Vasu Gandikota: Dakshin Dialogues is yet again a time to discuss, debate the concerns of the South

More importantly, the South has focussed on education and healthcare; it has focussed on building social infrastructure: Feeding children in schools, making medical care available in the villages.

The South has sought to be inclusive, fighting against the entrenched systems set by religion and tradition. We have women and men from marginalised communities manning temples.

And, largely, the South does not consider those from the minority communities as aliens. We live with them much more harmoniously than in most other parts of the country.

Of course, the South is not perfect. There are daily, worrying incidents of discrimination and prejudice that tell us that there is still a lot of ground to cover.

Yet, in terms of social and developmental indices, there are parts of the South that are on a par with developed societies. Be it maternal and infant mortality rates, life expectancy, literacy levels, or population control, the South is several notches above most other parts of the nation.

It is not easy, this spatial existence of being a developed part of developing India. You are an easy target, suspected of running away with development, not waiting for the rest of the country to catch up.

Dakshin musings: Delimitation no weapon to weaken the South

The topics at hand

In the second edition of our annual conclave, Dakshin Dialogues, we gather yet again to articulate our thoughts on these issues.

The big concern in the South today is whether all the progress it has achieved will in some way be detrimental to its own interests. Whether the coming Delimitation of 2026 will somewhat disenfranchise it — just because it empowered women better and brought population growth to almost replacement levels. A delimitation exercise based solely on numbers is a worrying thought.

Today, in Dakshin Dialogues, we will devote an entire session to this complicated issue that needs to be addressed sooner than later.

The focus in several of the southern states on welfarism has in the recent past been derided as “freebies”. Are they truly “freebies”? Or are they much-required investments in our biggest assets: Our people?

This is another topic we will explore as we consider whether there is indeed a Southern Model of Governance, and whether it is something worth emulating.

There will be other subjects, too, that we will touch upon in the course of the day. For the South, federalism is an important idea, one that is enshrined in the Constitution. In the past, it is an idea that has suffered whenever there has been a strong Centre; perhaps it applies to the present too. The tendency then is to curb the powers of the states.

The only protection that the states then have is the judiciary. We will debate whether the judiciary has fulfilled its responsibility in protecting federalism… or whether it is buckling under pressure from an executive that has immense power… and is not chary of wielding it.

Finally, we will also talk of the way the South itself is growing — especially in its urban spaces. We will talk about Bengaluru and its chaotic present, and attempt to imagine a better future for the South’s most vibrant city and the ways to achieve it.

#DakshinDialogues2023@ShashiTharoor is all set to present the keynote address at @TheSouthfirst's annual conclave #DakshinDialogues on Saturday at ITC Windsor.

Watch him live at 10.45 AM pic.twitter.com/hncQ8IPP62

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) October 6, 2023

A Dakshin viewpoint: To pause or unpause delimitation

A voice that now matters

Let me close by saying a few words about South First.

We launched last year with the aim of focusing on some of the very issues we will be discussing during the course of today. We expected modest success. But I’m happy to say that we have grown beyond our most optimistic projections.

We are a voice that now matters on issues concerning the South, and we set a narrative that is distinct from the concerns that govern the so-called national media. To our dedicated readers, here is our promise. We will do better in the coming year.

Dreaming South: Celebrating the togetherness of difference

South First

Dakshin Dialogues is South First‘s annual thought conclave that brings together South India’s biggest political and judicial minds, and social activists, on one stage. While federalism was the primary theme of last year’s event, it will remain the core of each session this year too, as South First continues to focus on the other half of the India story. Dakshin Dialogues 2023 will see the likes of Vidadala Rajini, Khushbu Sundar, Shashi Tharoor, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and many others, discussing delimitation, the Southern model of governance, and so much more. Let the dialogues begin!

Watch the event live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI7PiM5KFJI

Or, watch here: