India Inc is probably the most used word in today's media. India is happening and developing at such a rate that the world is noticing it.As a proud Indian ( you could read that as patriotic also, not in the real sense of freedom struggle patriotism though),it makes me happy. Yet,I keep questioning myself, 'Why is life a struggle for the common man even today in India ?'
The word 'Common man' penned after RKL's famous cartoon series has become an entity, unwanted by India Inc. After a month of staying away from home, my powers of observation of my surroundings has suddenly increased by a factor of 20. What was earlier just a passing glance at an overflowing corporation garbage bin,today is a point of observation. A long queue in a government office which was an expected thing yesterday and hence did not require any intellectual interference,today is a mental excersise. Many such examples and am convinced that the 'common man' of India is slowly losing his peace. His life is still a struggle.
The world's biggest democracy, the most emerging market today, yet reports people dying of starvation in Bihar,of farmers commiting suicides in Andra,of floods taking lives in Orissa,of shortage of food, lack of basic education, health,terrorist attacks in parks and gardens,the list goes on...
While the rupee is gaining strength against the dollar and software exports increasing exponentially sound promising,tomatoes at Rs 20 a kg ,meat at Rs 200+ and toor dal at Rs 50+ is definitely not a good sign of internal progress. The former shows how happy 'India's new rich' are ( are they really ?) while the latter concludes that 'Common man' still has a daily struggle to survive.Well,one thing leads to another and there can be scores of peripheral effects of basic infrastructure this country claims to its credit,some good some bad but the one thing that is certain is the difficult state of the ordinary folks of this vast country.
I'm no authority on this country's administration,but I strongly feel that what India needs today is a complete makeover of its socio-econimical structure. Human life, for starters ? We must learn to make a big deal for every life that breathes here, no we don't do that! We Indians don't value 'quality of life'. Also,death is a common occurance and it does not need so much thought is what every system here thinks. No wonder we have blasts every 6 months across the country, so many accidents, lives lost in calamities and alike, people dying of hunger, neglected medical aid,etc.
Only when we realize that life is more important, shall we then come up with systems and subsystems that will try to safeguard and preserve every one of us. Only then shall we think about farmers,teachers, doctors, etc and not just about software engineers..
I would like to see RKL's 'Common Man' as happy too...
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3 comments:
insightful post this.
The few things that i would like to see change in india is the attitude of people - they must become more rule minded and also look at others as a part of eth very same environment that they live in. Now, its all about "I" or "Me".
As for your observation power increasing, it is only natural. When u see something being done better it is humane to want to have that everywhere!!! Sadly not many people are able to envision that!!!!
Very nice post from you.
I will post a follow-up on this one :)
I always wonder why people get this gyaan only after visiting a "developed nation". I believe this means somehow people take for granted that it is normal for others to suffer from poverty/oppression which I suspect reflects very poorly on the nation's morality as a whole. What this nation has "never" done in its history is to uplift the vulnerable. The real problem is not dal selling at 50+ rupees but the lack of action. People who claim that it is bad to see others dying from lack of medical attention rarely go and help for "fear" of police case. Every one wants others to lead the way. How many people stop shop owners from beating up old beggars? How many help a shabbily dressed blind person cross the road?
To say that India inc doesn't care is baffling. Monetary enrichment of the poor is most beneficial to sellers next only to the security of the society. Btw, who is India inc? Isn't it us who work in organized sectors? Though not every one does charity in orgs, don't they contribute more than most unorganized/govt employees/sectors (except for ones in health /education etc)?
The bombs and other security issues are a deeper problem of mistrust and rise of communal hatred in India. It is the duty of majority to make the minorities feel secure. While Indians in UK cry foul if a sacred bull is to be culled by the law of the land, in India, despite a community's tradition of eating beef, we try to pass laws forbidding it. We are as hypocritic as anyone else. How many people have invited someone from the most maligned minority to their houses and have visited theirs?
What Indians badly need is education that helps them gain wider perspectives and makes them think independently. That is the day when they realize that driving on pedestrian walkways to reach office to attend a meeting is not correct despite the traffic problem, buying a piece of land which violates laws is bad even though every colleague of his does the same and reservation, despite the perception is better for the society as a whole (not that the netas are correct but that is besides the point ..), hatred in the name of a God they never see is barbarity etc.
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