India shining

Let me start this post with a big sorry. I can’t post the bro’s marriage details as promised. For two reasons. One is it’s taking too long to finish and second one is it’s getting either too personal or too superficial. So, let the memories stay with the happy couple and all those who witnessed.

Moving on to India shining. I was divided. The discussion had long started, way back in 2002, when me and my brother were discussing this and we had come to the conclusion that if Surathkal represents entire India, India is surely shining. Else not. It so turned out that Surathkal was an exception and public voted out the people who coined this term.

Well the mobile revolution came, people started talking about it again. Internet penetrated even deeper. The IT slowdown ended and the industries picked up again. All my friends, who were in IT, changed jobs and salaries made anybody wonder, India is really shining. But it was just one sector. They had terrible spending power and they did make it look like India is really going ahead. The papers were gaga over this, the rising living index and 8 percent GDP growth were everywhere. Most surprising for me was Govt of India coming p with quarterly results.

Then I came to US, for higher studies (ahem ahem). Initial days was really missing India and compared to the sleepy small town of College Station, surely the Indian cities were much better. But soon the comforts of life dawned upon me. How simple life is it here. Its not that it makes people lazy but its what one should have. I began to understand what we don’t get in India. And India lost its shine. Add to it the articles by all news channels. India doing this, doing that, Putin praising Infy campus, some Tom,Dick Harry firangi person saying India is the next big thing were always the headlines. I really got fed up.

Soon the Mumbai and Srinagar blasts happened, India started performing bad in cricket, the reservation row, Manmohan Singh lost his charm and became a puppet again,… Nothing was looking right. The only thing that was going good was Bollywood movies and I was taking full interest in that.

I went to India, nothing had changed. There was no improvement in the living condition of general people neither were the roads looking any wider or cleaner. To add to it, the pollution made me sneeze and cough all the time. I thought what’s wrong with my country.

But after coming back, I know I am feeling so very homesick, and I am missing India.

But all that apart, I really think there s a weather of change coming up there. Thanks to the giants moving in the retail sector. I have a feeling that the general condition of farmers will improve a lot. The middleman problem will be gone. And may be the middlemen will suffer. But I really don’t care for them. And for all that we need so much infrastructure. Houses, roads, rail tracks are being built. Cars are increasing on the roads. The metro cities are taking up big plans. Now the only hurdle that remains is the manufacturing group. Its good that they are coming up in large numbers and doing good business. But I feel they don’t pay the workers well. But with the wind of change in agro and service sector, can manufacturing be left far behind. May be the right word is not India shining, but as rightly said by ToI (for a change) INDIA POISED. Its getting ready for the big leap. But ya, it hasn’t taken the leap yet.

Concluding my views, here is the article that made me think again. And especially these lines by Mukesh Ambani:

“For employers to attract and retain talent, India has to be almost as attractive as the US. So I have to provide for the cost of living -- housing, shopping environment and everything else exactly like the US, but at an Indian cost.

We have a big talent pool in the US and they are coming back with huge enthusiasm. For our agri-business, we are now bringing back a lot of talented Indians from the US who have worked in Wholesale Foods, Kraft, etc.

We offer to protect their savings in a job here. If you earn $100,000 a year there, you also spend $80,000 and save $15,000-$20,000. We say, if you work for us in India, we will ensure you save $15,000 dollars a year and are part of something exciting without a loss to you.”