I wonder exactly what the perception of the West is about
India. At times they say that India is an economic force to reckon with while
on other occasions they claim that India is home to a considerable fraction of
the world’s poor.
To be precise the world around me is hegemony of those who
have wads of money in their accounts. Being a simple, nay, a ‘Common Man’, I find
myself torn between the society of the rulers and the society of the ruled. Over
the last six decades since my country gained freedom, the borders of the two
societies continued becoming more visible and now it has reached a situation where
the difference is glaring.
The rulers – those who have money – claim that do not have
enough of it and the ruled – who do not have it – hanker for it. The problem is
acute.
On the one hand the government says that the economy of
India is progressing like a horse competing in steeplechase. On the other it
never denies borrowing from various countries that are ever ready to pay.
Surprisingly a country like Britain - which should rather take care of itself -
is an eager donor.
To the US, the people in the state of Uttar Pradesh are at
par with Somalis when it comes to poverty. The truth is that there are a large
number of millionaires in the state and many own vast swatches of land. It’s another
thing if population is taken into consideration. But that is a problem of
mindset.
The ministers, cricketers, businessmen and film stars have
all the luxuries of life yet the country is reeling under an acute health problem,
many go to bed hungry and the bed is in itself the street with the sky as the
roof. This is surprising.
Yes, some celebrities and industrialists are doing all they
can to bridge the gap but that simply does not suffice.
I do not need statistical data to prove my point and no such
data can disprove what I say. Aaron Levenstein said, “Statistics are like
bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.”
I wonder what is on the minds of the developed nations. What
do they want from us? Perhaps they want more money and maintaining strong
diplomatic ties is crucial to achieve that. They flatter us when they need
something and shun us when their needs are over. It is much like the mid-18th
century.
What we have not learnt is that we, the Indians, must stand
shoulder to shoulder and support our brothers and sisters who need financial
help. If money is what India is looking at since 1991 and still needs more of
it then so be it.
Greed or not nearly everyone in this country needs a job
with a fat paycheck and less tiring work. Even if they may be making an annual
salary of 4 lakh per annum, they just do not know how much money is sufficient
for them. They need more, perhaps to infinity. Making more money is fine but
they all use it to quench their selfish ends.
Sadly they have never heard of the word charity. Donating to
the poor is something far from their minds. They want more discounts on
products. They may pay less to the shopkeeper but will not take less from him. They
donate to the poor only when their local pandit tells them to do so to appease
gods. That too is a selfish act.
If I urge someone to donate they counter-question me, "Do you donate?" When I say yes, they go around citing all kinds of reasons including the cliched bickering on the system.
The West needs to come clear about our image. We know what
we are. The West must know that the Indian economy may be bulging like a weather balloon but our mentality is as narrow as an alley.