Conversations - The poor in India and in USA

22 November 2014

Prakhar Prakash It is difficult to even talk about austerity when you live in the west. Your thoughts are probably meant to be discussed in india but here, we are tied to the corporations. And in my living, it will be a bundle of contradictions

Aparna Krishnan We are all caught I serious compromises, and need to push ahead step by step ...

Prakhar Prakash I am sure it is getting to that point in India too. The new government seems to be speeding up market reforms and people are expecting more " material comfort". Ultimately the poor will suffer and will never retaliate. Mother nature too. Hopefully she will retaliate and stop this senseless march.

Prakhar Prakash Working for an oil company, I can tell you how much the common man hates us here. This tells me that we create more poor than rich on this path of progress.

Aparna Krishnan how do you know they hate you ?

Prakhar Prakash They tell you on your face if you go to the poor neighborhoods and talk to them. Only the poor here are very violent. Unlike India, where they are generally subservient. So you got to be careful. Driving to my oilfield, I go through that part of the town where there is obvious poverty. And drugs too. I would not want to stop anywhere in that part of the town.

Aparna Krishnan What do they say ?

Prakhar Prakash Well...they think that large corporations have destroyed the environment big time. Earlier, they think the old part of the town had a vibrant culture. Now the oil money has brought in money and rich pockets. People lose their sense of ownership and have gotten into drug trafficking. The economic divide is such that through a strong police has it been possible to keep a lid on their anger. Today I saw a man trying to pull a half consumed bottle of water toward himself from the other side of the fence. But then, we are NRIs and so we are ignorant of the dark side of America, I guess.

Aparna Krishnan Then they are cleverer. Our village people and the poor people do not seem to see the destruction wrought by the corporates. They ara also wanting to buy soaps and shampoos !

Prakhar Prakash One could argue that the poor in America does not live hungry unlike the poor in India and this could be attributed to wealth generation. But beyond that , spiralling cost of healthcare and education makes their future as bleak as of the Indian poor. Corporations have greater control over our lives than in India, I think. You can still run an Ayurvedic clinic in India but for alternative medicine, there is no insurance here. Lobbies are very strong.

Aparna Krishnan certainly far better in india. villages are poor - but there is peace. . I can practice ayurveds in my village and no one will come and arrest me. and people can afford the medicines sans insurance.

Prakhar Prakash I was reading an account of a westerner who had worked in the slums of Rio, Oakland, and Chennai. She said the poor in Brazil and USA carry a sense of anger and believe they have been wronged and are therefore entitled to violence. The poor in Indian slums carry a sense of surrender with them. They are more giving. In the end, she asked -:How long will this communitu silently bear the exploitation is something the privileged class needs to ask themselves. If that happens, India will be thrown into chaos.