I am here back to blogging ways after a short break. I was busy with my examinations and was not able to blog for quite a long time. We are into 2010 and I thought of revisiting on how we have progressed, particularly India, in the past few years. (Note: I am a common man and I write only on what & how I see - This is not a perfect analysis) !!
Well, the positives first -
Definitely the Communication revolution tops the list. We may still be in the second and third generation of mobile communication while advanced nations are talking in terms of the fourth generation. But - the level that the communication revolution has touched is truly tremendous. Even the most down trodden have cell phones in their hands. Here, I do accept that mine is a city level view and I do not know much about the interior villages and poorest of the poors. But, today, every village in India, is in one way or other connected to the national grid and that I count as a biggest achievement.
Aided by the strong communication links, IT industry and the service industry has grown leaps and bounds that has touched a lots of lives in India. Yes, unemployment exists even today - but, not to the extent that we feared before, say 15 or 20 years. In cities, if you have the right talents, you do have a job.
The National Highways - especially the "golden quadrilateral' - is a wonderful effort and needs thorough appreciation. Work is still in progress, but the whole concept and what we have achieved so far needs appreciation. Now we can boast of wonderful highways.
Media - It is no more "Doordarshan" alone !! We have a plethora of channels, newspapers and magazines. Probably, India is the only country where you can buy a magazine for as low as five rupees (10 cents ?)!! Unmindful of the standard, the growth of Media and its power is a plus.
Hospitals and Medical Science. Gone are the days when people requiring specialist treatments had to fly to America (ie. those who could afford to and others get ready to face the sufferings/death). Now, people from developed nations are flying to India to get treated - especially because of the cheaper rates (in their standards) in India. Affordability by a lot of poor people for the facilities available and the unwanted intrusion of Insurance in Hospitals are big holes that needs to be questioned !! Having said that, the facilities are in place and that is a big growth.
Automobile Industry. Cars of all makes and standards have replaced the Ambassadors and Fiats of olden days. Lots and lots of companies have set base in India providing employment opportunities.
Nuclear/Space Technology Our growth in Nuclear and Space science is truly a big achievement which we all Indians can be proud of. We never resorted to the "back door" tactics that may nations resorted to. Our growth on these spheres needs a big pat on our back.
Well - you can talk about a lot of dis-advantages in all the pluses that I have mentioned. But, every coin has to sides and that is the way it is. Yes, there are dis-advantages - but, we need to plug those leaking holes and cannot write off the pluses as such on the whole.
Now the negatives -
Food !! Even today, there are people who die of hunger !! I cant help but remember poet Bharathiyar's famous lines. Its very very sickening to hear about people who die because they do not have food to eat. What the Government is doing is still a mystery !!
Politics and Corruption - Lesser said - the better. Corruption and Politics have become synonyms in India. Politics and the politicians control the bureaucracy and hence corruption has percolated all government agencies with ease. Politicians who have criminal charges (read, murder offences) have become Chief Minister. Well, when one can become a President then why to speak about CMs !! People do not get shocked at all when scandals involving Judges, Generals and Ministers spill out !! It has become the order of the day !! Unless this is going to change, which I doubt very much, all the achievements that India has managed to score will go down the drain.
Tinkering with the Education system. Ours is a time tested education system and some politicians have started tinkering that !! Accepted that children should be stopped from commiting suicide due to pressure. But, when 0.001% is affected, what will you do - take measures to attend to 0.001% or decide to correct 99.999% ??
People and their attitude. The cultural change is sad to note. People are becoming more self centered. No one walks on the streets without mumbling into their cellphones. No one cares for rules and regulations. If you obey traffic rules, you become a laughing stuff (being honked at red light is just one example). "Its all ok" - is a sickening attitude.
Pollution. One of my friend who lives abroad mentioned that everytime he visits India, what strikes him first is the increasing amount of garbage on the roads !! Yes, it keeps increasing every day !! We still do not have any waste management plan !! We do not preserve nature and abuse them without any care. Water levels are decreasing and yet we do not mind polluting our water bodies. We may soon understand a different meaning for the term "water pressure" !!
Well, there are quite a few pluses and minsues - but the above mentioned are those that I thought needs a mention. Having said that - the one big aspect that needs to be addressed is the marriage of politicians and corruption. You fix that and you have a solution for most of the other aspects. That, unfortunately seems would never happen !! Not just in India, but world over !!
