The Non-resident Political Radical (read: Extremist)

Ramchandra Guha writing in Outlook (Dec 17) [doing a great job, Vinod Mehta] mentions the startling and steady growth of influence of the non-resident types, he calls them extremists, “Few have noticed the steady growth in influence of another type of diasporic extremists, Non-Resident Political Radical (NRPR). [Yes I have seen this type; too, the sort that wears Indian they are virulently communal and abhor anything remotely secular in their outlook.] NRPRs are located in American Academia, as students and professors. They are fervently against LPG (liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation). This is despite being the beneficiaries of L, P and G themselves. Some NRPR offer socialist Cuba as an alternate economic model; some others offer the Gandhian ideal of the self-sufficient village economy. The NRPRs are prone to support, and influence, these social movements which share their distaste for their state, the market and the establishment.”

While agreeing with Guha that there are many who become extremists of one type or the other after they cross the borders, I do not know anyone offering socialist Cuba as a model economy. Considering as to how un-travelled and uneducated this blogger is, it is no surprise that the blogger doesn’t find any merit in the Cuban sort of socialism. Cuba has descended into poverty because of its socialist revolution. It used to be a prosperous country before. Whether Guha got this stereotype wrong remains to be seen, and why should these errant children of globalisation be against liberalisation and privatisation has me stumped. Oh well, some people are really very ungrateful, like they say, “Khaneki thali mein ched.”