What Washington is to America, Delhi to India

Digital Drifter

with the proverbial Indian twist.

http://www.granta.com/Magazine/107/Capital-Gains/1

Riveting article. It describes something I can't wrap my head around. And it has a kernel of Charlie Wilson's war, instead of democracy, it's land wars.

Imperial, Regal, dysfunctional, raw naked muscle power, you name it, it's all there.

History may not repeat, it certainly rhymes.

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darkside_of_d_sun

A nice read indeed, thanks for that link! Yeah, Delhi was a culture shock for us Calcuttans, its very very different and not in the good way!

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ocean020

excellent article.. thanks a lot for sharing.. as someone who has spent 2 years in delhi, the showboating of delhi's rich is something that i always found amusing..

This is the generation where india's sprituality goes for western materialism.. hope all goes well

Ocean

ronsaik

I was irritated by the sweeping generalisations, but in the midst of much dung, found Alberuni's proverbial pearl:

{speaking of the 'anglicised' Indian class:}

Their foreign degrees and cosmopolitan behaviour prepare them well for jobs in international banks and management consultancies, where they earn good salaries and mix with people like themselves. But they are surrounded by very different people – private businessmen, entrepreneurs, real-estate agents, retailers and general wheeler-dealers – who are making far more money than they are, and wielding more political power.

Soooooooo true. Most commentators don't get this: the old elite was more anglicised, more genteel, more cultured. The new India is not getting more Westernised, just more uncouth.

EDIT: Never mind the generalisations :-)

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OrangeStreet

Riveting, Absolutely riveting..

Especially the story of Mr Singh (DLF). Inspiring.

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Sama

not exactly a travelogue for Delhi.

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Boston123

This is path similar to what the uber capitalists in 19th century America took.. stories of how John D. Rockeller built the Standard Oil empire, walking over numerous people, in the absence of any meaningful government regulation abound.But the big difference is the money they gave back to society later in their lives. A similar thing happened in Russia, in the 90's, when state assets were looted by many a Oligarch.

What a shame.. no mention of how these Delhi business men think they might improve the standard of living for the millions living in poverty! You'd think these guys would be involved in some philanthrophy as well..but I doubt it.