golden and shiny or grimy and grey?

India Inc still hides mammoth social issues under its veneer of glitz and opulence

BY DOLLY SINgH MIRANDA

Is it finally happening - are we witnessing the rise of the East? Is the world tilting, the powers shifting? Are we looking at India rising and India shining? Is India Inc all golden?

Or does it have some deep, dark greys?

This question haunts me as I return to Sydney after a 2-month holiday back ‘home’ in Mumbai.

The city of Mumbai, a city I’ve called home for 25 years, always did beat to its own drums. It’s truly a city that never sleeps; it fills you with a manic energy, a crazy insatiable zest for something. I felt like an ‘energizer bunny’ buzzing around all day and all night, giddy, restless and unable to sleep.

It felt like I should be doing things, achieving something, digging for gold!

The roads are packed. Traffic is a snarl but the cars are all high end - from Audis to BMWs, Ferraris, Mercs, Lexus, Hondas, Toyotas, Skodas. The city is changing: there is huge amount of money being earned and spent - it’s the middle and upper middle class spending on lifestyle!

The roads maybe broken in parts, but along these are malls and more malls - bigger, brighter, more extravagant and boasting of brands from around the world: spas, salons, beer cafés, lounges, theatres, multiplexes, parlours, lifestyle and hobby stores replacing the humble kirana shops.

Fine dining restaurants with cuisines from around the world are peppered across the city. An average meal cost per person at one of the ‘new age’ cafes ranges from Rs1200 to Rs1500 (average $25).

The new residential complexes come built with all the bells and whistles - rubber paved play areas for kids, swimming pool, clubhouse, games court, spas, mini theatres and security systems. Each home has a maid, cook, nanny and driver – along with the grandmother supervising the daily chores and the grandchildren’s activities!

Everything is ordered over the phone and delivered at home. From medicines to milk, from daily needs to fancy needs - all it takes is one phone call. And it functions 24/7!

There are 300 channels on

TV from which to choose, and Bollywood has become big business. Films are crossing the Rs100 crore mark, and Mumbai is buzzing with MONEY!

There is investment in infrastructure; the Sea Link which has been built over the sea connecting Bandra to South Mumbai (Worli) is world class. Travelling on the bridge, as the Mumbai skyline comes into view, you know you are in one of the major cities of the world. The Metro construction is also underway.

Most of our friends who are employed by the corporate sector are now also venturing into being entrepreneurs. Besides their day jobs they are becoming restaurateurs, firm owners, etc. High risk, high returns! Looks like the city of Mumbai is playing the high stakes game!

This is India Inc: shining bright and golden.

Or is it?

On the surface, it seemed like an easy answer. There was plenty of evidence to support the hypothesis of India’s phenomenal progress, all golden, proud and brave.

However, digging deeper and looking beyond the gold, I found cracks which seemed very grey, very deep and unaddressed.

The first crack, which is personal to me and perhaps to many families in our situation, is the service level and support provided to parents in their old age.

Lacklustre support services with little adherence to process, ethics or humanity! Most services are delivered pathetically, and often for the elderly, it is a curse to get anything repaired or serviced.

It could be the TV, washing machine, laptop, camera, microwave, it’s always the same story.

After innumerable calls, repeated requests and humble pleas, half-hearted attempts are made by technicians to solve the problem. Eventually it always leads to more repair costs, parts that need to be changed or a complete re-haul! It’s scary to see the falling service levels and rising expense levels.

Let’s look at the services provided by the domestic staff.

‘Maids in Mumbai’ come equipped with certain prerequisites about working hours, bonuses, holidays, perks, loans, advances etc. They all carry mobile phones, iPods, and a ‘don’t talk to me, I will do what I want’ policy while working!

The cooks, or should I say ‘chefs’, behave like they are cooking for a 3-hat restaurant. Noses in the air, they will only cook certain types of food and of course, the ingredients have to be high-end. The domestic staff are holding to ransom hapless Indian families accustomed to their support.

One of the deepest and most fundamental cracks in the system is the medical service, commercialised and full of contradictions.

Big shiny, beautiful hospitals, state-of-the-art equipment, doctors with advanced degrees - it’s all there! Unfortunately it’s accompanied by expensive but shoddy services and practices which inspire little faith. Again, I heard many horror stories of wrong diagnosis and treatment, and expensive tests that were not needed.

It is distressing to see the helplessness and pain our parents feel while trying to live and cope with their daily lives, encountering big issues with simple things, which defeat them.

So what can old people expect from ‘India Shining’ in their twilight years? Are there adequate social support systems, legal systems, and consumer forums to protect them and make life easier for them?

Maybe we should discuss this in the new café down the lane.

Another debatable topic is the education system in India today. There are new fancy schools with international boards but questionable admission processes, donations, super hiked fees, etc.

After various discussions and drinks with family and friends, there is only one conclusion I can safely reach: it remains a very complex and confusing issue. India shines today, but hiding behind the glitter are some very deep-rooted issues.

There is plenty of wealth being generated; however depending on where you sit in the equation, the spectrum shifts to gold or grey.

Each home has a maid, cook, nanny and driver – along with the grandmother supervising the daily chores and the grandchildren’s activities!

The first crack, which is personal to me and perhaps to many families in our situation, is the service level and support provided to parents there in their old age