Tuesday, February 13, 2007

India Shining ??

India has been in the news off late and how !! In fact on a recent episode of 'The tonight show with Jay Leno' he joked that, George Bush accepted that the US economy was moving...albeit to India !!!! With Corus , Vodafone and other multi billion dollar deals being sealed as I painstakingly type this, what picture would one conjure of today's India ?
It is a given that a hitherto unknown concept of flashy takeovers by Indians has now become a reality.Everyday pictures of India's wealthy and therefore famous paint our newspapers....It is a good sign that our economy is on the upslope of a seemingly endless peak....Does this newfound wealth trickle down to that 60% of our country, the chunk which rises and sleeps in abject poverty? How does India Shining illuminate their lives ?
Perhaps it doesnt really impact the common, middle class person as much either.Perhaps it feels that way because the divide is not as large or as stark.But what becomes of Raju who at 11 years works to support his large family,what of Gangu bai whose drunken husband has a roving eye,leaving her little money to support her kids..what of those people who eat two meals a day -thats all their money can buy and what of the children who live on the street who sniff glue or smoke bidis to drive away unsatiable hunger pangs?
How does this spell justice ? The divide is growing as though a chasm , and the age old adage 'The rich get richer , the poor poorer' could never have been as apt.Why is there such a large abyss between these two sects - the chosen few and the children of a lesser God ? How does one begin to bridge this gap ? Why does none of the wealth trickle through the fissure ? Is it too romantic a dream to hope that someday we can ' Show them the money' ??
It is easy to be content with my life.I neither have the pressures of being in snobbish elite circles where the most confusing conundrum one deals with is which designer to honour by wearing his bizzarre creation! But I am equally blessed that I do not lose sleep over the origin of my next meal....and for that I am grateful.What of the millions of our population who can't say the same of their lives?
What can we do to level the scores ? Loosen our pursestrings and aid in development ? What of our elected morons who do nothing but feather their nests ? Is it time that we enter the ring, beat them at their own game ? Is India ready for a new face to Government ? Will we be strong enough to raise our voice, even if intitally it is alone?
We need a current day Robinhood, within the boundaries of our jurisdiction of course.If we want to see some change, some even-ing of the scores.......It's time to stand up and be counted !!!!!!!!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So true! Well said..