A pompous king is persuaded by mischievous tailors that a ‘magnificent’ and extremely expensive suit they have produced for him can only be seen by clever people.
In fact there is no suit at all, so when the king wears the suit, the king is actually naked.
The king, then the king’s courtiers, and eventually the crowds at the next royal parade, are all tricked into agreeing that the king’s suit is wondrous, even though the king is naked. Each person does not dare to appear to be stupid. Nobody wants to be the first to question the claim.
So an entire population is persuaded to adopt a completely false belief – based on exploiting people’s individual pride, fear of embarrassment, and reluctance to be a lone voice of disagreement.
A little boy, who, unaware of the widely publicized mythical claims of the tailors, loudly pronounces the king to be naked, so exposing the sham.
This story reminds one of the inward looking policies and of the socialist, crony-capitalist economic policies that was followed for long since independence.
A word of note: I am not an anti-socialist, neither am I a capitalist to the core. The observation has been made to bring out the fallacies that were allowed to cultivate for decades, policies that were designed with, not the people and the condition of a young nation at the time, but rather with a view to project the young Indian nation as a Global leader.
It is necessary and in fact, absolutely critical to accept when a mistake has been committed in terms of alignment of policies – political and economic. Wouldn’t it do well for the current BJP Government to begin reconsidering the role their fundamentalist elements are playing? Isn’t it truly time to stop patronizing the countrymen and begin delivering the goods to the people? Isn’t it time to say, like the little boy, “You are wearing no clothes, My King!”? Is it not time to wake, not just the conscience but also the Industry of men and women of this nation?
And so we ask the King (The Government), know when you have been badly advised by clever tailors (Rogue ideological partisan economists, intellectuals, ministers, sycophants and businessmen). And we ask the People (and NGOs, CSOs, Media houses) to be like the Little Boy who stood with no fear and called a Spade a Spade.
If the people do not voice their opinions, concerns and dissatisfaction and hold the Government responsible to deliver upon the goods promised, the people will find themselves with a Naked King who they have to endure knowing very well that no good can come of him.