Curiously, but not unexpectedly, India ranks 116th in a global happiness report that surveyed the scene in 147 nations. Holding the top rank, repeatedly for the ninth year, is Finland, a Nordic nation of nearly half a crore people, set in north Europe, bordering Russia and close to the Arctic. A part of the Russian empire, Finland declared Independence following the 1917 Russian Revolution; breaking away from the Communist mould. Finland was the first country in Europe to grant universal suffrage, and the first nation to give all adults the right to run for public offices. Finland’s transformation from an agrarian economy to an industrialised nation since the 1950s helped in the fast-paced growth of its economy. Tiny Finland’s Nokia phones were a rage in the initial phase of the cell phone revolution. The nation ranks high in education, prosperity, and competitiveness; the net result being that a happy society has been shaped with great success. Curiously again, all the five Nordic countries found themselves in the top six positions in the happiness index. Among them were Sweden and Norway.
Notably, the global happiness index list compiled by University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre with UN support linked the happiness to mainly four factors – GDP per capita, life expectancy, individual freedom, and levels of corruption. The GDP per capita of Finland is in the range of around $55,000. Aspiring economic super power’ India’s GDP per capita is in the range of $2,700. Life expectancy for Finland is at 80 plus, while for India, it’s 70 plus. Corruption at both political and bureaucratic levels is sky-high, mind boggling; and the scenario keeps worsening due to lack of competent leadership at the helm, and resultant freewheeling subversion of the systems. This is the result when politics is the turf for a semi-literate bunch that lacks discipline.
As for the level of happiness, the quality of the leadership matters. Every time a government changes here, the new rulers follow the same pattern set by the previous leaders and governments. Bold reforms and a progressive reduction of state controls are the way forward to change the quality of life. Here, laws are being made at the drop of a hat, as politicians elected to representative bodies think this is their only job. They carry the tag of law-makers. A former Supreme Court chief justice had openly stated that the surfeit of laws had reached a level that judges are confused. One law contradicts the other. A society, over a course of time, should become more liberal and progressive. The reverse is happening here. Fundamentalist streaks are getting stronger; and in some cases, the scenario has turned worse than that of Saudi Arabia. The ageing anachronisms who fashion themselves as leaders, who are past their prime, are a curse on any nation. Implicit in this argument is that the leadership profile of the nation must be more youthful. Under the existing scenario, no individual here can lead a happy life, other than of course the corrupt creed who loot the public exchequer or take bribes at every turn, or traders who flout rules, act like Shylocks and fleece the people.
