The Third World: India (Part I)

We live in India, a nation known as The Third World. Why are we called The Third World?

Probably because there are things which will have certain consequences in The First World, some opposite consequences in the Second and some 'outstanding' consequences here. Let me put forth an example.

We recently had CWG games at Delhi (New Delhi as they like to call it). In The First World, let us assume that EVERYTHING must be going alright- the planning was rational, the budgets were accurate and the most important thing, execution was perfect. In The Second World, let us assume that people were corrupt and the games did not go well. As a result of which, the guilty people were punished.

But we're talking about The Third World. The story begins now (as far as I know): We got the hosting rights traditionally through voting by several other commonwealth members. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations)

I have heard that the story had started with corruption and we were on the "encourager" end, as I call it. I don’t think we have a reputation of an infrastructure as good as the other members; we never did. The game started with our people bribing other members to vote in our favour. Fine, you may call it "patriotism" from one angle, but that is just the beginning. People all over the nation were happy that finally we may see a better reputed nation and we may be able to show to the world that, yes, we have all what it takes to host 'big things'.

The planning started. A budget of 100 crores was expected to be enough. As we all know the man, THE Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, President of IOA, was given the charge. Trying not to elongate this story, towards the end of the preparations, the story was far beyond one could have ever imagined in their wildest of nightmares.

Expected to be a 100 crores, the official expenditure was around 11,500 crores. But around 80,000 crores were estimated to be spent. Yes, you read it right. 80,000 crores. And so the money kept going down the corrupt drain. All fingers pointed towards Kalmadi sir. But he was just a pawn.

Let me give you another small example. We have an international cricket stadium known as Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi itself. It was modernized at the cost of mere 85 crores. The state-of-art stadium in Nagpur was built at 84 crores. Building a new stadium cost just 80 crores but renovating the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium cost 961 crores. The figures speak for themselves, don’t they?

(ref: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/CWG-scam-New-stadium-costs-Rs-84-cr-JLN-renovation-Rs-961-cr/articleshow/6254491.cms)

(http://www.mumbai-central.com/nukkad/oct2010/msg00011.html)

ALL said and done, the games were over and the sportsmen gave us some reason to be proud of. But the corruption could not be overlooked.

Getting back to the point, welcome to The Third World, India. The guilty people did what they had to- filled their pockets. The Swiss bank accounts are sparkling better than ever, I guess, and the people are as free as a bird in the never-ending sky.

Corruption.

This was just one among crores and crores of examples. We live in India. Here, corruption starts from the very roots. Right from an expecting mother getting labour pain, till the last rites are performed, we keep on 'living a corrupt life’. An excited dad bribes the ambulance guy so that he overlooks the other emergencies and attends him. After the death of the same child at the 'grandpa age', the ambulance guys still asks for 'kharcha paani', even though the  ambulance is run by a social service organization. Right from a child bribing the school peon to let him cheat, up to the principal of the same school bribing the education board to enlist his school as "100% results", corruption is everywhere.

WELCOME TO OUR VERY OWN "THIRD WORLD".

After two years of the Mumbai attacks, the safest person on earth is Kasab. This is not just a sms, its reality. One of my teachers claim that he is going to live at least a decade or two until he is 'practically hanged'.

That is India for you.