This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Administrator J. Brian Atwood
Network of South Asian Professionals
Washington, D.C., August 9, 1997
U.S. Agency for International Development
Next week India will celebrate its fiftieth year of
independence -- fifty years as the world's largest democracy. We
are here today because this anniversary has special meaning to the
Americans in this audience. Our own nation is all the richer for
the cultural heritage that your families brought from South Asia.
In reflecting on my remarks today, I remembered several
instances over the past decades when India -- its history, its
leaders, its people -- intersected with my life and influenced my
thinking. Unfortunately, my earliest thoughts were like those of
many in the English-speaking world. I thought of India as
romantic and mysterious, where maharajahs lived in gilded
palaces and where Englishmen fought courageously to advance
civilization. Sadly, Rudyard Kipling's graphic writings inspired
and prolonged the colonial mandate, distorted as they were.
But this was the world many American schoolchildren were
exposed to in the first part of this century and, unfortunately,
well into the forties and fifties. Perhaps this romanticized
perception of India made the news of protest and the rejection of
the British Empire all the more dramatic when it came in 1947.
The Indian revolution was not like the American one. It
was not led by warriors who hid behind rocks and trees to harass
the redcoats. Yes, there was some violence --too much of it after
independence -- but there was much less violent protest before
independence than there was potential for violence.
The Indian independence movement was led by a man whose
philosophy of non-violent struggle -- peaceful resistance -- has
influenced freedom fighters to this day. Mahatma Gandhi
brought down British colonial rule and his inspiration, his
teachings, his philosophy were later embraced by the likes of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu
Kyi, Corrie Aquino, Lech Walesa and so many other modern day
heroes of democratic change.
On August 14, 1947, a man who spent nine years in British
jails, spoke to the Indian Constituent Assembly to declare his
nation's freedom. Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Long years ago we
made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall
redeem our pledge.... At the stroke of the midnight hour, while
the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."
This conference celebrates this "tryst with destiny." You
will undoubtedly hear several references to the events of
August 14, 1947. I would only suggest that, as Americans, you
review the history of India in the context of our own national
experience as well. Gandhi and Nehru in their own way
demonstrated the same courage and wisdom as Washington and
Jefferson. Their foe was formidable but their desire for freedom
would not be denied. If you are Indian-American, pride in the
nations of both your heritage and your citizenship is not
misplaced.
My own fascination with India was certainly peaked during
the Kennedy Administration. President Kennedy sent John
Kenneth Galbraith, his friend and Harvard mentor, to New Delhi
as Ambassador to underscore his desire for a close relationship
with Prime Minister Nehru. Galbraith's book, The Ambassador
recounts both the collaboration and the tensions of that Cold War
period. The Kennedy Administration encouraged a relationship
of respect and of equality.
In the mid-1970's, I visited India for the first time. Just a
few weeks before, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Nehru's
daughter, had declared a national emergency shutting down the
parliament, an act that was severely criticized around the world.
Mrs. Gandhi's portrait in newspapers and editorials was that of
the wicked witch who had stolen her own father's precious
democracy. Political cartoons gave her arched eyebrows and a
defiant sneer.
The U.S. Ambassador warned my boss, Senator Tom
Eagleton, and I that this would not be an easy meeting. The
Prime Minister would not volunteer much, he said. Relations
with the U.S. were severely strained.
We walked into her modest home to hear the voices of
children playing in the backyard. Mrs. Gandhi greeted us with
great warmth in a beautiful sari. She called her grandchildren in
to introduce them and played with them briefly while tea and
cakes were served. Unlike her caricatures in Western cartoons,
she was a pleasant-looking, handsome woman with a disarming
smile.
Senator Eagleton started by asking the obvious question,
"Why did you do it?" Mrs. Gandhi proceeded to speak for forty
minutes, explaining her actions, discussing the history of
opposition efforts to disrupt the institution, relating her own
father's frustration with opposition tactics.
I remember feeling that she was defensive, much like
Lyndon Johnson explaining the Vietnam War. But I came away
thinking that this was a genuine democrat who felt she was forced
to take an action very much against her own democratic grain.
As you know, history later confirmed that assessment. Mrs.
Gandhi stood for election soon thereafter. She and her Congress
Party lost for the first time; they accepted defeat and Indira
Gandhi entered parliament as the leader of the opposition. A few
years later, she was elected Prime Minister once again.
