At a time when India is patting herself on the back for performing some kind of difficult diplomatic manouvre, to applause from the domestic faithful and the intended foreign quarters, it was sobering to read Pulapre Balakrishnan’s incisive essay (No Ovation for India’s Stand on the Ukraine War, the Hindu 14 March 2022) that presents another perspective.
The country’s representatives have been at pains to justify the stand at the UN, as taken in the nation’s best interests particularly as it concerns the armament supplies, but the essayist dismantles this construction with cosummate ease. Another point quiet tellingly made by Mr.Balakrishnan is that “it would be natural for observers to equate the actions of the state in a democracy with the will of the people” which explains to some extent the travails of Indian students exiting Ukraine.
But what is most striking is the writer’s assertion that the country that put forward Panchsheel has displayed no commitment to principles. That raises the question of ethics and what we as a nation really believe in.
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