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From the success of Slumdog Millionaire to racist attacks in Australia,

economically growing Indians are the envy of the recession-struck developed world!

Before we talk about the jaundiced racist attacks on Indians in Australia, we have got to go to some basics. And unfortunately, the basics lie in India's enviable growth story of late. As long as the western world was growing, India's provocative growth story made great news. After all, the altruistic western media had to look charitable and benevolent to their lower ranked earth mates. The problem, however, began as their economies started getting into recession – something that was of their own doing. Instead of looking at going full throttle to develop markets in lesser developed regions like Latin America, India, China etc, Europeans and Americans kept capriciously selling to their own citizens through artificial means like luring non-creditworthy people into taking loans – in the process making their people dehumanized materialistic consumer dustbins. The delinquent process bombed, their banks started failing and they realised that a Japan-like zero growth era was here to stay.

At such a time of exasperating global recession, for the west to see a third world country like India growing at 6.5 percent plus – a rate of growth they haven’t seen in a few decades – can have dire consequences psychologically. It started with Slumdog Millionaire. The movie ridiculed India in every possible way – every aspect of life that touches foreigners in India was ripped apart in the form of a love story. The cheeseparing west enjoyed it so much that it showered the film with awards after awards, the Oscars included. To me, the clearly partisan name of the film, its huge success and those grandiose awards – all smacked of illiberal racism. At a purblind time when the west was spluttering economically, they found a special thrill in seeing the film and metaphorically consoling themselves that well, India is the world’s ‘slumdog’ becoming a millionaire by pure luck and coincidences. And as expected, in cricket matches in New Zealand, one could see jingoistic posters with racist undertones saying the Slumdog Millionaires are here.

The current caustic situation in Australia is just an extrapolation of similar feelings. All over the developed world, they see that places of higher education are full of ‘yellows’ and ‘browns’. They also see their jobs being outsourced to the same yellows and browns. And now, in these troubled times of rampant job losses, it’s a pain to see educated Indians getting jobs in their own country. Thus, the still existing – in subconscious – racist and apartheid feelings have started showing their ugly misanthropic colors. And no wonder they are against the student community – the community, which is the real future threat. History is testimony to the fact that unemployment and frustrations always lead to crime. And it’s time the prejudiced governments in developed countries launched campaigns to educate their citizens on how to deal with these termagant times than to close their eyes and allow the citizens to take to racial crimes – unless of course they too, in the heart of their hearts, want Indians to leave their country. And if education campaigns fail to prevent the corrosive racial attacks in the short run (such campaigns work best in the long run), then the governments should step up their policing to put an immediate end to such shameful acts of clear-cut racist violence, instead of trying to pass them off as isolated and sporadic cases of non-racist crimes. What a shame! Indians are culturally and by nature peace loving and nonviolent due to various reasons. In India, there are unfortunate crimes against foreigners; but these have more to do with lust and petty theft. They aren’t racist crimes. But what’s happening against students in Australia is certainly and increasingly intolerantly racist. And it must be brought to an immediate stop. It’s time the developed nations got used to the idea of the Indian growth story, and it’s time they worked hard to take part in it rather than ridicule it, as that would serve them no good. For if we were to stop companies of developed nations from coming into India’s blossoming markets, their corporations’ last hopes of revival would see the end of the day.

Comments

Anonymous said…
After all is done, tom greens up. We auction talent at atto-cost, buy back presented at peta.
KeepingItSimple said…
It is only the educated mind which can grasp the understanding the dependencies in the complexity of economies in the currently highly inter-dependent world.

The implications of any misdeed in any part of the world has subsequent ramifications across some other part.

But AFAIK and Infer, I think it is China and other asian (non india) which has also made equal or better penetration in the same time as India and would not be surprised if they move ahead in the race to be the best.

I still feel Indian media (Paper,TV and bloggers) and society are far too biased and immature and have still to learn the interdependencies of the current world they live in.

