SECTIONS
^ City News
^ Events
^ Profile
^  Debate
^ Perspective
^ Monthly Calendar
^ Horoscopes
^ Youth
^ Business
^ Immigration
^ Healthwise
^ InVogue
^ Fiction
   
  INTERACTIVE
^ Classifieds
^ Matrimonials
^ What's Cooking?
^ Melting Pot
^ Snapshots
^ A Day In The Life Of...
^ Family Portrait
^ Birthday Greetings
^ Baby Of The Fortnight
^ Model Mania
^ Kids Corner
   
 

Veena Rao
is the editor of NRI Pulse. 
Send Gifts to India
The Indian Shine
An NRI's observations of an India on the move.

A few years ago, a letter in Indian Abroad by a 16-year old Indo-American who had just returned from a two-month vacation to India, generated some debate. This is what he had to say about India. 

"At Bombay airport I was appalled by the smell of urine and the crudity of the customs and airport officials...I was shocked by the appearance of Bombay. The buildings were rundown everywhere. I saw people living on the streets bathing and defecating on the streets. The roads were atrocious and there was dirt and slime everywhere....The air was so polluted that I coughed throughout my stay. Worst still nobody seemed to have any civic sense or a feel for responsibility. I think it is ridiculous if Indians think this to be a world class financial center...I personally see no future for that country and now understand why my parents and so many Indians wanted badly to leave... I went to India as an Indo-American but I have returned as a proud American. I have decided to embrace this great nation completely and 
sever my Indian heritage completely. After all that is assimilation - the American way."


Perhaps it is the way the letter ended, that hurt the sentiments of several proud Indians. We desis, with our stuck-up attitudes, might see everything wrong with India, but we don't sever our Indian heritage. No sir, we visit our people in our home towns and crib and complain about everything, but invariably come back with a heavy heart.

Today, in an 'India Shining' scenario, with a bullish economy that is touted as the second fastest growing in the world (next to China), have things really improved? Not at first glance. You step out under the open Indian skies, only to be met with the familiar sights (and stench) of a developing economy. It is hot, humid, dirty, with toy sized fiat cabs lined up to take you to your destination through pot-holed roads. You've probably just gone through a harrowing time with the customs officials- you've probably had to do some greasing that has left you shaken and angry- with the state of the country and with yourself. The drive home shakes you up even more. The roads are choking, you've been nearly hit at least ten times, the air is so polluted that you can barely breathe. India Shining? You got to be kidding, you mutter under your breath.

But first impressions are rarely the most insightful ones. As you settle down, you decide to take off your NRI glasses. You squint at first, but your vision begins to get better over the next few days. You've cribbed enough, and don't really fancy being labeled Mr/Ms NRI. A cousin demands to know why you judge the country only by its roads and pollution levels. There's so much more to India, she says. That sets you 
thinking, and you start to look around you with new interest.

You don't get to see much of rural India, unless you make an effort. Your observations are mostly based on urban India. Change is evident, mostly in the mindset of people. The urgency; the race to get ahead in life is very palpable after a while to you. A cushy 9 to 5 government job had ceased being a coveted career a long time ago. A booming service sector, led by the IT-BPO industry, has created a zeal to get rich. The upwardly mobile, nouveau riche families with high disposable incomes are on the rise in a strong economy. You see a consumerist burst. People who commuted to work on scooters and bikes a few years back today have Santros, or Daewoo Matizes or even Honda Civics. In fact, several shiny new fancy cars dot the discipline-free roads of cities and large towns. You even notice a Mercedes (priced at around $US$169,000) zip through every once in a while, and guess what, it doesn't even raise eyebrows. Families that lived in two bedroom apartments are moving to more spacious three bedroom homes. There is a construction boom in most cities. You also notice that several institutions of higher learning are mushrooming like there's no tomorrow. Several new Medical, Engineering, Dental and Management colleges fulfill (and thrive on) a middle class society's dreams for its children.

These dreams can be all consuming and very hard to reach. Ask any kid in the 10th grade or 12th grade- the two crucial years to get into a good college and profession. Kids forego their vacations, spend hours getting coached at private classes, and basically do nothing else all year except study. The stress and exhaustion shows, not just on the kids, but on parents as well. Private classes don't come cheap. For those who don't make it into government run institutions, a degree in Medicine, or Engineering could cost several hundred thousands. But it is a dream that both kids and parents dream together. 

Consumerism is evident everywhere. You are amused when the auto-rickshaw wallah pulls out his mobile phone to take a call. Everybody has a mobile these days. Text messaging is a rage, and you are kind of embarrassed because you don't know how to SMS. (yeah, which part of the world have you come from!) 

The mall culture is fast catching up in larger cities. Take the Forum and the Central in Bangalore, or the Bombay or Pune Central. Shopping bazaars are being replaced with ritzy air-conditioned malls that are pulling in the young crowd. They may not all be shopping, but they are definitely eating! Fast-food chains have opened shop in many Indian cities. KFC, Dominoes Pizza, Pizza Hut, McDonald's etc have sprung up to cater to a young generation's lifestyle choices. You are shocked when you learn that a pizza costs around Rs 500. But it doesn't seem to bother anybody else at the place that is teaming with fashionably dressed college kids. You can't help but wonder where these kids get their money from! 

You decide to check out one of the swank multiplexes, and are totally impressed. Hey, this is like America, you exclaim. Even the restrooms are squeaky clean. And boy, the food and beverages counter offers iced tea in peach flavor!!

You have dutifully carried home some aluminum foil, plastic wrap and Ziploc bags. But your mom tells you not to bother next time. Everything is available these days. Sure enough. Sausages, virgin olive oil, microwave safe containers...you name it..it is all available. India is riding on a wave of consumerism, like never before.

A few weeks into your vacation you realize that change is everywhere. You still hear of government offices hopelessly floundering in red tape and corruption. No job is hassle free or grease free. But recent steps aimed at creating private-government initiatives to streamline local administrations, is, you hope, a step in the right direction. The government is also taking big steps in the direction of building better 
infrastructure. Take the ambitious North-South & East-West Corridors for instance. The proposed two eight-lane 7000-kms long expressways will connect India's northern most tip, Jammu to Kanya Kumari in the south, and Silchar in the west to Somnath in the east. At a local level, you see road widening work being undertaken in many large cities. Flyovers are being built to ease traffic congestion. The air is being cleaned up. 

Delhi's successful air pollution control drive is being touted as an example for other cities to follow. From being the fourth most polluted city in the world, Delhi has emerged as an example of making air quality safe. The city's public transport system was converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Private vehicles older than 15 years are banned. New vehicles run on CNG or are converted to them, bringing down air pollution levels drastically. 

You hope to come back to India in a couple of years, and see a country that is shining brighter. Not all change is good. (More about that in a later column.) But you hope that economic advancement percolates down to the rural areas, and to the poorer sections of society. You hope the government will keep pace with the zeal of its people. You hope the shine you see is just the beginning of great things to come. You are not surprised when you hear a relative tell you that she wouldn't send her daughter to America. "Why would we want her to give up a high standard of living in India to struggle there?" 

High standard of living doesn't necessarily translate to high standard of life. But, she has a point, you admit.
.


YOUR COMMENTS:
Is India Shining? Tell us what  you think.
Post your comments.

Or write to us at contact@nripulse.com

 
Search HotJobs now for jobs
 
Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved.