Going on 60, still together.. what unites India?

capt_mahajan

Disagree.

Dilliwala

1. U confuse nation-state with country.
2. A politico-legal arrangement does not make a country. Its people do.
3. I've said this some pages back and am happy to repeat it - if the vast majority of citizens did not want this country to be one, it wudn't be. As to what "united" and "unity" means is subjective from one person to another.
4. "though i know that the military does to a great extent."
The military is an arm of the government. At least in this country. If it were that influential, any number of its officers, serving and retired wud not be complaining about insufficient influence. And about militaries holding nations together - Pakistan, Yugoslavia, USSR, Czechoslovakia and Ethiopia cud not be stopped from breaking up despite large militaries.

Nick-H

This is India we are talking about.

You might have been under the impression is was somewhere else?

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GauhatiBoy

In India I felt little military presence, and the cops didn't carry guns.

Jasmin

India is still together. How 'united' it is I'm not sure. I hope it will always stay one country, but who knows what the future holds?

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karthik_mitta

Maybe singsub meant.. the "borders together" in association with the BRO

I disagree too that it is the military.

With that said, Sierra and Jasmin read my original post (the first one).. we still are one country, we still have one constitution, we still have one currency, we still have one identity called Indian.. and that my dear, was the original question. What keeps us together? And I think to a large extent we are together.

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KM

In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds - Martin Luther King Jr.

Sierra

Thanks to you for your responses. It broadens my perspective, but doesn't necessarily change my opinion. Here's an interesting article that I came across that I thought might be of interest of you on this thread.

India: how’s it growing?

Sixty years after independence, India is accelerating fast, but is everyone in the same race? Martin Wroe and Malcolm Doney report.

http://www.developments.org.uk/artic...19s-it-growing

shashank.aggarwal

what has this article to do with Unity of India ? Its again the thing what I call "Economic bashing"..

As soon as someone starts talking good things, some 'intellectual' would pop in and start the discussion of poverty, hunger, suicides, class difference..etc.. not your fault though..its a trend these days...

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Sierra

Shashank, thanks for your reply. Ok--this is the story. I'm a feringi. Even though I've been here for a long time and have seen incredible changes in the outward parts of India--80 percent still haven't had significant change. Many things are still the way they were 2,000 years ago except for the cellphones thanks to Reliance. To my limited cultural frame of reference, to see the poverty, etc. is still incomprehensible in a land that has such incredible natural resources--the biggest one being the people.

I would just like to see the super-rich Indians give to the poor. There is really no need for foreign NGO's here as far as I understand it. When the Tsunami hit, the Indian government said as much. I saw a documentary that showed a gated community that has been built three hours away from Mumbai. You have to have ten million dollars to buy a house there. When one of the guys was interviewed by the foreign correspondent, the interviewer said, "You wouldn't even know you are in India here." And the guy said, "Yes! Isn't that great!" No, it's sad. And by the way, they had a strong presence of a paid army to protect the place.

I know being a feringi, my viewpoint is limited, but I have found that people coming from the outside can give an important perspective that people who are in it don't see. That is why I appreciate this forum. We have the opportunity to express our viewpoint with each other and grow in what we are able to see.

shashank.aggarwal

But Sierra, however novel your intentions are..you you still fall in the category of Economic Bashers...

We are talking about unity here and not economic development...but you still prefer to bring in this topic as countless other people do these days..and that is the reason its easy for people to believe that you are just following the trend or fashion...because these days to prove you are knowledgeable and intellectually aware you just have to rant some numbers about the super rich, below poverty line numbers etc...and that is exactly what you have done..

btw..we keep discussing these things..however have you even actually cared to see the numbers given by various agencies..just try and review 3 different agencies numbers and you will stop believing in them altogether..

Below Poverty line is a very fancy term in Dollars, but let me tell you some startling numbers..my Family lives in Delhi, we have our own accommodation we don't have to pay rent..but still our 4 member family easily survives on US $ 150-170 per month..minus any fancy things...and I am talking about a metro here..and remember when you talk about BPL you don't talk about Phone bill, electricity bill, cable, maid, petrol, tuition fee, cooking gas etc etc etc..

Now for once just leave the numbers that come on your face in newspapers, magazines, forums & blogs...and then compare for yourself..what you saw 10 years back..are the things same now..have they gone worse OR have they improved..travel to small towns..and see what they are doing..

Just remember 1000 Million people cannot be suddenly lifted from poverty and brought above poverty line..

Sierra

You've given me things to think about...thank you.

capt_mahajan

Offtopic, sorry.




Even 200 a month translates to 8000 rupees, approx. I think this is impossible.

A middle middle class family will spend that much in a combination of electricity+phone+cellphone+in surances (car? household? medical?)+internet+newspapers/magazines+petrol+tv cable connection alone


not factored in

-no food
-no clothing or replacements
-no entertainment, not even a movie
-no car maintenance
-no replacement costs for anything in the house
-no education
-nothing not on my list.

Shashank, I am confused

shashank.aggarwal

Yes you should be..Those are basic expenses...we don't have a car..don't have a AC..

Electric Bill is around Rs.600
Phone is Rs.300 PM no lengthy calls from house phone.
On Insurance I got mediclaim for my parents..Around Rs.200 pm.
Cable Connection is Rs.100. newspaper is Rs.75.
LPG : Around Rs.300 PM, Maid : Rs.400 PM

Internet Connection (Rs.1200 PM)/Mobile Phone (Rs.600 PM)/Magazine Subscription(Rs. 50 PM) /my bike's maintenance,Petrol (Rs.250 Pm): These are my personal business expenses and not counted in household expenses....(anyways not 'essential' for a living).

We are pure vegetarians, my parents are not fond of anything cooked outside their kitchen..they like simple Indian food, and on Holidays they make food items from other parts of India..infact this year was the first time I took them to eat out..and they were simply shocked at how I 'threw' away on a bill of Rs.1000 for a meal for four...and said that they will never come with me again !!

capt_mahajan

Damn, I need to come there for lessons

Dilliwala

WOW!! And people say living in Delhi is expensive? Hats off to your family for not succumbing to modern pressures of keeping up with the neighbours and jumping at every expensive fad that comes along.
But u'll agree that there are families similar to yours who do use internet/mobile/magazines/bike etc, but as part of household expenses becos the bread-winner/s have job/s so they can't be written off as biz exp, so that needs to be kept in mind. After all, life is not about the bare essentials only. U do count gas and cable TV in your home expenses, but gas can be replaced by kerosene, and cable TV can also be left out as non-essential. And TVs, computers, fridges, etc cost money even if they are one-time investments, so have to be factored in at some point.
I'm not trying to give suggestions for cost-cutting or an economics lesson (I barely used to pass myself ), just saying that a few more factors need to be added for the complete picture.



Unless u do it the Chinese way. But let's not even go there - errr, I mean, that way.