I consider myself a "fascinated follower of India". Maybe not of the Indian way of handling every challenge on their long and winding road to a decent life for all their 1,2 billion people, but definitely of India as a phenomenon. And also of the progress that is made, step by step.
Every now and then, though, quite alarming news stories reach this arctic spot in the world all the way from India. Like yesterday, when I read the story of Indian slave laborers in The Economist. Or a few days ago, when I read the Tehelka story of how the Indian Planning Commission is reducing the official poverty line to suit their own needs and capacities.
Stories like this shake me out of my everyday Scandinavian comfort zone, and my first impulse, now as always, is to discuss it with my Indian friends - some of them at least. And again I'm taken by surprise. The cowardice! The "don't-rock-my-boat, we're-getting-wealthier-all-the-time" attitude! The "oh-we-used-to-be-colonized" whining! Blame history if you don't want to change it yourself.
This time it was colonialism, otherwise it's normally Pakistan who is to blame. It's like every failure in my own little country of Norway (and believe me, we have plenty) should be blamed on Sweden and/or Denmark (colonialism) or Germany (WW2).
My sincere hope for "my country of fascination" and its more or less fortunate inhabitants, is that they will all be able to face reality as well as responsibility together. The future of India is most likely so bright they'll all have to wear shades some day, but as of right now, that will have to be the responsibility of those who can afford them.
No comments:
Post a Comment