Affluence in India + Breaking Social Norms: Positive or Negative

[Summy]

According to economists all of the world, India should have one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful economy by 2050. As affulence spreads, non-traditional jobs are on the rise. Is this positive or negative?

Positives are numerous in amount: with new or rapidly expanding professions that are breaking norms and creating fresh opportunities for the country's young generation, a population once destined to be below the global poverty line, is advancing slowly as each day passes.

The middle class is growing. The middle class in INdia was below the gobal poverty line, and has slowly creep beyond it, and now is on the rise.

To get a good understanding read this article in the Washington Post called Breaking Social Norms in India:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080603627.html?hpid=sec-world

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Negatives: Are we, as Indians, loosing our identity? With the recent struggles of Pakistan, Indians have gained a sense of pride in their own emergence as a global power, and India as a whole is enjoying a boost in the mid class like never seen before.

In a book I JUST finished reading like 30 minutes ago, Prema A. Kurien's, Kaleidoscopic Ethnicity: International Migration and the Reconstruction of Community Identities in India, the author asserts that the middle class once divulged in activites distinct to Indian culture have now moved beyond them. For example, in punjab, the middle class was used to farming, and a more rural lifestyle. With the emergence of Indian prosperity, the middle class has moved towards more of an urban lifestyle, possibly leaving distinct indian identities behind.

Furthermore, an interesting topic at hand is that author's assertion that those in the diaspora are now more adaptable to Indian lifestyle, which has allowed a convergence of cultures. Could this be a cause for many problems? Could the prosperity and the shift to an urban lifestyle be a reason why from the government ot the diaspora many people have been less caring to the issues of "old India".


Are there notions of "Old India" and the "New India".

Please no comments about bollywood, how people dress, etc... We all get it, something concrete please, I'm really interested to hear about what kids in the west think about this...

 

[Saleem]

According to economists all of the world, India should have one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful economy by 2050. [citation needed]

lol. Good post tho. I am finishing up at work, will comment more later

 

[Summy]

According to economists all of the world, India should have one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful economy by 2050. [citation needed]

lol. Good post tho. I am finishing up at work, will comment more later

Fareed Zakaria's: Post American World- Intro, Publisher: W. W. Norton (May 5, 2008)

AND

http://www.tjacobi.com/50226711/will_india_be_the_largest_economy_by_2050.php

"India would emerge as the world's largest economy by 2050, Associate Editor of London-based leading daily Financial Times, Martin Wolf, has predicted. This on the back of leading international investment banker Goldman Sachs' BRIC (Brazil-Russia-India-China) report which had projected India as a potential winner ahead of China augurs well for the country. Speaking to UNI, Chief Economics Commentator, Wolf said that India would overtake the US and China by 2025 in terms of real GDP growth and would become the largest economy by 2050. Wolf who is also a visiting fellow of Nuffield College (Oxford University) and a special professor at the University of Nottingham was in Mumbai last evening to deliver a talk organized by Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I). ''India could achieve a sustained growth of 8 per cent a year or more with a higher national savings"

AND

http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/01/24/india-will-be-number-two-economy-in-the-world-by-2050/


AND

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1411052.cms


AND

http://www.prlog.org/10010270-india-to-become-2nd-largest-economy-of-world-by-2050.html



Ok, I'll stop.

 

[Jeeti]

Good topic.

Ok...now...I don't see this breaking of social norms as something that can or will be prevented...As much as I enjoy the fact that the situation has been explained, I have been reading it over and over trying to think of ways to prevent this from happening and am drawing a blank. It is indeed a tragedy that as Indian prosperity grows, the actual culture of old may be destroyed. This is where it becomes apparent that the country needs to recognize this shift and attempt to preserve the culture and its identity as much as possible. It is inevitable that there will be notions of "Old India" and "New India" as the country moves forward in its seeming financial progression.

This will cause for many problems...there is no question of that...the Indian government will inevitably support the causes of the more wealthy and urban than the poor and rural...but isn't this a very classic battle? Just because it is occurring in India, does not mean that it is isolated there. The constant struggle between rich and poor will continue, and probably the wealth gap as well. Government actions will also change...

Summy, I'm glad you brought this topic up...my only problem is that this is a struggle that has been dealt with in history multiple times and usually has an unstoppable force behind it...

That being said, is there a way to change it? Probably not, Governments all over the world will forever be accused of supporting the wealthier population of their country, so what is the difference here?

Let me just add something else...By the transitive property since wealth is associated with something that is better than poverty, and (American culture, European culture) represent wealth, then there will be a shift for the identity of Indians to shift more towards a global identity than an Indian identity.

 

[Saleem]

hahaha well played. PS I have no doubt india could be #2 or #3 by 2050 but I doubted it becoming NUMBER ONE.