Chandrayaan

I, as an Indian, was proud of our ISRO's mission to moon-Chandrayaana. May be I was too proud and on the clouds so I was naturally shocked to find out that nothing is more humorous to the rest of the world that a land of snake-charmers, mystic gurus, illiterates, religious and ethnic riots, a land where people and pigs co-exist peacefully on the roads, dreams of aiming to the moon.
When India first announced Chandrayaan, various websites published responses from around the world, especially from the 'highly civilised and cultured' West. Someone wrote: This is a good reason to stop sending them their annual handout. Another went a step ahead to declare: One earthquake or monsoon and the begging bowl will be shown to the Western world.
The writers might be exempted because their belief of themselves being a superior race is hundreds of years old and the efforts to change it will be in vain. But what of Indians? We, who should have believed, tried to hide behind saucy observations like the one by the Guardian's South-Asian Correspondent in India Randeep Ramesh. He scolded a moon-struck country for its vaulting ambitions in space like a child is chided for its naughty tricks.
Though the 'superior race' has no right to deride us, we deserve the scorn. We may pride ourselves to be in the forefront of technology, education and much more. We may even have contributed many millionaires to the world. But these are not the contributions of a united society, it is the fruit of the back-breaking work of a few individuals. If a few educated intelligentsia could make a country so proud, be it in science, medicine, technology or literature, what is the power of a society where most of the children get the modern basic necessity of life — education. We could send many such Chandrayaans, we could be the forefront in the world economic scene. Unfortunately, even education alone does not suffice according to India Labour Report 2007 which says 53% of employed youth suffer some degree of skill deprivation. Modern education has turned out a mass of unemployable youth who cannot do any work that has not been taught in the classrooms.
As a people, we have failed in lifting around 220 million citizens about the poverty line. Around 860 million live on Rs. 20 a day because all that is missing is after all the basic infrastructure. Britain, as a 'kindly' gesture, will spend 825 million pounds in the next three years to 'lift hundreds of millions of people' of India above poverty. Is there anything more contradictory in this country of contradictions?
Dreary statistics apart, India ranks 120 in the 'Ease of Doing Business' by the World Bank. It means setting up a medium business in our country for a layman is next to impossible. One has to get 40 approvals and 'satisfy' every person linked to the Government where he wants to setup a business. It simply means being an Indian in India is detrimental to your future. In contrast, multi-national companies (MNCs) get free land of their choice, loan at cheaper rates, government counter guarantee, tax breaks.. and the list goes on.
When we are a disillusioned society who tries neither to change ourselves nor others, it is no wonder the Western media hunts India for juicy news. Nowadays its success rate is high because anyone in India who hurts even his toes other than a Hindu is the object of worldwide mercy. The non-Indians have caught up the racist amnesia blaming us ignoring the darkness beneath their lamps. The unexplained deaths of Indian students abroad go unnoticed everywhere and even in India because we don't care. Small wonder we are the bulls' eye for every religious fundamentalist who has a voice to speak. In that context, we are the most indifferent people popularly indifferent alike to bomb attacks and attacks on our own identity.
Thus I was not surprised when I read the results of a survey by a newspaper on Independence Day this year. As part of the survey, some basic questions were asked to our brilliant citizens, or atleast a part of them. Even the most cynical Indian would not have expected the answers, which though are not so serious in nature, unravelled the indifference of our fellow Indians to all that is Indian, grave or otherwise.
To the question who is the President of India, the answers or rather guesses ranged from APJ Abdul Kalam, Mulayam Singh Yadav, L.K. Advani, Mayawati to Sheila Dixit. The colours on our National Flag were magenta, baby pink, maroon, orange and yellow. All but saffron, white and green,
I was not much shocked, Maybe I too am an Indian, a true Indian, an indifferent one.
-shwetha