REV.JESSI JACKSON, US CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST’S VISIT TO INDIA

Rev. Jessi Jackson, American Civil Rights Activist who fought along with Dr.Martin Luther King Jr once against the discrimination of African Americans visited India last week. Rev. Jackson flew straight to Kolkata, in commemoration of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the fire brand freedom-fighter who fought against the colonial regime of Britain. Media-world especially the electronic media caught in the election fever either ignored his visit or didn’t deem fit to cover Dr.Jackson’s visit to India.

On going thru Jackson’s speech majority of Indians would be pleasantly surprised about the ground realities facing the nation.

In the course of his speech he dwelt on the fact that both US and India, the largest democracies though taste freedom, social and economic inequality still stare at the faces of both nations.

He had no qualms to point out that though India is a fast developing nation economic inequality grips the nation with the wealth being cornered by a few and a vast majority still remaining at the bottom line. Jackson did make it amply clear that ‘too few have too many, too many have nothing’.

Rev. Jackson invited the attention of citizens gathered at the function that ‘poverty breeds terrorism and terrorism leads to fear’ among the people the world over. True, poverty breeds terrorism to a large extend but among the terrorists, even highly educated youth too play a prominent role especially those groomed by the hard-core militant outfit Al-Qaeda. They are imparted the message of Islamic Fundamentalism and are brainwashed which prompts them to play havoc across countries massacring hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens by launching sophisticated weapons and suicide bombings.

He talked about various nations which are on good terms with US exporting various items for the growth of US in return for massive investments in those countries. As far as India is concerned it exports ‘brains’ to US by which he meant highly educated Indian youth fully conversant with science and information technology are lured to US by offering lucrative emoluments. America’s tremendous growth in the field of science and technology is driven by the Indian youth.

While talking of India’s fight for freedom against Britain, both Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose chose their own ways to liberate the nation from the colonial powers. While Mahatma Gandhi chose non-violence to force the colonizers flee the country, Subash Chandra Bose chose armed revolution against the British. With both adopting different methods to liberate the nation it was not at all a blood-less revolution. Much blood spilt before India achieved freedom - Rev. Jackson pointed out.

India still has to tread a lengthy road to bring prosperity and social equality. Rev. Jackson like a typical Indian citizen has studiously gone through the stark realities facing India and we must be grateful to him for paying a visit to India and make everyone aware of our duties and responsibilities for the steady growth and prosperity of India.

It is unfortunate that with the nation caught in election fever his message did fail to attract a broad spectrum of audience.