She was assassinated standing outside that modest home
where we met. I will never forget our encounter, for while I
never had the opportunity to meet the founding fathers of India, I
saw in her their courage and wisdom. I also saw a very human
being who was struggling with her principles, attempting to get
something done for the people of India. As she played with her
grandchildren, I am sure she thought of all the children of her
vast nation.
Those of us who care about India and the subcontinent
should keep those children in mind. This is a country that will
see its population rise to one billion by the year 2000. What kind
of life will these young people face? Will their numbers add to a
growing middle class, now some 250 million strong, or will they
add to the body of underprivileged, underutilized and
undereducated? In other words, will they be productive workers
and consumers or will they be wards of the state and the
international community?
Winston Churchill, who could be as eloquent being wrong as
being right, once said, "India is a geographic term. It is no more
a united nation than the Equator." The Indian people have
proven Churchill very wrong as they have found coherence and
durability in their democratic system.
-- Indian democracy has helped avoid famine. With our
help, the Green Revolution saved millions of vulnerable
people and made India a net exporter of food.
-- Indian democracy has transformed the cast system and
produced a larger degree of social justice than anyone
imagined. Today, a person whose family came from
the "untouchable" cast serves India as President.
-- Indian democracy has educated millions and produced
scientists, entrepreneurs and artists that have led the
world in their fields.
Much remains to be done as we all know. India has more
poor and illiterate people than all of Africa. Its population is
rising faster than its ability to provide social services. But India,
I predict, will benefit greatly from economic reform and its
democracy will enable it to sustain growth well into the future.
Recently, India has earned well deserved praise by taking
the initiative to improve relations with its neighbors. The water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh, and the pact on hydroelectric
power with Nepal, sends a clear message to the world that India
can provide the leadership necessary to address some of South
Asia's most pressing problems. In shaping these initiatives, India
sent fresh signals to the region about its intention to respect the
needs and sensitivities of its neighbors.
Similarly, Prime Minister Gujaral's efforts to reach out to
Pakistan could help ease tensions between India and that nation.
The United States welcomes these developments. Better relations
with Pakistan could bring very tangible benefits to both nations.
Both India and Pakistan spend about $280,000 a day -- a day -- to
keep troops stationed on the snowy wastes of Siachen Glacier.
That money would be better used to educate the next generation.
Peace would provide hope for the next generation and so
would continuing economic growth. India embraced widespread
economic reform six years ago and the country has undergone a
tremendous transformation. Never before has India been better
positioned to meet the needs of its own citizens. And never
before have the conditions been so amenable to making the ties
between our two nations even stronger.
The United States has been especially pleased to support
these important strides toward liberalizing the Indian economy
and unleashing the productive energies of the Indian people.
Already the United States is India's largest trading partner, and
American enterprises are the largest investors in India, accounting
for 40 percent of direct foreign investment in crucial areas such
as electronics manufacturing, software development, power,
consumer products, and telecommunications. The United States
and India do over $8 billion of trade annually, and this figure will
continue to expand.
I am very pleased that the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) has been able to assist with these reform
efforts. The energy sector, although only one of our activities,
offers a good example of the mutual benefits of U.S. engagement
in India. Since 1993, USAID's India Private Power Initiative has
supported the Indian government's efforts to attract local and
foreign investments in private power to meet growing energy
needs.
Since the program's inception, private firms have submitted
proposals to construct 131 power plants. Five large power deals
have been closed, three of which involve U.S. firms and are
valued at $168 billion. These power plants will be constructed in
accordance with environmental guidelines that incorporate
efficient, clean technologies.
USAID's Greenhouse Gas Pollution Prevention Project is
helping promote cleaner energy production in India. USAID is
working with the Indian National Thermal Power Corporation,
the U.S. Department of Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority
and the Electric Power Research Institute to improve the
operating efficiency of existing coal-fired power plants and reduce
pollution. USAID's utility partnership program is joining U.S.
and Indian electrical utilities in two-year partnerships. These
partnerships are structured to allow Indian utilities to improve
operations and management as they expose U.S. utilities to the
Indian market.
Reforms in the energy sector and across-the-board efforts to
cut red tape and invigorate private enterprise have triggered a
cycle of growth and economic expansion. If pursued to its
logical conclusion, that cycle will place India among the world's
more dynamic economies in the next century.
While the progress India has made during this decade is
remarkable, we must also be candid about the challenges that
remain. Continued economic progress is contingent upon further
improvements in human resource capacity. We all know that
India continues to face profound challenges in providing sufficient
food, jobs, medical services, schools and infrastructure for its
growing population.
