Swadeshi is past its sell-by date

WhatsApp uncles have been out in force after the Prime Minister’s clarion calls to buy swadeshi.

- KANIKA DATTA

WhatsApp/Arattai Uncle — out of the blue: “Hello All, can we shift this group from WhatsApp to Arattai. Thanks.”

Respondent 1: GOOD (preceded by a large thumbs up emoji)

Respondent 2: What are the benefits!

Respondent 1 sends a long list of Indian equivalents of US-branded apps. Mostly, they offer domestic equivalents of Chrome, Gmail, MS Word, PowerPoint, and so on.

Respondent 2 repeats: Benefits?

Respondent 1: Swadeshi

After that, all is silence.

That’s no surprise. The concept of Swadeshi in all its many-splendored variations has moved a long way from its original historical roots in the colonial struggle. Today, it remains an issue feverishly debated in the realm of politics and competition-averse Indian business. Immediately after economic liberalisation in 1991, it had been mobilised by a Bharatiya Janata Party, wrong-footed by the initial swiftness of economic reform, and the Left bastion, viscerally opposed to any policy that loosened state control. Both entities earned grateful contributions from businesses struggling to cope with the mild winds of globalisation that blew across India’s shores. Indeed, as long as the Left opposed foreign investment in retail, it received generous funding until the entry of the online giants rendered the issue moot.