This elephant can dance too...

Source. - www.time.com

During my first month in the USA, sometime in August 2000, I called my dad, and I was giving him a detailed account of my new world. Comparing it to India, I remember telling him this ..... "People criticize India all the time. NRIs visit India and constantly crib about the pollution, and the bad roads. Foreigners still look at India as the land of Maharajas and snake charmers. Indians while patriotic, often have little pride in their motherland, hankering after approval by anyone not Indian. What all these people forget is, it took countries like the USA many centuries to get to where they are today. Despite its centuries old history, India is a relatively young country. Its been just 53 years since we got our independence. Its only a matter of time before India realizes its true potential"

Looking back, I guess i was echoing the sentiments felt by almost every Indian who moved to a foreign country and realized that if there was heaven on earth, it was in India, right in the crowded streets and cramped apartments that we grew up in.

Time magazine's cover story for the week is about "India Inc", touting India as the next great economic super power. I read the article with mixed feelings...intense pride, cautious optimism, and a good deal of fear. Why fear? Whatever India does, India does incredibly and exceedingly well. Any phenomenon in India does not grow - it exploded. I refer both to the good and the bad.

The good? The incredible brilliance and ingenuity of Indians. Our tenacious, and single minded ambition have built an unshakeable reputation for us in every major company across the world. "Hes a typical desi guy, pretty good" - is a common refrain in the corporate world. The 80s and the 90s saw a phenomenon - hordes of bright young Indians migrating to the USA and Europe. While people in India lamented about the terrible waste of talent and brain drain, these expatriates slowly but steadily built a solid reputation for Indian brain power. Indians in mainland India also slowly but steadily chugged along, building a solid India, despite the government in many occasions.

The bad? We all knew that India would one day break out of its ugly shell...I dont think anyone ever imagined that in this decade, we would actually be recognized as a superpower, in an incredibly positive article, published by America's leading magazine. However, India's explosive growth and success is unprecedented..even Indians shake their heads with disbelief. The rich are richer, the middle class better of than ever, but what about the poorest of the poor? The caste distinctions in India are stronger than ever, rearing their ugly head in reservations. Excessive wealth is leading to many social ills. I do not wish to sound like a wet blanket, but are we growing too soon, too fast? With tremendous power comes great responsibility (as a certain comic movie said, alluding to the USA in fact). Are we ready?

Check out the article at the link below...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/current
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