india--from midnight* to millenium,and beyond.

When India gained independence in 1947, India was characterized , in words of one commentator, by " heart-wrenching poverty, overwhelming illiteracy and a society with diverse ethnic groups having little in common other than mutual dislike and fear for each other ". India was the land of snake-charmers and superstitions, and advancement, prosperity and development seemed to be concepts belonging to another world .

Today, India seems to have changed beyond recognition--but perhaps the change and progress has been uneven. Millions of people have been lifted from poverty and illiteracy , and they have joined ranks of the ever-burgeoning indian middle class. For the urban middle class, development and progress has been most pronounced--they have come a long way from bullock-carts to motorcycles and hatchbacks, and now increasingly, mid-sized cars. The lifestyle of the urban middle class has begun resembling global lifestyles-with Mc Donalds and malls rapidly emerging on the urban landscape.

But somethings have not changed much since 1947--cattle still roam the streets ,since they are considered sacred by the still-superstitious hindus. Most people still consider it a taboo to marry outside one's caste. And wedding dates are still decided by astrologers. And dowry continues to be an evil. Astrology continues to be the ubiquotous indian obsession. The vast majority of Indians continue to be "caste-minded vegetarian dowry seekers and givers "And yes, bicycles , pedestrians and even cattle jostle for space with bikes and hatchbacks on modern India's roads. The Ambassador ( a British car of colonial era ) continues to the favourite among India's officialdom.

This was the situation among the urban middle classes--in the rural countryside,society and values haven't changed much since 1947. The rural society is still characterised by poor education , or a complete lack of education, rigid caste and community based values, with "honour killings" being the treatment given to those who dare to defy caste boundaries. The status of rural women hasn't really changed a lot, and girls are still seen as a burden by families. The Indian farmer , barring those in prosperous areas like Punjab, is still (to varying extents )at the mercy of monsoon ("weather gods" ) for irrigating his fields. And the poor rural folk continue to flock to urban areas to work as construction workers , and constitute the growing population of slums and shanties. But most apalling is the fact , that most rural and slum-dwelling Indians still lack the basic amenities of piped water and toilet facilities. Indeed, its not rare to find rural and slum folk defecating in the open, at the outskirts of any Indian city.

In a nutshell, India is a country where tremendous progress has been made,especially for the urban middle classes. But the vast majority of the rural population still lives without the most basic amenities of life. But having said that, the urban middle class too has to undergo a great deal of social progress before it can claim to be truly modern.
(*-refers to the midnight of August 14-15, 1947, when India gained independence. "India-from midnight to millenium " is a book by Shashi Tharoor, ace Indian diplomat )