India shining…..
The driver who came to pick us up at the airport loved to talk. Which always brings this gleam of utter pleasure in my husband’s eyes. He loves to goad and prod people into talking…gives him food for life. Yes, I have told him a few times, medicine doesn’t quite do justice to his talents. Anyway, so the guy was very enthusiastic about India shining- “arre bhaiya, abhi aap dekhna, ye do bade mall ke baad yahan ek aur sabse bada mall banega. Ab to foreign mein jo milta hai wo sab yahan milta hai.”
And so went the chat…Rohit his usual encouraging self- “waah yaar, tumko to bahut pata hai”….
So far so good. Drawing room chat for our entire length of stay centred on water though…or the lack of it. There was an almost palpable air of apprehension of what was to follow. It appears the authorities forgot to forward plan for water supply for the entire five month spell of skin cracking, torrid summer. So, there was to be NO water supply for the coming months, which made the current state of affairs- water once in five days- seem like a life of luxury. Those with oodles of money were obviously worried about the increase in crime this would bring….
Contingency plan?.....if you have money, get a water tanker to your home every few days n fill up all you can. And no prizes for guessing who owned these water tankers..of course it was those very politicians in the water department whose job it was to ensure regular water supply anyway. Now that’s what I call a genius business plan!
So on the way back our driver was slightly subdued. Its easy to get lost in the zitter glitter of fancy multiplexes and designer shops that adorn the high street in every big city nowadays. But the question is, is this what India needs? Or should the turning wheels of economic development be used to drive the fundamental changes this country’s billion strong population has craved for, for decades now i.e. water, electricity, sanitation, good roads?
The driver who came to pick us up at the airport loved to talk. Which always brings this gleam of utter pleasure in my husband’s eyes. He loves to goad and prod people into talking…gives him food for life. Yes, I have told him a few times, medicine doesn’t quite do justice to his talents. Anyway, so the guy was very enthusiastic about India shining- “arre bhaiya, abhi aap dekhna, ye do bade mall ke baad yahan ek aur sabse bada mall banega. Ab to foreign mein jo milta hai wo sab yahan milta hai.”
And so went the chat…Rohit his usual encouraging self- “waah yaar, tumko to bahut pata hai”….
So far so good. Drawing room chat for our entire length of stay centred on water though…or the lack of it. There was an almost palpable air of apprehension of what was to follow. It appears the authorities forgot to forward plan for water supply for the entire five month spell of skin cracking, torrid summer. So, there was to be NO water supply for the coming months, which made the current state of affairs- water once in five days- seem like a life of luxury. Those with oodles of money were obviously worried about the increase in crime this would bring….
Contingency plan?.....if you have money, get a water tanker to your home every few days n fill up all you can. And no prizes for guessing who owned these water tankers..of course it was those very politicians in the water department whose job it was to ensure regular water supply anyway. Now that’s what I call a genius business plan!
So on the way back our driver was slightly subdued. Its easy to get lost in the zitter glitter of fancy multiplexes and designer shops that adorn the high street in every big city nowadays. But the question is, is this what India needs? Or should the turning wheels of economic development be used to drive the fundamental changes this country’s billion strong population has craved for, for decades now i.e. water, electricity, sanitation, good roads?
No doubt we all feel proud of the recent surge in the Indian economy. I'm proud of the way Indian businessmen have taken the lead, the world over in entrepreneurship and intrepid business planning. But if the ultimate aim of all this is to create further luxury for the 0.1% of India's population, then I'm afraid nothing much has changed.
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