The Rāma Rājya Paradigm Of Development

Pointers To Make India A Developed Country

It is evident that if India has to join the league of highly developed countries, it must break free from the middle-income trap it seems to be caught in.

The middle-income trap is nothing but the superficial sense of insecurity that binds people and society. Such a people constantly seek dependency on others as a means to security. Breaking free from the trap means the discovery of freedom.

Indian Economy

India has come a long way since 1947, when the country became free from British rule. Colonialism crippled India and had made it dependent on the foreign power. The initial focus of the policy makers of independent India was, rightly therefore, to achieve economic self-reliance.

The narrative completely shifted to development, following a ‘balance of payments’ crisis in 1991 and the subsequent ‘liberalisation’ of the economy under the influence of the World Bank. Consequently, from a mere 1.25 per cent in the three decades after independence, India’s Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.) growth reached a peak of 9.6 per cent in 2006.

However, despite India being one of the fastest growing economies in the world at present, it would take it several decades, if not more, at its present rate, to catch up with the most advanced countries, under the condition that their economies remain stagnant.

Western Development Model

Every human being’s mental and physical capabilities are unique. It is this uniqueness that makes him valuable to society. An orderly and efficient management of human resources is therefore crucial for any society.

If we study the trajectories of the advanced countries of the world, it can be observed that their development paradigm stressed on nurturing human resources.

The foremost element in the paradigm was liberty. These nations encouraged their citizens to discover freedom in their own way. This they did by investing in and taking care of the social infrastructure and security needs of the people. As a result people were freed from the drudgery of working for their basic needs of roti, kapda and makan. The safe environment enabled them to focus on their higher inclinations.

A great number of people, as a consequence, began realising their potential. The nations became developed riding on the creative contributions of these individuals.

Based On ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ Theory

The West developed by creating the right ambience for citizens to achieve self-actualisation. A person who is living creatively and fully using his or her potentials can be called a self-actualiser.

Self-actualisation is the highest human need listed in the five-tiered ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory postulated by the famous American psychologist, Abraham Maslow.

According to Maslow, self-actualisation is "the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualised in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."

Maslow based his theory on case studies of historical personalities who he believed were self-actualised, including Albert Einstein and Henry David Thoreau. He propounded that people have lower order needs that in general must be fulfilled before high order needs can be satisfied. He classified them in a pyramid chart with physiological needs as its base, followed by safety, belongingness, esteem, and finally self-actualisation at the top.

Dead End

The self-actualisation model, however, is not without its shortcomings.

In practice, it can be observed that the focus on self-actualisation, although high-up in the hierarchy of needs, leads to self-obsession. It spurs bitter competition among people, creates divisions among them and, as a result, ends up breaking societies.

It is this that has led developed countries reach a dead-end today. While their model enabled high economic development, it was at the cost of family and society.

The self-actualisation model is an egocentric paradigm that is clearly at the root of all conflicts in the world.

Way Forward For India

There is no option for India than providing its citizens with the necessary environment to achieve self-actualisation. India must ensure that its citizens are absolutely secure in mind and body. This will empower people and motivate them to take risks, the most crucial element in entrepreneurship.

But that alone would not be enough. We must learn the lessons from the experience of the West. To address the loop-holes in their self-actualisation model, India must pioneer the self-transcendence paradigm.

Luckily for us, we need not have to reinvent the wheel. All it entails is to ensure that the petty ego is subsumed, in due course, by the Universal Ego. This can be done simply by bringing the elements of the Western model under the supreme umbrella of Dharma. Everyone then would be working, not for their selfish interest, but for the welfare of entire humanity.

And that verily would be Rāma Rājya!

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(Published by Tattvāloka Online, June 2019)