“We’re done for.” Western Europe that is – or at least in the opinion of my fiancée, after spending an hour or so talking with our neighbour Vijay.
Vijay’s parents are illiterate. That’s because they were children during the tail end of the Raj, whose achievements in education were highly limited, even for the standards of the time. At independence only 12% of Indians could read and write. Vijay’s parents worked hard though to ensure he attended some school, and this, plus his father’s business connections allowed him to set up his own laundry business. That business now employs fifteen people, allowing him to buy a motorbike and live in a pleasant, if small, three room flat with his wife and two children.
Like his parents though, his major preoccupation is with his children’s education, and he gives them the best he can. That means a good private school, plus several hours of private tutoring every day, including holidays. And they wouldn’t have it – and can’t imagine it – any other way. My surprise at their long hours was matched by their surprise that children in the UK aren’t exactly the same. “But what do they do in the evenings?” his twelve year old daughter asked me in disbelief. Play, I muttered… watch tv….
Vijay’s big hope is that education will allow them to rise up another rung – or several – on the career ladder, becoming engineers, or doctors. And having seen the reams of certificates they’ve been awarded – proudly shown to us by Vijay and his wife – I don’t doubt their abilities.
To me, this story is emblematic of India today. Ambition, hard work, and a determination to seize opportunities have characterized so many of the people that I’ve met. People believe that things are improving, and the dominant mood is positive. This was the case before the election, but it feels all the more so since the formation of the new, apparently stable and capable government.
But whilst Vijay’s story is emblematic of many Indian families, India’s rise hasn’t lifted everyone. Despite high levels of economic growth (particularly since 2004) and falling levels of poverty, unimaginably large numbers of people are still extremely poor. More than 450 million Indians still live on less than $1.25 per day, struggling to meet even their most basic needs. Being this poor means struggling to put two meals a day on the table, let alone three; living in tents by the side of the road, or at railway stations; even committing suicide because there is simply too little to go around and too many mouths to feed. So whilst many Indians – like Vijay’s family – have moved into the growing middle class – many have far to go.
Encouragingly, the early signs from the new government suggest that they’re taking the challenge of poverty seriously. Key policies which can widen the reach of the booming economy to the poor, such as improving infrastructure, ensuring the better delivery of social programmes, and improving the quality of government education are firmly on the agenda.
Addressing poverty alone, however, will not be enough. The gap between rich and poor also demands attention. Growth has led to a mushrooming of the middle and upper classes, and these groups are enjoying their increased wealth. Many of those at the top of the income spectrum in particular value luxury goods, and day-spas, mega malls and high end restaurants are growing exponentially. On the one hand this growing wealth can – and usually is – seen as an important indicator of India’s development. And it undoubtedly will ‘trickle down’ to some extent, eventually reaching the pockets of the poor.
But an a-critical approach to wealth and increased inequality has dangers (as the UK has recently been reminded), and in an Indian context one feels particularly important. The optimism, confidence and determination you can feel in the air here doesn’t come from economic growth per se, it stems from a sense of widening opportunities. And if the divide between the new rich and the poor gets too wide, this growing sense of meritocracy will fade. If people feel locked out of the wealth they see displayed all around them, it isn’t hard to envisage the mood turning sour. Developments over the next five years will be critical.
Despite these concerns, however, rising India still feels like an exhilarating place. And this rise shouldn’t make us in the UK afraid. Rather India is a partner we should be working with, and learning from. We should be excited about shaping our joint future.