Two years back, fashion magazine Vogue India was severely criticised for its editorial spread displaying the country’s downright poor modelling such luxury goods as a Hermes Birkin bag, a Fendi bib and a Burberry umbrella. While the shoot was certainly distasteful, rather outright offensive, it does epitomise the strange paradox that contemporary India is: home to the uber rich- the kinds who make it to the Forbes list of billionaires -and the poorest of the poor.
In fact, this rich-poor anomaly seems so customary now that we are no more astounded by the sight of people sleeping on the streets just outside the swanky malls housing some of the top international luxury brands.
So why doesn’t the government direct its resources towards addressing the basic needs of its own people rather than endeavouring for enhancing its global image; organising the upcoming Commonwealth Games being a case in point. The most common argument is that it would bring in huge revenues. But its benefits will again accrue to the elite or be used to organize more of such world-class events. Clearly, the trickle-down effect of government policies never seems to take place. As the cliché goes-the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.
Another argument is that development cannot be initiated at merely one level. Thus, advocating that the government should first ensure basic amenities to all its citizens is akin to saying that we should just have primary schools instead of the IITs and the IIMs. Besides, competing with the developed countries in terms of infrastructure is a much more visible indicator of having “arrived” as a nation, not minding the underlying disparity.
Ultimately, it is for a nation to decide what it wants-a fake recognition as the next superpower or a just and equitable distribution of wealth among all. As someone has said, progress is not giving more money to the already rich but to give enough to the extreme poor.
