The role of sate

Let me here confine to Indian reactions to modernization though the idea of modernization has been critiqued both in Indian and Western perpectives. I argue that the construction of alternative forms of social institutions in modern India has to be based on the principle of cooperation and holism as against competition and one dimensional growth. Concepts of cooperation and holism are consistent with the basic spiritual and Dharmic frameworks of Indian traditions and to a limited extent pose challenge before liberal capitalism as well as Marxism. However, in a large and diverse society cooperation cannot come spontaneously and it has to be achieved through the mediation of state. The problem is that a large and complex society, like India, having multiple collective actors with diverse backgrounds, networks and visions, would need a strong state which can pass laws to actualize cooperative and holistic images and implement them effectively but state has a tendency to become coercive and use various legitimation processes to achieve its own ends. In parliamentary democracy such as India votes do not come from the visions or dreams of development. Legitimation requires mobilizing masses on grounds other than those internal to development standards, i.e., on grounds other than class interests though there is a real danger that this mobilization may produce varieties of Fascism. There is no other way in which we can counter the growing appeal of modernization, equality, or alternatively, the appeal of Marxism. So the choice is between authoritarianism and modernism. In this situation, we need to support modernism and give it a humanistic turn.