India has come a long way
since Independence
> > By M.V. Kamath,
the Free Press Journal.
> > August 22, 2002
> >
> >
> > Fifty-five years
after Jawaharlal Nehru's Tryst
> with
> > Destiny speech
> > welcoming free
India, is there much to crow about?
> > The answer,
despite the
> > pessimists, is a
resounding Yes, there is. And we
> > have to be proud
of
> > India's
achievements. There is nothing much to be
> > pleased about
population
> > growth which was
about 350 million around 1947 and
> > is now over a
billion.
> > But life
expectancy was around 29 years at the
> time
> > of independence
but is
> > now closer to 65.
> > In the 1950s we
were not growing enough food to
> feed
> > 400 million people
and
> > were looking
desperately for aid, especially from
> > the United States.
> > Presently we are a
good surplus state and can
> export
> > wheat. The Green
> > Revolution did
wonders but hardly anyone thinks of
> > it. Just about a
decade
> > ago we are
desperately in need of foreign exchange
> > and and had to
mortgage
> > our gold reserves.
> >
> > Today our reserves
are close to $ 60 billion and
> > rising. For years
India's
> > rate of growth was
less than 3 per cent and some
> of
> > our own
intellectuals
> > were describing it
derisively as the Hindu Rate of
> > Growth. India
today has a
> > Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) of $ 2,375 billion
> and
> > is considered the
fourth
> > largest economy in
the world.
> >
> > The GDP of all the
SAARC member states amounts
> > together to about a
fourth of
> > India's. The
biggest tribute came from the staid
> > 'Economist' (June
29) which
> > said that the
average GDP growth rate of 5.4 per
> > cent over the past
five
> > years, has been
"among the world's fastest". And
> > consider what Jairam
> > Ramesh, an
economist in his own right has been
> > saying. Writing in
a national
> > paper, Ramesh
noted that despite all that has been
> > said about India's
many
> > troubles, the
rupee has not collapsed, there has
> > been no capital
flight,
> > stock markets have
not plunged, credit ratings
> have
> > not deteriorated
and
> > there has been no
repeat of the 1990-1991
> financial
> > crisis. On the
contrary,
> > even as The
Economist conceded, last year saw a
> > record inflow of
foreign
> > direct investment.
The fourth quarter of 2001 saw
> > GDP grow by a
scorching
> > 6.4 per cent and
even if, because of late monsoon
> > rains, there may
be a
> > sharp fall in food
production, there is no need to
> > worry since we
have a
> > whopping 50
million plus stock of foodgrains.
> >
> > In any event,
unlike in previous drought years,
> the
> > economy is now in
such
> > solid shape that
the government does not have to
> > panic over deficit
> > rainfall. It is
likely, of course, that rural
> > incomes will fall,
but the
> > national economy
is, unlike in the fifties, today
> > dominated by
services
> > which account for
nearly 50 per cent of the GDP.
> And
> > services, like IT,
> > Banking and
Finance, media and entertainment and a
> > host of others,
continue
> > to grow at a
breathtaking pace, despite the global
> > slowdown.
> >
> > The Infotec
Sector, in fact, is showing decided
> > signs of a
revival. The
> > National
Association of Software and Services
> > Companies (NASSCOM)
has
> > predicted a 22 per
cent growth in IT service
> exports
> > this year and a 65
year
> > cent growth in the
IT-enabled services sector.
> >
> > The best tribute
to Indian software was recently
> > paid by Thomas L.
Friedman,
> > writing in The New
York Times. He wrote: "Thanks
> to
> > the Internet and
> > satellites, India
has been able to connect its
> > millions of
educated,
> > English-speaking,
low-wage, tech-savvy young
> people
> > to the world's
largest
> > corporations. They
live in India, but they design
> > and run the
software and
> > systems that now
support the world's biggest
> > companies, earning
India an
> > unprecedented $ 60
billion in foreign reserves -
> > which doubled in
just three
> > years. But this
has made the world more dependent
> on
> > India and India on
the
> > world than ever
before. If you lose your luggage
> on
> > British Airways,
the
> > technies who track
it down are in India. If your
> > Dell Computer has
a
> > problem, the
techniewho walks you through it is in
> > Bangalore, India's
> > Silicon Valley.
Ernst & Young may be doing your
> > company's tax
returns here
> > in India with
Indian accountants. Indian software
> > giants like Wipro,
Infosys
> > and MindTree now
manage back-room operations -
> > accounting,
inventory
> > management,
billing, payrolls for global firms
> like
> > Nortel Networks,
Reebok,
> > Sony, American
Express, HSBC and GE Capital. GE's
> > highest research
centre
> > outside the US is
in Banglaore, with 1,700 Indian
> > engineers and
scientists.
> > The brain chip for
every Nokia cellphone is
> designed
> > in
Bangalore..."
> >
> > What bigger
tribute to Indian science and
> scientists
> > can one get?
India's
> > professional
standing army of 1.1 million is the
> > second largest in
the world
> > after China's -
and it is completely apolitical.
> > India is on the
top of the
> > world in missilery
and nuclear development.
