Rajan clarifies on his 'one-eyed man' comment

 RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan clarified on his comments about the one-eyed man being the king stating that the country has not yet achieved its potential in terms of growth.

“My intent was to signal that our outperformance was accentuated because world growth was weak, but we in India were still hungry for more growth.”

“I then explained that we were not yet at our potential, though we were at a cusp of a substantial pick-up in growth given all the reforms that were underway,” Rajan said, while speaking at 12th NIBM Convocation in Pune.

Speaking to a foreign journalist recently, who asked Rajan about what it felt like to be the bright spot in the world economy, Rajan had used the phrase ‘Andhon mein kana raja’ or ‘In the Land of the Blind, the one-eyed man is king’.

Rajan also stated that his words were perhaps taken out of context by the media as also offered apology in case his statements hurt the blind.

“I do, however, want to apologise to a section of the population that I did hurt, the blind. After all, the proverb suggests that a one-eyed man is better than a blind one. A moment’s thought suggests this is not true.”

“For the blind can develop capabilities that more than make up for their disability. Indeed, the sheer willpower and hunger to succeed of the disabled can help them become over-achievers in a seeing man’s world.”

“Moreover, because their other faculties such as touch, smell, and hearing, are more finely honed, the blind may add new perspectives and new variety to our world, making it richer and more vibrant. So I am indeed sorry for implying the blind were otherwise than capable,” Rajan added.

“Every word or phrase a public figure speaks is intensely wrung for meaning. When words are hung to dry out of context, as in a newspaper headline, it then becomes fair game for anyone who want to fill in meaning to create mischief. Worst, of course, are words or proverbs that have common usage elsewhere, because those can be most easily and deliberately misinterpreted. If we are to have a reasonable public dialogue, everyone should read words in their context, not stripped of it. That may be a forlorn hope,” Rajan said.