Thanks for writing a post of the so called Race Attacks, which I think is only a sum up and push of the Indian Media which the same crime rate has existed even before it was taken up.
prateek said…
dear mr. arindam,
i've done my 12th last year and currently studying in JEC jabalpur (with IT branch)which is a govt. engineering college.
as i'm unsatisfied with the study procedure,(i want practical knowladge and not cramming) i want to switch my institute.
i'm considering your PLANMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY as an optoin.i've got both good and bad news regarding it from people but i personally like the concept of your institute.
but ,there are some doubts which i would like to be clarified,
the first thing i heard that its a kind of institute which is for those students who does not get a good technical college and have a lot of money to spend.(i'm asking this because i belong to a middle class family.)

second,people say that it makes no sense to leave your college for a private one (specially when its this much expensive)

thirdly,there is much confusion about recognition of B.I.S. degree in India.

i know it can look slight silly that i'm confirming the reputation of your institute from you.but i'm asking you because i believe you and have a very good impression of yours in mind(one of the prime reasons i selected your institute)

please advise me what should i do.its about my carrier.
my e mail id is prateekguptax@gmail.com
Mahendra Mehta said…
" We are making our children engineers, doctors, mathematicians m.b.a m.c.a . But that is not education, that is only a means and method to earn a livelihood; it is only an arrangement for earning in a better way. We are sending our children to Europe and America for further education, and one may think one has done something very great in doing so. But we are only teaching them to earn their bread more efficiently -- nothing more than that. We are not educating them nor establishing any connection with education, because education means a birth of real and higher values in life.
What will the birth of real and higher values in life mean?

If there is such a birth, man will become liberated, man will become full of bliss. The more life moves towards higher values, the more the bonds go on falling.slavery of leaders vanishes,
Do we teach transcendence of oneself? No, we teach selfishness, exploitation, hoarding for one's own self. We teach how to somehow fulfill our desires and expectations more proficiently, and we think we are giving our children real learning. Nothing can be more meaningless than this idea.OUR great education,Everything is great and see the fruit of it....
Shruti Sharma said…
Respected Sir,
Belonging to Punjab, I've seen every second youngster and many families moving out to Australia, NZ and Canada in the greed of better education and mainly for better earning, which is a really awkward reason for going abroad, especially when we hear daily about the economic conditions of World in comparison with our country. I really don't understand why those people are ready to work as helpers at petrol pumps, loading heavy materials, waiters etc. in those countries rather than doing more hard work in own country. I think in order to not being called and projected as "slumdogs" by them, we should first of all, stop projecting ourselves as "Slumdogs".
hi sir,
i am great fan of ur blogs..
in last paragraph of ur's u have said that people of australia r racist it does't seems to be ......the reason beyond it could be the unemployment problem they r facing in this racision....bec these things r taking place at present which wr not highlighted in the past....we were happy all these days we enjoyed their company.......i am not supporting them but wn ur hungry and weak in mixed feelings in ur place.. have one bread to eat,suddenly u come to know that u may be missing it and taken away from ur neighbour ..
than wt is the reaction of that hungry poor man......
Guha Rajan said…
Traveling and studing in a different country give a person a very good exposure in handling many aspects of life.

But, decade ago the information/knowledge was only available in magazine, books,TV. The media called internet has completely changed the outlook of the world.Hence, ideally the current generation instead of taking a blind step of going abroad has to do a cost benefit analysis before going abroad for studies, more particularly if they are taking the route of debt financing for studing abroad.

India can be a better option these days.
Unknown said…
Dear Sir,

In the Bhagwad Gita, 16th Chapter its said that "there are 3 doors to hell Greed, Lust and anger". In Deepak Chopras book Life After Death also its said in the contents page a chapter with a heading "There are 3 doors to hell". Now i did not read the content of the chapter. In a blog of Deepak Chopra i remember reading that there is evidence for heaven and hell.
Now iam just confused, because i want to become a big entrepreneur, want to reach the highest potential, contribute to society. Now is ambition/purpose - greed?Will a person be sent to hell for good things like creating big organisations, bringing up the quality of life of ppl etc etc etc?iam confused and this confusion creates an inconsistency and messes up life.
please reply as soon as possible
Thank You

Pradeep

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