Free Minds and Free Markets
Published by Yazad Jal December 3rd, 2003 in LibertarianReason magazine celebrates it’s 35th birthday by bringing out a list of 35 heroes of freedom who have made the world a groovier place to be. The selection has some of my favourites (Friedman, Hayek, Navratilova, Rand and Simon), but is eclectic (Madonna, Mandela and Willie Nelson) and irreverent (Flynt, Rodman and “the Yuppie”) in equal doses. It has some rather inadvertent heroes in Ashcroft and Nixon. Bloggers can rejoice with the inclusion of Evan Williams.
For all its punch, Reason’s selection in largely Anglo-American. I wonder in the 12 years since liberalisation in India how many heroes championing free minds and free markets can we cobble up?
I shall attempt to list 12. No googlies here, so I am not going to add Laloo Yadav or George Fernandes for their craven efforts which have made Indians sick of the rot in governance.
A first draft of nominees, in no apparent order:
Swaminathan Aiyar
Parth Shah
Arun Shourie
Madhu Kishwar
Narayana Murthy
Ram Gopal Varma
Sharad Joshi
Jayaprakash Narayan
Sameer Jain
Ajit Balakrishnan
Protima Bedi
Khushwant Singh
Citations tomorrow.
Please explain Ram Gopal Verma and Protima Bedi?
And JP? He was a socialist. Yes he fought on freedom’s side against Indira Gandhi, but I thought this list was in the context of economic liberalisation.
Besides, you’ve missed out Rajaji, Minoo Masani, B R Shenoy, Nani Palkhiwala, any of whom deserve the slot vacated if you’d kick out JP.
Excuse my ignorance, but who is sameer jain?
All shall be explained. One criterion that I am keeping is that the person should have been alive in 1991. That means I have to reluctantly exclude both Rajaji and Shenoy.
And I’m talking about this JP.
Sameer Jain is the owner/MD of Bennett Coleman 7 Co.
What about Kiran Bedi?
How about yourself? Okay maybe not today, but how about in 20 years?
No, I’m not crazy. You have an unbelievable opportunity here with this blog. The blog format is the IMHO currently the fastest growing medium of the written language. The time is ripe for taking advantage of this growth. India has a very entrepreneurial culture and is primed to makes its mark on the world during this century. Indians would be very receptive to ideas about individual liberty, especially if they were exposed to and knew about those ideas.
I think you have an opportunity here to be someone who in 20 years will be looked upon as a champion of free minds and free markets. Make the most of it.
Hey I am noticing this just now. Khushwant Singh???
The same Khushwant Singh who supported the emergency on the ground that people needed a dose of discipline?
Jonathan,
Thanks for the compliment. I do hope so too.
Priya, Ravi,
All will be explained. When I have the damn time to spare from work and the wedding season.