Globalization....bonanza in the days of economic downturn

(I wrote this blog in June 2009; I thought I should publish it now at least)

I attended many lectures on Globalization. On the one hand India's "economic success" has been attributed to the opening of the economy by Manmohan Singh in early 1990s; on the other hand most of the difficulties that the poor and the deprived face is also attributed to the phenomenon of globalization.

Of course the woes are attributed to the propaganda by the left; the proponents argue that the left brings out issues which are not related to Globalization and tries to link them to Globalization (but please read Steiglich). Unless one experiences the effect of globalization he will not appreciate it.

Take this example...I used to take coffee at the international airport, Mumbai, every time I departed from there. My records show that I had paid anywhere from Rs.5 (plastics cup, from dispenser) to Rs.50 (China, from dispenser) last year and before. This time when I travelled, I had to pay Rs.250 for a cup of coffee (Tall glass, from dispenser). Now I don't have the option of getting the cheap Rs.5/- cup of coffee at the International airport. I have to necessarily buy the coffee from one of the fashionable coffee shops in the airport at the price quoted....that means the choice which was available earlier is no more there....Can an average Indian afford coffee at this price? No way. But he is not expected to enter the international airport anyway ! (there are may who go through this airport who cannot afford the coffee). Then, that is what Globalization is about...generation of exclusive club of rich people who will not allow others to enter this club by making entry difficult and not affordable. The majority, therefore, will be left out of the so called economic boom....

You know pretty well that matter can neither be created nor be destroyed....same is the case with wealth.....it is only transferred from one pocket to the other....if one section of the society becomes rich because of Globalization,.....the obvious outcome is the other section becomes as much poor....and the story continues.....

My China Visit - some impressions

It all started in 2000, with my first visit to Shanghai, PRC. I was terribly upset on returing to India to see the condition of buildings, roads and the general hygiene. How is that China could progress so much (Shanghai was and is, almost similar to Singapore and Hong Kong) we in India cannot. We are not less intelligent or hard working than the Chinese. We have enough funds to improve our infrastructure; of course the Chines have a lot more reserves. But I can not help getting into a sort of depression on landing in Mumbai/Delhi. We cannot compare the facilities and architecture of Shanghai, Nangjing or Beijing Airprot with those we find in the "improved" airports at Delhi and Mumbai. One of the reasons that I could attribute to the poor infrastructure that we have in spite of crores being spent to improve them is our so called "Democracy"...the rule of the mediocres. The other is "widespread corruption" (may be an element of Chalta Hai also contributes, but it is less compared to corruption). Here are some photographs that I had taken in the recent past in China....see for yourself:


Great Wall of China (is that Allen Border ?)....near Beijing


The Forbidden City, Beijing

The above two are frequented by lakhs of visitors everyday...but maintained clean and neat.



The above is NOT the picture of Shanghai; it is WuHan an interior city. I cannot imagine any of our cities coming anywhere near this, with neat roads and manicured plants as road dividers.



It appears that most of the cities of China are mini-Shanghai. The above picture of Xiamen was taken from the Island across the sea...I don't to need to say any further than to show you the skyline.




The above picture was taken by me from my room (a guest room provided by our factory, located inside our factory) in Songzi, a small town in the Hubei Province, PRC. I cannot imagine such a road in say, even, Ahmednagar, which is much bigger than Songzi.



The above picture was taken at the Gulangye island off Xiamen...this is a street full of shops....again clean and neat....in this island no petrol or diesel driven vehicle is allowed.



I enjoyed my "bargaining" here...the above picture shows the market on the foot of the Great Wall of China near Beijing. See the cleanliness

I can go on posting more such photos....then my frustration goes up...why not India progress....at least catch up with China if not overtake it....I don't think it will happen in my life-time....probably the younger generation may take India to greater heights...probably we were a generation without ambition (Chalta Hai)!

Beware...I intend to post more such photos from all over....