Well, the positives first -
Definitely the Communication revolution tops the list. We may still be in the second and third generation of mobile communication while advanced nations are talking in terms of the fourth generation. But - the level that the communication revolution has touched is truly tremendous. Even the most down trodden have cell phones in their hands. Here, I do accept that mine is a city level view and I do not know much about the interior villages and poorest of the poors. But, today, every village in India, is in one way or other connected to the national grid and that I count as a biggest achievement.
Aided by the strong communication links, IT industry and the service industry has grown leaps and bounds that has touched a lots of lives in India. Yes, unemployment exists even today - but, not to the extent that we feared before, say 15 or 20 years. In cities, if you have the right talents, you do have a job.
The National Highways - especially the "golden quadrilateral' - is a wonderful effort and needs thorough appreciation. Work is still in progress, but the whole concept and what we have achieved so far needs appreciation. Now we can boast of wonderful highways.
Media - It is no more "Doordarshan" alone !! We have a plethora of channels, newspapers and magazines. Probably, India is the only country where you can buy a magazine for as low as five rupees (10 cents ?)!! Unmindful of the standard, the growth of Media and its power is a plus.
Hospitals and Medical Science. Gone are the days when people requiring specialist treatments had to fly to America (ie. those who could afford to and others get ready to face the sufferings/death). Now, people from developed nations are flying to India to get treated - especially because of the cheaper rates (in their standards) in India. Affordability by a lot of poor people for the facilities available and the unwanted intrusion of Insurance in Hospitals are big holes that needs to be questioned !! Having said that, the facilities are in place and that is a big growth.
Automobile Industry. Cars of all makes and standards have replaced the Ambassadors and Fiats of olden days. Lots and lots of companies have set base in India providing employment opportunities.
Nuclear/Space Technology Our growth in Nuclear and Space science is truly a big achievement which we all Indians can be proud of. We never resorted to the "back door" tactics that may nations resorted to. Our growth on these spheres needs a big pat on our back.
Well - you can talk about a lot of dis-advantages in all the pluses that I have mentioned. But, every coin has to sides and that is the way it is. Yes, there are dis-advantages - but, we need to plug those leaking holes and cannot write off the pluses as such on the whole.
Now the negatives -
Food !! Even today, there are people who die of hunger !! I cant help but remember poet Bharathiyar's famous lines. Its very very sickening to hear about people who die because they do not have food to eat. What the Government is doing is still a mystery !!
Politics and Corruption - Lesser said - the better. Corruption and Politics have become synonyms in India. Politics and the politicians control the bureaucracy and hence corruption has percolated all government agencies with ease. Politicians who have criminal charges (read, murder offences) have become Chief Minister. Well, when one can become a President then why to speak about CMs !! People do not get shocked at all when scandals involving Judges, Generals and Ministers spill out !! It has become the order of the day !! Unless this is going to change, which I doubt very much, all the achievements that India has managed to score will go down the drain.
Tinkering with the Education system. Ours is a time tested education system and some politicians have started tinkering that !! Accepted that children should be stopped from commiting suicide due to pressure. But, when 0.001% is affected, what will you do - take measures to attend to 0.001% or decide to correct 99.999% ??
People and their attitude. The cultural change is sad to note. People are becoming more self centered. No one walks on the streets without mumbling into their cellphones. No one cares for rules and regulations. If you obey traffic rules, you become a laughing stuff (being honked at red light is just one example). "Its all ok" - is a sickening attitude.
Pollution. One of my friend who lives abroad mentioned that everytime he visits India, what strikes him first is the increasing amount of garbage on the roads !! Yes, it keeps increasing every day !! We still do not have any waste management plan !! We do not preserve nature and abuse them without any care. Water levels are decreasing and yet we do not mind polluting our water bodies. We may soon understand a different meaning for the term "water pressure" !!
Well, there are quite a few pluses and minsues - but the above mentioned are those that I thought needs a mention. Having said that - the one big aspect that needs to be addressed is the marriage of politicians and corruption. You fix that and you have a solution for most of the other aspects. That, unfortunately seems would never happen !! Not just in India, but world over !!