> >
> > Our Indian
Institutes of Managements (IIMs) are
> some
> > of the best in the
> > world. IIM,
Ahmedabad is the toughest Management
> > School in the
world to get
> > into, ahead even
of Harvard Business School,
> > Colombia
University, Spain's
> > Instituto de
Empressa and France's Insead.
> >
> > It may sound
un-related, but the dabbawalas in
> > Bombay deliver
nearly 1.5
> > lakh lunch boxes
(dabbas) to Mumbai's citizens and
> > it is said that
their
> > Efficiency Rating
is 99.999999 or one error in six
> > million transactions
as
> > rated by the
American Business Weekly, Forbes
> > Global. And think
of this: The
> > Rural Water Supply
Programme in India has used
> more
> > than 30 lakh Mark
II
> > pumps made in
India and presently exported to
> Africa
> > and Latin America.
> > There are over
30,000 Indian doctors in the United
> > States - indeed
Indian
> > doctors
practically run the American medical
> field!
> >
> > In the realm of
milk production India has the
> > world's largest
milk
> > production at over
78 million tonnes a year
> ensuring
> > the livelihood of
> > almost 11 million
farmers in 96,000 village level
> > societies across
the
> > country. Nowhere
in the world has there been a man
> > of the calibre of
V.
> > Kurien. These
things would have been considered
> > impossible in 1947
when
> > India, burdened
with an enormous inferiority
> > complex, looked to
the West for
> > everything,
whether in science, technology or
> > engineering. Does
anyone truly
> > realise that
Indian railways are about the biggest
> > is the world? They
run
> > over one lakh
(1,00,000) kms. and are serviced by
> > 7,000 stations and
over
> > 11,000 freight and
passenger trains a day carrying
> > over a million
passengers
> > every 24 hours?
> >
> > Then again, India
with its 13 million bicycle
> > production a year
is second
> > only to China. And
to think that around 1947 India
> > had to import
bicycles
> > and, for that
matter, even safety pins? Sure, in
> > cities the roads
are dirty;
> > everywhere one
sees discarded plastic bags strewn
> at
> > road corners.
> >
> > But, according to
one estimate India recycles 60
> per
> > cent of its
plastic
> > waste. The figure
for Japan is 12 per cent; for
> > China, 10.
> >
> > According to India
Today the Indian postal system
> is
> > the largest in the
> > world and works
with fabulous efficiency, despite
> > the multiplicity
of
> > languages and low
literacy. Mail your letter
> > addressed to
someone in a
> > Himachal Pradesh
village at the street corner
> letter
> > box in Mumbai but
be
> > assured that the
letter would be unerringly
> > delivered to the
right address
> > in a week's time.
Who says Indians are
> inefficient?
> > In 1947 India was
known
> > abroad for its
poverty, snake charmers, fakirs
> lying
> > on beds of iron
nails,
> > cows wandering in
city streets etc. etc. India was
> > considered an
exotic land
> > and nothing more.
There were hardly any Indians
> > living in the
United States
> > or, for that
matter, in the United Kingdom, Canada
> > or Australia.
Today
> > Indians constitute
the highest income ethnic group
> > in the United
States.
> > Indian businessmen
are noted for their acumen,
> > especially in the
software
> > field. Indian
Americans constitute almost a third
> of
> > the NASA
workforce.
> > Indian teachers
are valued in American
> universities,
> > colleges and
schools.
> > Indian doctors
have established a veritable name
> for
> > themselves. And it
is
> > difficult to
believe that a 29-year old Indian has
> > been appointed
Assistant
> > Secretary in the
Department of Health and Human
> > Services. Only two
years ago
> > he had been
appointed President of the University
> of
> > Louisiana System,
one
> > of the largest
public university systems in the
> > United States with
nearly
> > 100,000 students
and a $ 450 million annual
> budget.
> > His name is Piyush
> > 'Bobby' Jindal and
he is now the highest ranking
> > Indian American in
a
> > federal government
post. At the age of 26 he was
> > Executive Director
of a
> > bi-partisan
presidential commission charged with
> > reforming
Medicare,
> > America's largest
insurance system for nearly 40
> > million people.
India has
> > come a long way
since 1947 though it may be argued
> > that it still has
a long
> > way to go in
practically all fields of endeavour
> > right in India
itself.
> > Millions still
live below the poverty line,
> literacy
> > is still low by
western
> > standards,
hundreds of villages hardly have any
> > drinking water and
health
> > care is less than
minimum. But that should not
> > detract us from
the successes
> > which are
stupendous.
> >
> > There is hardly
anything that India cannot
> > indigenously
build. Ships planes,
> > cars, vehicles of
all kinds and now missiles are
> all
> > built in India
with
> > Indian labour and
expertise.
> >
> > A younger
generation will take all these for
> granted
> > but it is only an
older
> > generation that
has seen India cower under western
> > dominance that can
> > appreciate the
great changes that have come over
> > Indian society.
> >
> > On the strength of
what India has achieved in the
> > last half a
century one
> > can confidentially
assert that within the next
> > quarter century
India will be
> > a force to reckon
with and will be counted among
> the
> > first three or
four
> > most powerful
nations in the world. That is not
> only
> > a dream and a hope
but
> > something that will
be seen as a reality. Then
> > indeed can any
Indian say
> > with truth and pride: 'Mera Bharat mahan'