[sundars]

At various times westerners who dont understand the various forces at work in india have predicted the fall of india. Churchill said: India will fall back quite rapidly through the centuries into the barbarism and privations of the Middle Ages (source: http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-w...)

Even we Indian barely understand all the forces and the interplay so I dont hold it too much against ppl who pass such pronouncements.

In the last 30 years or so in every parameter (health/education/life span) India has developed and this has happened to all stratas of sosciety. Please understand that I am not refuting the nytimes article. I am saying that poor people are also getting better.

Estimates for India also indicate a continuing decline in poverty. The revised estimates suggest that the percentage of people living below $1.25 a day in 2005 (which, based on India’s PPP rate, works out to Rs 21.6 a day in urban areas and Rs 14.3 in rural areas in 2005 ) decreased from 60% in 1981 to 42% in 2005. Source: http://www.worldbank.org.in/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHA...

Yes, the rich are getting richer but the poor are also getting a bit better.

I have hope.

[afterburner]

Who's predicting the fall of India? I think what's being predicted is the non-rise of India.

[known]

India follows the "Sheep Herd" mentality. The whole country's economy is based on people getting into "Profitable" domains mostly following the success of a pioneer in the field. The most recent example of this ideology is the "Business Process Outsourcing" industry. New BPO units are propping up here and there at a dime a dozen leading to a quality deterioration in the final deliverable. This process will continue till a saturation level is reached and then they will wait till another "Killer" domain picks up momentum. Till then India will be in a so called "Calm Period" where nothing great and major takes place.

[known]

the number of poor people living under $1.25 a day has increased from 421 million in 1981 to 456 million in 2005

[Retric]

The population increased from ~700million to ~1 billion over that time frame. An 8% increase in the number of people living in poverty while the population grew 42% is still progress. The US has a similar history economic growth lifted most poeple out of poverty, but it took wealth redistribution to reduce the number of people living in abject poverty. (Now we have beggars making 20 times what an Indian day labor makes, but 100 years ago things where vary different.)

PS: The simple poverty numbers say vary little. If a farmer in the third world with a wife and and five kids he is unlikely to get out of poverty any time soon. But, with a reasonable education his kids can lead a much better life.

[known]

On 4th August 1932 Round Table Conference, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald gave autonomy/independence to Muslims/Christians/Anglo-Indians/Sikhs/SC/ST communities in India. But Gandhi colluded with Ambedkar and foiled it to favor forward caste community in India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_Award