Chachu's column #24:  Of Power-ty and Pros-parity

The change is in the air; it just cannot be missed - even if one tried. One may wonder how did it happen? When? But these questions are inconsequential. The numbers - 7% of GDP or 8% or whatever - are the name of the game. New abbreviations like BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have been coined.

He is a sceptic. He doesn't know whether the hype matches the substance. He goes by the media. There are odd indicators. The mornings have become cooler. Summers have gone. The excellent monsoons have left the water tables higher and the potholes deeper. Whatever the changes, his life goes on. The mornings are the most difficult part, especially getting up early in the morning. But on a few occasions, the lethargy is shed. And he gets up to go for a jogging on the 'other side'. The two sides are separated by a thick yellow line - not the ones that separates roads, but those that separates hearts - as though the property papers were not good enough. 'This side' does not have parks. What used to be there once has been devoured by pesticides. How? Because the pesticides in cola meant lower cola sales, which in turn meant lower pickup of fresh glass bottles. So the sacks of fresh bottles take the park and he goes to the 'other side'. The 'other side' is well maintained. The lawn carries a banner 'Walking in the lawn is strictly prohibited'. But it is a long lawn and certain part is deemed exempt from the diktat. So the regulars and the irregulars have their quota of fresh air - to fill the lungs that have to last the whole day. Within minutes, everything feels wonderful. As the sun ascends, and the clock ticks, he bids good-bye to his wife and leaves for office.

The nation's sun is also on the ascent. 'Brand India' is the buzzword. The market is abuss with news about how certain companies have spread their tentacles across the world. Take Tata's Indica for instance. What was once considered a truck-maker's fantasy is now set to be sold in Europe as Rover. This is not just an exception. There are many to cite. Be it Steel (TISCO and SAIL), Pharmaceuticals (Ranbaxy and Dr. Reddy's Lab), Software (Infosys and Wipro), Motorcyles (Hero Honda and TVS), or a host of other products including CDs, apparels, and auto components, the 'Made in India' brand is now no more a taboo. Analysts sum up the transformation in one word 'Quality'. 

He lives in India and sees only what is seen in India. The commute to office tells many stories. Not even a kilometre away, he sees an overturned Jeep. The reason is not difficult to fathom. Purportedly, it was over-speeding and could not avoid an unmarked road divider. Nearby, a building is being rebuilt. Soon after it was built, it subsided like a pack of cards. A major tragedy was avoided in the nick of time because a major religious congregation was being held there just hours before its collapse. His car moves ahead and passes through an upcoming residential colony. This was not the route he took sometime back. But years of neglect and continued deterioration led him (and many others!) to choose this path that should have ideally been just for the colony residents. But without options, cars and truckers choose this colony's roads, which unfortunately is not good either. But beggars cannot be choosers. A thin layer of bitumen barely holds loosely strewn stones together. The sides of the elevated road have collapsed after the rains. A truck stuck there for two days. And soon wisdom dawned that the sides of roads could not be relied upon. As the car would move ahead, more shabbiness would come.

The nation's roads fare much better. With a staggering investment of 54,000 crore, India will have 5846km of Golden Quadilateral and 7300km of North-South-East-West built by the end of 2007. And for once, the work is going to finish before schedule (see CC#13 'Of Roads, Rails, and Safety').

On his way, the roads have been repaired after the rains. But the shabbiness is glaring and the road quality awful. Water being the major culprit, new sewage lines are being built. But many of them do not have manholes. They were either not put in the first place or were taken away by anyone who could. And many of the manholes that are present are either lying on top of the hole as they are too big, or have sunk few inches. His friend once asked why were the manholes round? so that they did not fall in the hole. But this theory does not stand test of time. The manhole, along with the side-linings, has collapsed at many places, leaving gaping gaps on the pedestrian footpaths.

The nation's stock market has not collapsed. Instead, it is on a bull run. Analysts say the fundamentals of the economy are strong and it is not a freak bull run. The Initial Public Offerings are being subscribed many times over. And those who had lost all hope in the stock market are returning back. Online trading and dematerialised shares have made the business all that simple.

His company's shares too have risen many times. So he too hopes to make some money. But his company is far and there is still some driving to do. Till than, he has to brave a mandi (vegetable market) that has encroached almost half the road. There is another route but that is very narrow. To prevent large commercial vehicles from using that road, an iron frame was built at the entry of the road. The very next day he found the iron frame broken. The remnants remain till date and the commercial vehicles ply unabated.

The nation's sportsmen too make unabated progress, except the cricket team, which is busy collecting endorsement money and fighting for better contract. Others have a passion and zeal. The hockey team has won tournaments in Australia, Germany, Malaysia and India this year. Barring the Champions trophy, the performance has been good. One women long jumper won a bronze medal at the World Athletics Championship. Then there are chess players, golfers, weightlifters, shooters and tennis players. The haul is low, but the progress steady.

He too progresses in a vehicle among many others. Many a vehicles do not bother about the registration number. Many others display their might by special numbers like 1 and 2. But the might of the newly built road dividers are hardly visible. Shabbily built using shabby material, they are strewn all over. Nearby, new telephone cables have been laid. But the ducts have not been filled. And there is more shabbiness. And this happens everytime a telephone line is dug.

The nation's telecom industry has made great progress. The cellular companies are registering 100% annual growth. And people are surrendering their landlines (which they got after years of wait) to get mobile phones within an hour. A telecom giant - Reliance - has bid for trans-national undersea cable company FLAG. Pakistan is worried that its greatest enemy can peek into its data. But this does not stop the progress.

His progress is stopped by a rail crossing. A huge traffic jam has made his life living hell. It takes half an hour for the jam to clear after which he rushes through. A police van intercepts him and shows on an interceptor how he was overspeeding. Then he is told that the normal rate is 1600/- but he can get away with less. This the fourth or fifth time he has been intercepted by policemen. And on one pretext or other, everyone, everyone, has sought grease money. The bribery rate is 100%. No further progress is possible here. He pays the fine and seeks a challan.

But the nation is showing progress. The prestigious CAT paper is leaked and a retest is ordered. A Cabinet minister is caught on Video tape, and he promptly resigns. A World Heritage site is in the process of being damaged and a CBI enquiry is ordered. The stamp papers on which crores of rupees worth deeds have been signed have turned out to be fake. The list is endless - there are scams and scams everywhere.

He reaches his office in Gurgaon - The millenimum city. Shabby roads, open sewage drains, dust and grime greet him. There are few spanking golf courses, shopping malls, and multiplexes. But the majority of public infrastructure is nothing to write about. Parking the car, he heads for the office. The ferry for the 300m ride is taking time, and he decides to walk. A new company is being built nearby and its construction workers are busy preparing for another day. The unkempt children seek few coins. He refuses and heads for office. Taking a short cut, he uses an open field that is not used any more. Many women and children are defecating there. The intruder disturbs them and the women stop midway. He also feels embarrassed, and rushes through. Soon he will be in a multinational company making 'Quality' software for the world, software that will sport the tag 'Made in India'.