India shining—a phrase that has been drummed into the heads of every
Indian `Janta' ever since elections were contemplated. A phrase that
political parties have been toying with-both sarcastically and in dead
earnest. A phrase coined by the political bigwigs and joyfully tom-tomed
by the Indian consumer market-India shining-welcome to the India of the
21st century!
But the question is, Is India really shining? In other words, is the
real India shining? Not from a political perspective, in terms of a
progress report of the Governments activities, but in terms of the
quintessence of the country that is India... India is its people-the
teeming millions who struggle for a foothold in today's world. India is
the hapless middle class for whom every new day brings with it the reality
that life is not easy, but that they have to live, nevertheless. India is
the slum dwellers, who do not know life beyond the hell-holes that they
inhabit. India is the multitude of the unemployed, armed with the highest
degrees, who lament the time they wasted studying. India is the little
children who slog for a pittance, when they should be attending school.
India is the rickshaw pullers who eke out a living by tearing out their
lungs---indeed, India is the dirt, the grime, the sweat and the blood of
its citizens---and as long as this reality exists, as long as people
wonder where their next meal is going to come from, India is NOT
shining-and will not shine.
India is its attitude-one where tradition refuses to bid adieu and
modernity fiercely pushes its way forward. A country where the old think
old, and the new think new. An India where feminism and women power are
being shouted from the rooftops, while in some remote corner, a helpless
female dies in the name of dowry...India is an India of fashion shows and
models. But India is also an India of beggars and the underprivileged. And
this is a reality we cannot ignore. Is India, then, shining? To those born
with silver spoons in their mouth, life is a merry circus-a kaleidoscope
of color and mirth. They don't fear a fall, there are velvet cushions to
hold them up. Monetary concerns don't haunt them-money flows in without
their turning a hair. Power, wealth, influence, they have it all.. India
for them is the grandeur of its `modernity'---the shopping malls, the
gadgets that make their lives simpler, the new cars that roll out every
year, and the expensive parties that they attend. Life for them is an easy
journey, to nowhere in particular. To them, India shines-and will always
do so. Is this the real India? And is India shining?
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