How are India’s people handling the country’s transition into a growing world economic power? Do they feel any change in their status in the world? Is there more economic equity among the people as India’s economic performance grows? - (Alan Webbers question)
The enormous growth in Indias economy is showing in almost every corner. You can see all the famous american restaurant chains here, big as well as small companies are moving their business over here because of the cheap labour and growth in knowledge. The worst thing is that the blooming economy shows mostly with the people that already have deep pockets.
I went to the slums in Daravi and to my surprise 85% of the population had jobs. It was wonderful to see but i think that one of the most interesting things that I noticed was that everyone had the newest and coolest mobiles on the market. And inside their houses, made of old sheatmetal and leftover bricks, were new flatscreen tv:s and big stereo-systems. A man called Akil Shahini told me that India is so big that it isn’t able to adapt to all the new technology as the west is. Take the phone for an example, Indians already have more cellphones than they have landline phones. They just jumped over a whole technological era and went all in on cellphones instead, so they just might skip the landline internet as well and adapt to some future technology instead that is their strenght that will make them able to catch up with the west in a few years.
I’ve been talking to many people about their status in the world. Most of them know that there are big changes going on, some are happy about it but some persons that I’ve talked to are actually miserable now that they know how good people have it in other countries while they live over here in the dirt and misery. The bitterness showed through their thoughts and their biggest dream was to be able to move away from India.
But not all think like that, me and my friends met a very intellectual young boy in the slums that said that: yes the change in the living conditions is grate and all the change is good as long as it doesn’t happen too fast. People have to be able to adapt to their new situation. If machines take over a whole business, like recycling then hundred of thousands of people will loose their job and will maby starve to death or start begging on the streets. Both the government and the big companies that are moving here must take that into consideration.
Equity among the people isn’t getting smaller, the rich get richer as they dont give much down to their workers when they make more money. While the poor have it a bit better with new technology and a bit more money. The grate thing is that more and more people get educated. School is free and the people that come from the poorest areas in India are able to rise to the top with good education and those people are the ones that will change the course of India. Set stop to all the corruption and start giving back to the people that do all the work.
Have a good day Mr Webber
All the best from your all time favorite pal
Finnur Sverrisson (remember that name;)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: alan webber, economy, india, one, question, technology
