Last week, I came across Simon Lazenbatt’s post on 2point6billion blog* about how India’s middle class may be failing the country.
Now the middle class in India has - at various times – been blamed for everything from the AIDS epidemic to pretending that everything around them is nice and happy.
Simon’s post – although broadly in a similar vein, was slightly different. It appeared to suggest that the middle class in India was apathetic and indifferent to the plight of the poor and the under-privileged and - possibly - perfectly happy for the status quo to continue so that they can enjoy their life and the comforts of middle class existence (such as having maids and servants at your beckoning).
*** CAUTION: Long Post ***
First some extracts from the article followed by my response:
Keep Reading…
April 23rd, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Development Issues, India |
10 comments
My brother-in-law pointed me in the direction of this extraordinary site some days back.
It has some amazingly cool presentations on global development statistics and trends.
For a fascinating perspective, see this chart check the box labelled “trails” (bottom right) and chart India and China from 1979 to date.
It may just make the case for why India may overtake China in income and development indicators over the next 2-3 decades if it continues on the same trajectory.
For those of you who missed it, heres “Why India will* overtake China – I”
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* And in case you are still wondering about the title (which was in the best traditions of sensationalism), I accept it should be “might” rather than “will”…
April 15th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
China, Development Issues, Emerging Markets, India |
4 comments
One of the things that I enjoy about blogging and my travels is it gives me a wonderful opportunity to pick up data points that otherwise would be lost in the noise of daily routine…the best moment of all is when one discerns a pattern amidst the din of news and the burden of information overload.
One such moment happened recently…starting with this story in the International Herald Tribune on Tuesday (3rd April): “India outsourcing moves to front office”.
Anand Giridharadas wrote in the report how “quietly, but steadily” the received wisdom about the non-offshorability (for want of a better word) of “high-end careers requiring graduate degrees and commanding six-figure salaries” was being challenged by recent developments in India.
Amongst other things, he noted how “The pool of jobs once thought to be impossible to outsource is gradually evaporating” and how “investment banks like Morgan Stanley are hiring Indians to analyze U.S. stocks, a job that can pay $200,000 a year or more on Wall Street.”
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April 6th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Globalization, Immigration, India |
2 comments
I am very pleased to announce India-VCIG’s first event for the year… We are partnering with CBC at the Global Technology Innovation Forum on May 14, ’07 in London
There is a great line-up of speakers including Kanwal Rekhi, Prof. Ashok Mishra, Sir Richard Sykes and Dayanidhi Maran…and a very promising agenda…
The group is also considering a visit to India in late October (plans still being chalked out) which will expose members (and others on the visit) to some of the leading edge technology and innovation happening in India and offer opportunities for networking/intereaction with a few leading VCs on the ground.
I am very excited by the idea and we are working hard to make it happen…It is still a few months away but if you would like to be kept updated, please email me and let me know.
April 3rd, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
India |
one comment
Brilliant article** from my friend Tosh on India, China and the global economy (timed with the World Cup)
It has all the brilliance of his trademark style – refreshingly direct combined with penetrating insight…
Tosh makes the point that Europe will do well to consider India more seriously – and not least because it has distinct advantages over the US in this regard…
Excerpts:
“…Had India played a fair game of cricket, it would have waited (at least until the Beijing Olympics) before foisting a second, near-alchemical reincarnation of Asia’s rise on an unsuspecting world.
For India has, unexpectedly, joined China in attaining near double-digit economic growth rates. It has done so in violation of that mantra of MBA programmes – that foreign direct investment (FDI) is the recipe for growth in a developing country.
Keep Reading…
March 17th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
China, Development Issues, Emerging Markets, India |
2 comments
I was a little surprised when I read this but not a lot….”China bans cyber cafes for a year”, (06 March , 2007, Reuters):
“Fearful of soaring Internet addiction and juvenile crime, China has banned the opening of new Internet cafes this year, state media reported on Tuesday.
“In 2007, local governments must not sanction the opening of new Internet bars,” Xinhua news agency on Tuesday quoted a directive jointly released by 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, as saying.
There are currently about 113,000 Internet cafes and bars in China, Xinhua said, citing the Ministry of Information Industry.
The notice comes as lawmakers at China’s annual session of parliament, the National People’s Congress, called for stricter regulations to keep teenagers away from Internet cafes, which are often seen in China as hotbeds of juvenile crime.
“It is common to see students from primary and middle schools lingering in Internet bars overnight, puffing on cigarettes and engrossed in online games,” Xinhua quoted NPC
Last year, a report from the China National Children’s Centre, a government think-tank, said that 13 per cent of China’s 18 million Internet users under 18 were Internet addicts.”
(Also at China bans new internet cafes)
Although the report says that the ban is aimed more at curbing addiction to online games (and internet addiction in general), I suspect the truth is little more complex and there is more to it than appears at first glance.
This move goes to the heart of why China may loose some of its competitive edge in the long term (over several years, possibly decades)…I have written before on how democracy, diversity and the freedom to openly debate/ argue/ discuss ideas is one of the core strengths that India has - thanks to its long democratic tradition* …and it may yet prove to be the winning card in the now boringly familiar debate around India vs. China. see e.g. this post (personally, I dont see this as a zero-sum game).
Coming back to the ban though – what exactly is the government trying to accomplish?
I am looking forward to comments from my Chinese readers and those familiar with China.
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P.S. In case you thought that curbs on “harmless” freedoms (such as surfing the net/ online gaming) are limited to online activities, think again….according to an Associated Press report:
“…some 170 Chinese cities limit or ban motorcycle use or ownership, largely because they are viewed as underpowered, cheap, polluting machines that clog traffic and endanger others.” and apparently..
“Motorcycles have been banned from almost all the main streets in Shanghai, Huang said, and the city stopped accepting (new) motorcycle registrations in 2002.”
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* As an aside, the democratic tradition in India goes back over a millenia and is not just a result of Britain’s colonial legacy as is commonly believed.
March 9th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
China, Development Issues, Global Competition, India, Miscellaneous |
4 comments
Now the middle class in India has - at various times – been blamed for everything from the AIDS epidemic to pretending that everything around them is nice and happy. 
