THE HIMAL ROUNDTABLE ON RE-CONCEPTUALISING SOUTH ASIA (18-19 NOVEMBER 2001)
Why do the people of South Asia, who constitute more than one-fifth of all humanity, remain so overwhelmingly, materially poor? Why do our children continue to toil by the million, and women continue to die unnecessarily during childbirth? Why are we so unconcerned about the sharply widening economic disparity within our societies? And why do 1.4 billion South Asians matter so little in the world?
It could be that the very 'structuring' of South Asia and its individual countries is inadequate to meet our aspirations. It could be that this keeps our self-identity and native genius from flourishing. For a region of overwhelming demographic and geographic diversity, the growth of the sequestered state-centric national consciousness has not always favoured social, cultural and economic advancement of all the people.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC, was a state-sponsored effort at rapprochement even before 'civil society' had woken up to the need for regionalism. But SAARC remains a bureaucracy-led effort of seven governments, a social solidarity designed to promote controlled management. Meanwhile, the regionalism espoused by 'civil society' has been well-meaning but unproductive. Despite the numerous pan-regional conferences, seminars and workshops of the last decade, there is less peace and equity all over. Our economies, education, public health and cultural wellbeing remain under attack without adequate response.