Worswick, why such pessimism? You must be an eternal 'bear' <gg>>.
<<Thomas India has six hundred thousand villages. It has six hundred thousand villages and most of these villagers don't have MBA or even bicycles.>>
Very true,I guess over 60% of the people live in villages. I too come from one such village, and never considered it such a bad thing, if you like fresh air,open fileds and that sort of thing.I have my doubts about the merits or having an MBA or a bicycle,especially the MBA.I used to walk 2-4 miles to catch a bus while growing up and sort of enjoyed the walk.Things have changed now as we can catch one by walking a few hundred feet.
<<The Indian middle class would like to pretend that they don't exist these six hundred thousand villages; that everyone is riding motorcycles instead of bullock carts; that India is a modern country with one foot in the future and one foot still in those quaint old picture perfect palaces in Rathasthan on the edge of the Thar desert.
There is a kind of National Geographic version of India, a kind of Kodachrome place and then there is reality.>>>
Only the ones who has a skewed outlook on life or perhaps they suffer from, what sociologists call, a 'reverse supriority complex' (don't really know what that means).A lot more them are riding motorcycles,bicycles, and cars these days,espcially in the citites,but a majority still walks,or ride their bullock carts (like they used to in Costa Rica),donkeys,camels,bicycles etc.
India certainly is 'modern' in that they have achieved a lot with their available resources,for example: they do have nuclear capabilities, have a viable space program,world class educational institutions particularly in engineering and science,2nd largest producer of milk in the world (2nd only to the U.S),self sufficient in agriculture,etc etc. But she is more quaint and ancient than 'modern' in many ways,then again that comes with ones age,no?
<<The Central Government makes a deal with a foreign company (Enron) to provide power...>>
Barring the alleged corruption thing (i have no way of proving this either way,probably true though),what you forget to point out is that India does has strong and modern legal system,inspite of the delays it might have caused.Enron has finally prevailed in the courts and almost completed (they might have already) the 1st phase and 2nd phase will be finsihed in a year or so. Enron also has announced a massive investment program in India since then and I heard they (along with a partner)have been awarded a new power project in Kerala and many others are to come.
<The captial of Bihar, Patna, has power blackouts most of the time. I guess that means there isn't much running water Ramesh.>
Bihar is one of the least literate states in India and they still have sort a fuedal system,hopefully things will change as time goes by.Power shortage is not restricted to Bihar but through out the country.The whole country is running a power deficit at the moment but there are several new power plants underway and the sever shortage of power should be over in couple of years time.As a result most of the major corporations have their own captive power plants,also a lot of people have small generators of their own.A lot of village folks now employ 'new' methods of generating power/energy that is through mini-biogas plants,solar cells. India also is one the largest producers of Wind-enrgy (if not the biggest).
<<Strangely, into this wierd mix the NY Times people have a sort of old boy network going with India, so that many of their top people have done tours in India as reporters. The result is that the media coverage of exactly how bad it is in India simply hasn't gotten out.>>>
I thought the Western media always showed the 'underbelly' of the country (the slums in Calcutta,Bombay,the elephants,snake chamers and the like),I have not seen them showing anything good about the country,in all my years in the West,except may be the Public channel. Oh,I take that back occasionally they show the Taj Mahal.I wonder how you feel,if the foreign media only showed the ghettos,the drug addicts,the homeless,the bag-ladies,the public schools with metal detectors,the militia,the welfare moms,the soup kitchens,the people urinating on the New York back alleys and the subways, in their respective countries.
<<In India everything is broken. The roads, the political system, even social relations between communities. Tell me a bright note. >>
Can't argue with you there. For a bright note I can say it is getting better and in a few years (i dont know how many) you probably wouldn't recognise the place.
<<In Delhi there is so much pollution in the new block long luxury hotels you can see a grey mist wafting up and down, literally, like a layer of mustard gas in the halls of the hotels.>>>
Sort of like Los Angeles???<<gg>>. As for antibiotics, one must have strong immune system and the country is not for the weak,though many 'weaks' do survive inspite of it.
<<Madras had disappeared and it was now called Chenai. Airplanes went to Chenai, the trains.>>
Little 'nationalism' wouldn't hurt anyone,would it? On a similar note Bombay is now Mumbai
Cochin is now Kochi
Alleppy is now Allapuzha
Baroda is now Vadodhara (sp?)
Delhi i think is now Dhilli.
Trivandrum is now Thiruvananthapuram (sp?)
Quilon is now Kollam
Well, you get the idea.
<<In India if you invest have an exit frame.>>
One should have had the same outlook if one had money deployed in Asian Tigers or should i change the name to 'alley cats',too late now though.Like they say no risk no reward, or is it nothing ventured nothing gained?
Worswick, you sure do keep me busy,don't you??<<gg>>
Ps: pardon the mistakes,don't want to go back and check,it's too long.
and besides my fingers gave up already.
I do enjoy your posts. |
