portions of this data soon made it to Rahul Gandhi’s social media timeline. Any updates on that?
If the critics made the best of an outlier year that happened due to a once-in-a-century shock event, the various index makers were worse. What about the recent Global Happiness Index? India ranks 136th, while Sri Lanka is ranked higher at 129th. How? Will asking that question to the experts invite jibes of being uneducated, a ‘bhakt’ and a graduate of ‘Whatsapp University’?
India ranks 136th, while Sri Lanka is ranked higher at 129th. How? Will asking that question to the experts invite jibes of being uneducated, a ‘bhakt’ and a graduate of ‘Whatsapp University’?
What about the Global Hunger Index, which became the focus of such a media obsession in India? India is ranked 101, while Sri Lanka is leagues ahead of us at 65th. And yet, India is sending food aid to Sri Lanka. Because hunger is real, while hunger indexes are not. Did you know that President Biden has just warned Americans of food shortages? Meanwhile, India’s granaries are so full that we are getting ready for bumper exports of wheat to countries around the world.
What about the Global Hunger Index, which became the focus of such a media obsession in India? India is ranked 101, while Sri Lanka is leagues ahead of us at 65th. And yet, India is sending food aid to Sri Lanka. Because hunger is real, while hunger indexes are not.
I know. It is time for the experts to make technical excuses. As usual, I forgot to read the fine print that says the experts don’t actually take responsibility for anything. I forgot to read the part that says these are experts who excel at exercising their expertise. You may pay tribute to them, but you may not hold them accountable.
Also Read: China Prefers Messed up Economies, but Sri Lanka’s Mess is of Its Own Making
Then, there is the celebrated Human Development Index, or HDI. Again, Sri Lanka is miles ahead of us. We are ranked number 131, while they are at number 72! What happened there? Did you know that the Human Development Index is based upon the work of Amartya Sen? By the way, I am looking at you, Kerala. Don’t let your liberal politicians fool you. Ask them to discuss jobs, wealth creation, investment and ease of doing business, not HDI.
Who wants to read the Global Gender Gap report that places Sri Lanka some twenty places ahead of India? Or the Inequality Report, which places Sri Lanka over thirty places ahead? So let us see. Sri Lanka has more happiness, less hunger, better human development, less wealth inequality, and better gender equity than India. And yet…
Again, this is not about picking on Sri Lanka. This is about asking questions to the experts. What is the real-world value of those indexes that you churn out day after day?
Meanwhile, our intellectuals have already changed tack. Not long ago, Sri Lanka was better off than India was on these global indexes. And hence, a lesson to the Modi government on how to govern. Today, it is the opposite. The intellectuals insist that Sri Lanka is a majoritarian state, with economic policies that are exactly the same as that of the Modi government. So, either way, it is always a lesson for Modi!
Also Read: Voice from Sri Lanka: The Sea of Protesters is Not Going Home Until Rajapaksa Does
But then, perhaps the trouble is not with the intellectuals. It is with people who take them seriously. Why do we give so much importance to those with no skin in the game? In our national psyche, there is this image of the sage-like expert, detached from worldly pursuits, giving out knowledge to those who seek.
But real-world experts are not like that, even the biggest ones. Are you worried about rising prices? Then meet Paul Krugman, public intellectual, professor, New York Times columnist, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. And most importantly, a supporter of the ‘liberal’ Biden regime. He says he has seen no evidence that inflation hurts the poor. In fact, he has a chart that shows that the more prices rise, the better for the poor! Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, my friend. We have a couple of Indian-origin folks on that list as well, right?
But we respect the experts too much, we value the doers too little. Indeed, if there is a problem with India, it is that we have not developed enough of an anti-intellectual tradition. America was built by the pioneers, not its intellectuals. They invented the lightbulb and the airplane. They were entrepreneurs, hustlers, and robber barons. They built the railroads, the mines, the steel mills and the factories that won two world wars. They did all the good, bad and ugly things that made America the richest and most powerful nation on earth. The hand-wringing intellectuals came much later, and they gave us wokeness.
So how do you make one of these indexes? Believe me, it is easy. Pick up some indicators, and assign some weights to them until you have something you can call your own formula. Play around with hundreds of indicators, and weights, till you have exactly the rankings you want. With the widespread availability of Excel software, this has never been easier.
In fact, even that might be too much intellectual honesty for the experts. To have an index, you don’t even need real-world data. You can survey other experts and create your own data. That is how many of these ‘democracy indexes’ and ‘press freedom’ indexes have come to be. ‘Aapko kaisa lag raha hai,’ call ten of your friends in India and ask. Or not, because you don’t have to publish their names anyway. So take ten people who might not exist, ask for their opinions, plug in some fractions to create a ‘formula’ and generate rankings. Then you sit back and relax as the liberal ecosystem amplifies your ‘findings.’
Of course, I am exaggerating, but not by very much. There is in fact a famous global index for which they surveyed the opinions of 370 unnamed experts worldwide. And before you ask, India was ranked last in this list. Look it up.
Oh, and what happens when India manages to do well on one of these indexes? The intellectuals throw a fit, and ask for a recount. This is what happened with the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. As it turns out, the data had been manipulated after all. In favor of China, not India.
As Sri Lanka struggles, and India helps, one wonders how the anti-India lobbies will demonise us over this. They have already labeled India as the real villain of the war in Ukraine, with India staying neutral and buying a tiny bit of Russian oil. The European countries, who have spent 35 billion Euros on Russian oil since the war began, and provided 1 billion Euros of aid to Ukraine, certainly agree.
On the topic of Sri Lanka, the anti-India lobby has already made its opening moves. First, they accused both Sri Lanka and India of being majoritarian states with similar economic policies. Now, a major Indian newspaper has taken it one step further. They say that Indian aid is an effort to keep Rajapaksa in power against the wishes of his people. They slipped in this talking point very smoothly as well. They attribute it not to some expert, but an unnamed protester on the beaches of Sri Lanka. Yes, propaganda is truly a work of art. The day is not far when India will be accused of an imperialist plot to take over the small island. Watch this space.
Abhishek Banerjee is an author and columnist. He tweets @AbhishBanerj. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of the publication.
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