Is the West confused about us?

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-18^th 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.