The United States assistance program of about $150 million
in 1996 is helping India to help tackle some of these challenges.
USAID is working to help India with programs supporting
economic reform, health and family planning, food security and
environmental protection.
USAID provides nutritious food supplements to some
seven million malnourished children and mothers daily in India.
Working closely with the government and the private sector, we
helped launch India's over-the-counter stock market. We helped
strengthen capital market regulation and operations to facilitate
billions of dollars of potential new investment in India. USAID
is also promoting ties between U.S. and Indian agribusinesses,
building on America's strong comparative advantage in that
industry. Our voluntary family planning programs are helping
Indians have smaller and better cared for families. USAID
programs helped establish new approaches to financing urban
infrastructure and expanded the availability of housing finance for
poor and middle income families.
We have a good development partnership. Though we are
very different nations, we share a great deal: a commitment to
democratic traditions; freedom of speech and religion; respect for
minorities, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary; civilian
control of the military; a free press; and the idea that each
individual should have the opportunity to develop his or her
talents to the fullest.
The fact that India has so clearly associated itself with these
values is important to the United States and, indeed, to all people
who concern themselves with the future of free nations. India,
the world's largest democracy, is a model to nations around the
world of a civil society that has found strength in its diversity.
Why then has it been difficult to get Americans to focus on
India? I could not help but be struck by an article in last week's
edition of Newsweek that noted, and I quote,
"Americans, who ponder their relationship with China and
Russia, remain apathetic to the nearly one billion people
who populate India. Who can name the nation's Prime
Minister? Mention India, and Mother Teresa is more likely
to come to mind, not its booming software business."
Clearly, it is incumbent upon all of us here today to do a
better job of explaining to the public why the U.S has such a vital
interest in India. There are more than a million Indian-Americans in this country, and you are increasingly making your
voices heard. It will be your voices that help shape public policy
toward India. You need to speak out in favor of engagement.
You need to work hard to dispel misperceptions among the
American public about India. You need to make the case that our
policy toward a fellow democracy is every bit as important as our
relations with nations we view as potential or former threats.
Informing the people is the challenge of making good policy
in a democracy. If we cannot explain our positions and gather
support for them, we should not expect them to be warmly
embraced. Churchill was both eloquent and right when he said
that democracy is the worst possible system of government, with
the exception of all others. It is unwieldy, difficult to manage,
and yet breathtaking in its inspiration.
India and the United States stand before the world as role
models of democracy, tolerance and respect for the rights of
minorities. If either of our nations fail to live up to the high
standards we have already set in that regard, we will send a
terribly negative message to other nations striving to live at peace
with themselves.
It is imperative that we combat the divisive forces within
Indian and American societies that would turn people against each
other for no better reason than the God they pray to, the language
they speak or the color of their skin. President Clinton once
said that -- and I believe this applies to India every bit as much as
to America -- "We are a national mosaic where all the pieces
come together to make a picture that is the envy of the world.
Nothing could give us a greater asset for the 21st century than
our diversity."
Those are words that I believe would be embraced by the
historical giants who helped shape the birth of India and who
have helped make it such a proud nation today. Like you, I have
been inspired by those giants.
When India seized its freedom at midnight on
August 14, 1947, it confirmed the principle of inalienable rights,
the principle that all people are born equal, the principle that
human rights are incontrovertible. When that success was
achieved, Gandhi was forever linked with Washington and Nehru
with Jefferson. Gandhi, long after his own death by an assassin's
bullet, provided the inspiration for Martin Luther King's success.
And King's life and his martyrdom inspired countless others. In
this way the small ripples build into the tidal wave of consensus
that represents today's almost universal endorsement of
democracy and the rights of the individual.
So you see, not only Hindus believe that living things are
interconnected and that there is tremendous power in positive
accomplishment. Whatever policy differences India and the
United States may have at any given time, the freedom we
achieved at different moments of history connect us inextricably.
Indian-Americans in this audience may seem a visible and
tangible manifestation of our interconnectedness. But the ties that
bind Indians and Americans run deeper than heritage; they are
profoundly philosophical. We are diverse peoples who believe
that we have experienced very similar "trysts with destiny." So
as we celebrate this fiftieth anniversary, let us also celebrate a
common belief in freedom and democracy. Thank you.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 18, 2001
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