The trajectory of identity politics had a dramatic turn in this globalising era. The Indian state’s domestic policy increasingly coalesce with its foreign policy, ushering in a fuzzy dividing line; the breaking down of national boundary to accommodate international trade and ideology; the fetish of the Bretton Woods Institutions like the WTO & IMF to rationalise and liberalise our economy, all of them created a dent in our social fabric. The majority being subjected to the whims and fancies of the minority. The political assertion by the minority then had a domino effect, spilling over other realms of social activities as well.
With increasing number clamouring to assert themselves, we are literally sitting on a minefield, waiting to go off anytime. Perhaps certain external forces of post-liberal exigencies distort our understanding of bridging a gap betwixt the past and the present, tradition and modernity.
We cannot ill-conceive to juxtapose two anachronistic cultural eras side by side in a pressure cooker like situation. They will blow us up invariably. It has to be understood in terms of continuity and change.
The drama of identity politics has led us to the twilight zone of ethnic and cultural animosity. Education tinged with Historicism could well be the panacea of much social evils.
It is generally believed that education empowers a person, much less gives him a livelihood. Western education and knowledge system empowers one to consolidate his position in a hierarchy of status and power. Those who are at the cusp of power structure find it fit to subjugate the lesser humans. Significantly, hegemony presupposes that those who are subjugated over time give in to the domination of the elite. As long as the power that be is secure within the system, it all works fine. The writing on the wall becomes clearer as the dominated realises that the system is skewed in favour of the dominion. Within no time, the air of revolution thickens to a suffocating degree.
The rise of consumer and the shrinking of resources have exacerbated the situation. Ominously, while opportunity came banging at one door, it was a mild rap at the other. The equity gap seeped in to an abject form with the passage of time. Consequent to it, Sub-group identities began to jostle for political space who until now adhered to the larger grouping without any threat. Those who received a mild knock suspected conspiracy against them, thereby launching a full-blown fulmination to seek their newfound identity.
Globalisation has added new dimension in the job market. Traditional knowledge and education system is not sufficiently remunerative anymore. The assembly line manufacturing units demands specialisation; the boom in knowledge economy necessitates different kinds of skills and professionalism; the surge in service industry commands more values to the finished products. All these has caused the cleft betwixt the rich and the poor more evident and strident.
Our society, still stuck in money economy, cannot seem to bypass traditional system of knowledge production. Partly because of the orthodox hangover of the pre-industrial worldview. Revolution in communication and technology should arguably bring home some succour to our already frittered family income. Sadly that is not to be.
The answer lies in the fact that there is a huge gap betwixt our education system and the job market. Our parents are partly to be blamed who instil in us their tenacious belief in doctoring and engineering. There is a wide world out there with variegated options to pick from. Obviously we cannot all be a civil servant or CEO. We have to diversify and channelised our potential to our own advantage. Education plugged in to the job market will do more good than harm. Education being one important parameter to calibrate social equity, we will only undermine it at our own peril.
