Of late, the ‘The Concept of Poor’ in India has started making me feel confused. According to the history, this is the only nation in the whole world, a leading reformer and leader prefered to wear the minimum cloth on him because he vowed at that time that he will never wear till the ‘poor man’ in this country covers his whole body with clothing. A popular poet roared that ‘if an individual goes without food, we Indians will annihilate the entire world.’

What weird ways of expressing compassion?

Well, however, the glorious independent India had crossed 75 years and still we, in the sense, the politicians, the rulers and the public are crying hoarse about the ‘poor’ and ‘poverty’ in the country ad nauseum.

But, look at the actual scenario; the maximum immigrants to other ‘wealthy’ nations are Indians. India seems to receive the maximum foreign exchange from the NRIs in other lands. An aricle proudly boasted recently that most of the CEOs in foreign multinational companies are Tambrahms and Indians. Every state relentlessly invites investors from abroad to come and invest in their states. Festivities, birthdays and marriages are celebrated with shocking pomp and pageantry.

I am dumb found by the number of full page color ads appearing in dailies everyday and the innumerable television channels for Gold, Diamond, Luxury homes, Consumer durables, cosmetics. Even the social media are not spared as we are intercepted by frequent ads for all the above luxury items mentioned entering insidiously when we are reading or watching.

Apart from these, we read shocking news coverage on raids on politicians and industrialists and also some insignificant individuals' homes to unearth loads of currencies, gold, diamonds and property documents. The recent frequent news items include murders of aged parents by wards and many cases of paedophiles.

Well, we are even now and earlier showing pictures of pathetic, impoverished people in various parts of the country begging for a morsel of food or dwelling but well, they are clothed and not naked except a few.

No doubt this ‘Parukkulle Nalla Nadu’ in Tamil and ‘Saare Jahan se Achcha Hindustan Hamara’ (The Best Part of the World) is not only the ‘Best Land’ but also ‘A Mysterious Land’ of Contradictions.