issue #19
In his book "India Unbound", Gurcharan Das rants about an "emerging", financially strong India; yet ironically all the financial figures in his book are in dollars (converted from the rupee). While a hundred reasons can be argued for it, this shows that we are still a slave to the dollar.
It is really a shame for us all that development and progress has become synonymous with blindly aping the west. Having "missed" the industrial revolution, we desperately jumped onto the IT/BPO bandwagon in a hurry, without a thought to the future.
We have stopped all enquiry into the fundamental sciences and engineering and are happy to be cyber-coolies at the mercy of rich outsourcing nations. What when India starts losing out to other Asian(South-East) countries on this front and finds that she has also lost out on her industrial/academic competencies?
In tune with this mad gold-rush, our core competencies of spirituality, philosophy, art and cultural heritage have all gone for a toss. Regional literature, drama forms, concerts have all been replaced by late night clubbing and Hollywood SFX.
All that remains of newspapers today are Page 3 and Job postings- the rest is trashed. With every third person an IT professional and every sixth one an MBA (not to mention every single person's dream of becoming one of these), the time is near when we will be teaching our children Perl or C# as their primary language in school!
While there's nothing wrong with "living for the moment", it leaves us a whole lot vulnerable to the future and while everyone cannot be expected to ponder on this, I really hope we have at least a few thinkers to save the day when the time of reckoning finally arrives.
It is really a shame for us all that development and progress has become synonymous with blindly aping the west. Having "missed" the industrial revolution, we desperately jumped onto the IT/BPO bandwagon in a hurry, without a thought to the future.
We have stopped all enquiry into the fundamental sciences and engineering and are happy to be cyber-coolies at the mercy of rich outsourcing nations. What when India starts losing out to other Asian(South-East) countries on this front and finds that she has also lost out on her industrial/academic competencies?
In tune with this mad gold-rush, our core competencies of spirituality, philosophy, art and cultural heritage have all gone for a toss. Regional literature, drama forms, concerts have all been replaced by late night clubbing and Hollywood SFX.
All that remains of newspapers today are Page 3 and Job postings- the rest is trashed. With every third person an IT professional and every sixth one an MBA (not to mention every single person's dream of becoming one of these), the time is near when we will be teaching our children Perl or C# as their primary language in school!
While there's nothing wrong with "living for the moment", it leaves us a whole lot vulnerable to the future and while everyone cannot be expected to ponder on this, I really hope we have at least a few thinkers to save the day when the time of reckoning finally arrives.
-sumandatta
(editor)
(editor)
1 Comments:
on editorial [by S] on the state of society......I think living for the day is part of believing
you can achieve things outside of the place society or religion stations you .There was a glimpse of Indian life on TV here in Ireland and while you are looking at a totally different culture it reminds of our grandparents idea that all hardship is the will of God and there is no breaking free for individuals.
One appreciates the need for a philosophic view and planning for society but I would think a
lot of societies are in such flux that you can only try to influence for the best in the short term.
As example Ireland
1950s.......massive emigration to England/UK....little ecunomic progress at home.
1960s......John F Kennedy....grandson of an irish emigrant becomes president of America.
Visits Ireland....much economic growth....free education introduced.
1970/80s....Ireland joins the European Economic Cummunity.....industry grows....
agricultural working declines....Catholic Church in decline..
1990 /2005 ...massive economic growth....massive house price inflation
what at least some of us believe to be very harsh anti-immigration laws are
voted in.....society now very secular.....Catholic Church in huge decline with
young people.....young suicide rates way up .
My own opinion is that no thinker however brilliant can solve society^s riddle of complexity....and we must avoid at all costs those who believe there is only one right way
and its theirs...
Keep up the mag..all the best,
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