India……..An Opportunity or Challenge!

“Since, I returned from South Africa, I’ve traveled over much of

India, and I know, that I could travel for many more years and still
only see a small part of her. And, yet I already know that what we
say here means nothing to the masses of our country. Here, we
make speeches for each other; and those English liberal magazines
that may grant us few lines. The people of India are untouched;
they’re politics are confined to bread and salt. Illiterate, they may
be, but they are not blind; they see no reason to give their loyalty
to rich and powerful men, who simply want to take over the road
of the British, in the name of freedom. This congress tells the
world it represents India, my brothers, India is 700,000 villages,
not a few hundred Lawyers in Delhi and Bombay. Until, we stand
in the field, with the millions that toil each day under the hot sun,
‘we, will not represent India’ ”.These words, that touched many
souls were used by Mahatma Gandhi in his first public speech, and
I am confident, he will repeat the same, if he returns back now.

India is progressing in terms of industry, information technology;

boosts to be the youngest country in the world. Political statements
like “The next generation belongs to India”, make me question,
aren’t we aware about the dragon (China), Brazil or any other low
cost destination.
We are a country of more than a billion people and
I don’t believe in statistics that show reforms. There are more than
380 million people in the country, who earn less than $1 a day,
adult literacy rate at 61%; about 150 million people don’t have
access to proper drinking water; and almost half the children below
five years of age are underweight.
My, generation reads billion
dollars coming in, as investment in infrastructure and also
witnesses the grass root realities. We, hear about the industrial
progress, and struggle for employment later graduation; out classed

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with a tag “Low Quality”. Our generation receives calls in call
centre, with all the creative mind and develop application software,
with “innovation” in heart and soul. The obligation, for us is to
follow the rule that are already set, and play the game, in which we
are not interested. If, I disrespect to an Ex-MP’s request, to have
candid conversation in his home, and my generation can’t even
name five ministers in the assembly, then, I guess, we are not at
fault. We are very proud of our thousand year’s history, and I don’t
want to waste ink for the present. For, my generation, it’s very
difficult to understand, what is the society created later
independence and the path to our destination “Developed INDIA”.

Early this year, top Indian InfoTech companies posted drool

inducing results for the quarter. According to estimates by the IT
industry lobby, NASSCOM, Indian IT exports will grow 26
percent to $29.4 billion this year, a figure that could touch $60
billion by 2010. We, are aware that, the English speaking,
technically sound and motivated Indians made the world turn their
eyes on us, and won the respect in IT/BPO sector; added other
different industry domains. They came here for cost but stayed for
quality. The industry that generated employment, suffered attrition
and still progressing. But, as per the TeamLease services, survey:
By 2020 Indian unemployment rate is estimated at 30 percent or
over 200 million people. This implies a fifteen fold rise from the
existing level of just over 13 million. Ninety percent of the
unemployed in 2020 will be in the 15-29 age group.Haveing, this
in hand if our renowned Indian economists, write to turn 60
percent of Indian population, who are dependent on agriculture, to
switch to other domains i.e. non-agricultural jobs, then, we are
disrespecting our prime minister Man Mohan Singh ji’s words,
“The technologies and the strategies unleashed by the first green
revolution have run their course. This requires, as I have said
before, a second ‘Green Revolution’ ”.
Economists William and
Paul Paddock wrote in Famine 1975, that all food aid to India

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should be stopped and the country should be allowed to starve to
death. The food could be better utilized else where, in places that
had future. I don’t know what made them write so, but my
generation witnesses the corruption at each and every level of our
life. And, I am not surprised, that we are ranked #1 in business
corruption abroad; no plans are effective and the right to
information act, not withstanding.(Introduction video reveals the
point).
“India is witnessing the agri revolution; the
budget is an out and out agri budget. Most distinguishing fact, was
it addressed the grass root problem; the fundamentals of the
agriculture. A budget for long term sustainable growth of
agriculture”, these were very impressive words used by
Shri Rajesh Srivastava, MD-Corporate and Commercial banking;
Rabo India Finance in the agri revolution conference. The other
side of India, the farmer, is not aware about the budget, nor can
understand how it can effect their progress. They are illiterates, as
noted in the Kisan Bandhu model. The Farmer-Banker relationship
is not effective. In “BARDOLI” 1928, Sardar Vallabhai Patel
stopped Farmer’s paying their tax, a form of injustice, to the
British. But, in 2007 free India when a farmer performs his duty by
paying the tax, he is not aware or the beneficiary for his rights. The
Hierarchical governance allows them to remain slave forever. I
don’t know what punishment does our Iron man of India, has for
these corrupt officials (A Farmer speaks out in the video).As, a
solution seekers, I guess we need to start saying “Strength respect
Strength”, words used by our President APJ Abdul Kalam or may
be, on the other side, “Strength and Honor”, words used by Russell
Crowe in “The Gladiator”.
The corporate, has made India to add
more phones per month then in the first 45 years since
independence. The internet is growing, with companies setting up
networks,ITC’s e-choupal and Hindustan Unilevers iShakti;with
Reliance industries expecting to have 600 rural kiosks across the
country in the next three years as part of its retail roll out. But,

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people from villages migrate to the cities, for the Banjara’s, it’s
tradition; for the farmer, it’s hunger; for the youth the reason may
be different. The result of this mass migration has become two
fold. One, population of the cities has drastically gone up in the
last 15 years. Two, urban poverty has spiked up drastically. And,
when Shri B.Jayaraman GM, NABARD asks me “Why people
migrate?” I, am speechless, but tried to disclose the
fact/aggressiveness/anger in the video. I can’t close my eyes, to
hide the truth and apologize if I am wrong.
They, say “The country with oldest history,
is young”. In 2025, the median age for India will be 31, against 39
for the US and China, and 44 for Russia and the UK. It is said
India will be providing the workers to the world. But, my friends at
the IIM’s are turning down Rs 1 crore plus salaries to set up shop
on their own. The fear of failure, for the Indian entrepreneurs,
exists only in the mind of the old. This is where the action is, this
is the new land of opportunity. I pray, in 2020,my 37, will witness
the vision of our President APJ Abdul Kalam: “ I, visualize a
prosperous India well before the year 2020. We expect the people
below the poverty line to come to near zero and our literacy must
be nearly 100%.The human development index of India will be
less then 50 against the present 127. Every Indian will either have
a good university degree or quality training with globally
competitive employable vocational skill. E-Governance would be
in position, making the governance system transparent with a
national ID card in position. Teledensity will reach over 75%.All
our villages will have reliable, uninterrupted quality electric power
supply.600,000 villages will have all three connectivities-
physical,electronic and knowledge connectivity through the
programme of PURA. The interlinking of rivers and water bodies
and use of technology for water collection, water
re-cycling and water management will result in equitable
distribution of water for drinking,irrigation,industry,navigation and
as natural beauty. There will be no shortage of water in any part of
the country nor will disasters due to floods, water logging etc”.