There, its done now. I’ve well and truly gone and done the full monty and given a sensationalist title to the heading. I’d better get my act together and prove it with facts or else I’ll be eaten up by the patriots here who’ve given India more than a 90% recommendation. HEre comes my justification:
1. The Administration Of India
I’ve been living in Mumbai all my life (well, almost. I do holiday man) and can therefore highlight the grievances experienced by India’s commercial capital. First of all, something really needs to be done about the number of people emigrating to Mumbai and other cities every year. There is simply no more space left now in cities where every inch is at a premium. Through the system of education, the government and even NGOs can help to get this point across. The administrative infrastructure is not developed enough to handle hundreds of new citizens everyday into the city.
Another problem is that of road maintenance. Bad roads not only cause excessive tyre wear and damage to the suspension of motor vehicles, they can have more serious consequences. For example, potholes fill up with water in the monsoons and cause accident, leading motorists to their deaths in some cases. Even the commissioner’s own area (even I stay in the same block so I know) is badly maintained with pot holes and all. This area also houses celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar and promonent people like the Ambassador of South Africa. If this is the case in my area, admittedly plush, then I pity the ones living in other remote regions of the country.
The Judicial Sytem of India seemed to have gone into dormant mode, but the latest string of terrorist attacks and hi-alert periods have woken them up. Now, finally, the 1993 bomb blast case is reaching a conclusion adn the Courts have also ordered the BMC to level all the roads, getting rid of the potholes.
And ofcourse, can we FINALLY get rid of the stupid quota system? Is the government turning immune to protests in its firm belief in our stupidity? The students have shaken the government and have helped to get rid of complacency and lethargy in the government. Kudos to them!
The Citizens Of India
Enough of blaming the government for all of India’s woes. Its high time we realise that we, as citizens, are also responsible for the smooth running of the country. I have seen people SPTTING tobacco on the roads. I felt like going and slapping them hard!!! The paan leaves a permanent stain on the roads and is disgusting to see. There is nothing that the government can do in this case- the law has been laid down and we should follow it. COmpare this to a city like Singapore, which is clean as a whistle.
Also, what sort of nincompoops have we become? Some "priests" have decided that a Rs 22 crore throne should be made for Sai Baba, a late saint holy to hundreds of Indians. Sai Baba, in his lifetime, shunned all extravagences and believed only in helping others, so aren’t his misguided disciples going against his principles?
And then of course the issue of the Mahim sweet-water case is there. That incident was plain crazy. To those in the wilderness, the sea water tuend sweet off the coast of Mumbai due to shifting in the position of the water table. Some silly fanatics thought this to be God’s miracle and proclaimed the water holy. Now, this water is used for dumping all sorts of toxins and wastes. Garbage, plastic bags and other wastes are dumped here. Regardless of this fact, people bathed in and drank this polluted and contaminated water. Only the pharmaceutical companies must have benefited from this rash act of ignorance, while the Life Insurance companies will have suffered a set back for sure.
The Media
I peronally think that most of the mass media people have lost the plot. While the Rakhi-Mika kiss incident generated a frenzy, the war in Lebanon was almost ignored. And what exactly was so great about some five year old kid falling into a pit? Yes, I am referring to the Prince case, which was shown LIVE on national television for 60 hours!! 60 hours!! Around 2-3 hours coverage would have been enough. Even Aaj Tak’s management agree that this issue was blown out of proportion.
Indian Achievements
Its time to look back and get a little nostalgic about what we have achieved in the last 59 years. A GDP of around 8% currently means that our development rate is awesome and under P Chidambaram, we should do better when it comes to financial matters. Ok, I admit it, that is all the knowledge I have. But I have heard of the unusual movement in the stock market and frankly, the crashes are kind of unexcusable and it seems like our entire stock market is dependent on foreign investors.
When it comes to sports, Vikram Rathore is just about the only guy that’s made us proud in the Olympics in recent times. And Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan were just flashes in the pan man. Okay, I ain’t no poet. But neither is anyone else in India. I mean, most of our poets have written in Hindi, a language that restricts their fame to India only. Therefopre, cricket is the only sporting activity and hindi literature is the only writing activity that we’re any good at.
When it comes to films, Satyajit Ray was the last Indian filmmaker to create a stir at the Oscars, and even though Ahitosh Gowarikar tried, he failed to duplicatre Ray’s success.
Safety
A police man rapes a college-going girl and women in Delhi cannot step out after 7 without a body guard (relatives tell me so). Is this what safety has come to? Have we become such deranged sadists that we cannot respect a woman’s right to her dignity and modesty?
Alchoholics and drug addicts have started traeting the roads as their play grounds- leading to tragic consequences. Just today, a psychopath has been declared on the loose in Mumbai. The guy is said to have hammered a hammer into girls’s skull. Is India really safe anymore? Are people considerate anymore? Do not cite the bomb blasts or drought in Gujarat as edxamples in favour of India and its people- this kind of thing generally affcts the human spirit in that way.
AND when will moral policing stop? We’re capable of deciding what’s good and what’s not good for us. Thats enough for now. You tell me whether you agree with me or no. Are we capable of shedding our third world country complacency and will we rise to the top??
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