India Tug of War --The Ends of the Economic Rope
Maya M.
Caitlin T.
A2
Poverty vs. Development
With the modernization of India's economy and culture, has an unequal distribution of wealth been established?
Our answer is yes. With time and technology, India's spread of wealth and poverty. Much of the economic differences correlate with location. Poverty levels in rural areas continue to increase while poverty in urban areas has decreased. This is particularly important to understand how much of India's population resides in rural areas compared to the population in urban areas. This shows that, even if urban India is making outstanding economic progress, many people are suffering. We decided this would be an interesting and beneficial topic explore, as knowledge leads to change and improvement. We also want to inform others of India's drastically different economic classes.
According to an article from MSNBC, Prime Minister Singh said, "India cannot become a nation with islands of high growth and vast areas untouched by development, where the benefits of growth accrue only a few." It is shocking to see that while some live the life of luxury with expensive cars and houses, others live on less than $1.00 a day! The residents of rural areas are left in the dust of urban India's technological advances. This results in of high-rise buildings and extensive shopping centers in big cities, while other areas of India have no running water or electricity.
Visual Comparisons
The photographs below illustrate the drastic differences between the more traditional, rural Indian homes and architecture in modern India.
VS. 
India's slums: In areas like these, sometimes hundreds of people share a single, filthy water source. High-rises: Urban India is the perfect place to enjoy the high life with expensive yachts and hotels.
Courtesy of <http://www.travelindiasmart.com/slumsindia.JPG> Courtesy of <http://www.photoatlas.com/photo/india_mumbai-01.>
VS. 
Rural India: Farmers and villagers reside in makeshift huts like these year-round. New Dehli: Modern architecture and beautiful parks decorate the city.
Courtesy of <http://www.askasia.org> Courtesy of <http://www.photos.igougo.com>
We feel that this video (below) drives home the idea of mass poverty in India. This video made the dramatic differences between our own lives and the standard of living of these poor street-dwellers even clearer.
Dialogue
Below is a fictional discussion between a rural Indian farmer and an urban civilian of New Delhi. It further demonstrates how modernization does not necessarily help everyone.
Resident of New Delhi: Wow. Our economy is really improving and we are becoming so modern. I can't wait for more Western technology to make India even better.
Rural Farmer: Well, we are not all doing as great as you. As a farmer, my wealth is not growing. Since 70% of Indians survive off of agriculture, you would think that more public investments would be put toward it.
Resident of New Delhi: I see your point. However, I have noticed less and less people in such extreme poverty in the areas around me. Have you noticed the same?
Rural Farmer: No! I have seen the exact opposite. The number of people in poverty in my rural area is steadily increasing!
Resident of New Delhi: Oh. I am very sorry to hear that. I thought that everyone was doing better with the Westernization of our country. I now see that not everyone is effected positively like me.
*Resident of New Delhi's cell phone rings*
Resident of New Delhi: Can you excuse me? I need to take this call quickly.
Rural Farmer: Thank you for understanding. It is nice to know that people care about us. But I don't see how you can afford that cell phone, or any electronics for that matter. I live off of $1.00 a day and I have much more important things to worry about, such as feeding my family. I do not have the time or money to "take calls." My neighbors and I prefer to stick to more traditional Indian customs, like praying together or gathering spices to season what food we have. I don't know anything about technology.
Resident of New Delhi: I am so ashamed. I did not mean to offend you. I am just so used to more modern, city life that I haven't realized how different it is in the farm areas of India. I now wish that my own family would have practiced these customs when I was growing up; I am not knowledgable about my religion, nor my country's rich traditional culture.
Rural Farmer: It is alright. Now I must go back to work. Good day.
Resident of New Delhi: Good bye.
Courtesy <earthtrends.wri.org>
The red area on the map of India provided above illustrates the widespread of poverty. We see that the northwest part of the country experiences far less poverty than the southern and central areas.
"In all the democratic countries of the world, economic power is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals and groups. In liberal democracies economic power is controlled by a handful of capitalists, while in socialist countries economic power is concentrated in a small group of party leaders. In each case a handful of people ... manipulates the economic welfare of the entire society."
Shrii Prabht Ranjan Sarkar
"Economic power is controlled by a handful of capitalists."
Tying It All Together
With the modernization of India, wealth has been unevenly distributed. Those Indians who wish to maintain a more traditional way of life are left in the wake of those who adapt and conform to Western technologies and ideas. Agriculture, once the most concerned about topic and industry to all of India, remains of chief importance to the vast majority of Indians. However, new technology takes precedence over farming in most cases. This conflict shows just how difficult it is to balance modern and traditional customs, as well as balancing development and poverty. As India confronts these struggles, eventually one side of the rope is going pull hard enough to win the war.
Additional Insight
Widespread poverty still remains the largest problem in India, even after being liberated from Britain for 50 years. India has remains divided into caste systems since ancient times, and although these cut-and-dry social groups have been outlawed, the majority of India still honors the caste system in at least a few ways. Often, marriages are governed by the caste system, thus creating marriages between people of very similar socio-economic backgrounds. In this way, economic classes in India are maintained.
Sources:
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.