Who is India?. Review on India Shining Commercial 2004

Let's admit it. It is the age of marketing and advertisement. And everything from our body to our thoughts to our soul is on sale. So, when I blatantly hype up my resume to my prospective employer using stationery from my current employer's office, I shouldn't in essence, be cribbing about a fault in the larger scheme of things.

To the people who are not from India, the 'India Shining' advertisement is a campaign by the Government of India citing its achievements over the last five years it has been in office. The campaign has been publicised using every media available to the goverment at its disposal.

I would like to add my bit to this argument of whether such a thing is done in a poor country like India.

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1. Advertising using public money is gross misuse of funds: I completely agree. It does hurt me when the money to pay for highlighting personal achievements is taken out of my pocket. The amount that has been spent on this'public information' varies depending on your newspaper subscription. But that is not the point. It may be a rupee or a million. Public money is not for such consumption. Especially when there are a lot of things that the money can be channelled for. The most important would be working towards basic hygiene in this country.

If the BJP or the NDA had used funds from their own party for this self-promotion, I have nothing to crib about. And I am sure, the parties have enough money in their coffers to carry out such an excercise.

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2. Is India really shining?:In parts, yes. We are a country who are definitely much better off than we were a few years back. And I am not talking of only the rich and the middle-class. There is a new confidence even in the villages I have visited, mostly south. Although they may not be many in number, they still give me a sample of the larger feeling.

Money percolates in a capital society. Once the rich get richer, they spend. The second and the third layer then benefit. Let me give an example.

Although I am nowhere rich, my income allows me to hire a cook. My cook comes all the way from Bengal to Chennai and uses me as an alternate source of employment. There are two things here:

1. Me, being from a middle class family earning sufficient to hire a cook.

   
   




2. The cook, having the courage to move out of an economically backward state to earn his bread and butter.

   
   

But, the third and most important factor is me, choosing not to start a family till I am sure they will be provided for well by myself.

1.Me, earning a good salary is because of the good liberal economy allowing my company to export and thereby, make money. Here, the government, can take credit.

2. My servant having the wisdom and courage to move out. It is easy for any villager to sit back and hold on to his roots and crib that the government is not doing enough. When there is such an acute shortage of cooks and manual labor in the cities, a wise villager would have transformed the nature of his work. My cook had such guts.

3. It is very easy to start a family, have kids and then blame your poverty, their lack of education and unemployment on the government.: When the Indian population in general is averse to any imposition of family planning, they also have to bear the consequences of its explosion. Which is why, no party can hope to come to power with population control as the main agenda. Ask Sanjay Gandhi.

The best thing the government has done is to loosen the strings for the Indian Industry allowing it to compete with the best in the world. After a long time we now have.

*1. India exporting manufacturing parts to the developed world.

1. Exporting drugs at a cheaper rate with international quality standards

   
   




2. Availability of technology and information which is almost at par with the rest of the world

   
   




3. Booming tourist business and tourists going abroad. Indian tourism is now looking within to generate its revenue.

   
   




4. The Americans and the Europeans feeling threatened by our labor force.*

   
   

Bigger roads and cellphones are the visible aspects of this new phenomenon. The real side of the story is that there is a choice. You can earn enough money at least to fill your stomach if you have the courage. If you choose to earn to fill one stomach and then want to provide for five more with the same, who is responsible? Definitely not the government.

I agree that we have not produced a single molecule worthy of mention or are looked upon as cheap labor. But this is just the beginning. Let us not start thinking negatively now. With money and work will also come the confidence to explore newer territories. And of this, I am sure.

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Yes, we have a long way to go. And there is a lot more the government could do to improve conditions especially in areas like providing public amenities with the taxpayers money. But it is also hight time the Indian Society asked itself a few questions before accusing the government:

*Are we ready to:

1. Have kids according to our means of income?

   
   




2. Not bribe to get work done at every step?

   
   




3. Stop female infanticide?

   
   




4. Not spit at every conceivable thing on the road? This surely, is not an urge that cannot be controlled.

   
   




5. Stop littering the country believing it to be our right?

   
   




6. Copy and bribe to get degrees?

   
   




7. Stop voting in a communal pattern?

   
   

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There is a definite lustre in current India. This government by being stable, some good policies and by non-interference has done quite a bit towards this end. And, when we point at the government for not doing enough, let us also look inward. Have we taken our opportunities well?