A Scholar goes to the US Congress

In many ways the visit of Dr Manmohan Singh to Washington DC has put a gentle, scholarly face to India’s aspirations and governance. It...

In many ways the visit of Dr Manmohan Singh to Washington DC has put a gentle, scholarly face to India’s aspirations and governance. It gave him an opportunity to categorically tell the world that India thought the Iraq war was simply wrong. Saying that to the hosts follows the emerging tradition of going beyond homilies and saying what needs to be said while maintaining the relationships the leaders develop behind the camera. Not long ago we had George Bush chastising Putin and then claiming they were friends and he could share his thoughts freely.

Watching Manmohan Singh at the Joint session of the US Congress and Senate and the National Press Club it is clear that we have a PM who is easily appreciated for his sincerity, scholarship and humility. Despite his Oxbridge education, to the western world he still comes across as a thoroughly home-bred professor from the Punjab. But his unassuming demeanour wins both him and India some friends in unusual places. His thoughts seemed to be racing well ahead of his speech. He stammered a couple times, mixed up his words here and there, but he delivered minus any ambiguity the message of a strong and decisive India that preferred democratic ways of dealing with the world .

Talking to a few Congressmen after his speech left me with the distinct impression that they had heard his message clearly and had begun to appreciate the Indian viewpoint better.

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His plea for a global role for India has been taken seriously by his hosts, but this does not mean they are ready to support India’s claim to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council anytime soon. The largest democracy, yes; but India is still not strategic to the US in a way that it will automatically win a seat at the table. The 10th largest economy is still the 10th economy, not the sixth or the seventh. In his concluding interaction with the US media therefore, Manmohan Singh emphasised economics and energy, and suggested that if India continues to grow, the rest of the world will have no choice but to take notice. But if it falters, it will have its downside as well.

He generously thanked the US for its contribution in making India self-sufficient in food production by actively supporting the green revolution. He advised his hosts that a similar approach to the issues of the times, such as alternatives to hydrocarbon-based fuels, (read: nuclear energy), will go a long way in making India raise the quality of life of hundreds of millions of Indians.

He did not get trapped into responding to Nixon’s uncomplimentary observations about Indira Gandhi. Rather, he simply talked about the collaboration that has gone on between India and the US, and the contribution that is being made by two million Americans of Indian origin.

Interestingly, he did not talk about information technology, save when answering some questions wherein he argued for investments in hardware rather than software. On outsourcing, he was categorical that both American and Indian companies benefit, and so it should continue. But he gave no vision of an India where information technologies that have made India an important member of the global market will be the main plank of development. In his speech at the Press Club he used the phrase ‘information technology’ only once. In other words, it is not yet strategic to his mind, and the more significant issues for him are economic growth and energy security.

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He did not offer sound-bites, and that would explain why his visit may not be on the front pages as much as his press advisers would have liked. But his visit emphasised the power of humility and sincerity, something that comes with the confidence he has in himself and the awareness that the world concurs.

The writer is a management consultant http://www.aiti-kace.com.gh; http://www.dpindia.org; http://www.witfor.org