Happy Independence Day India

India is celebrating its' 60th Independence day from the British Raj. It has come a long way in relatively a very short time. The world is going ga-ga about its 8-9% growth. It has proved itself to be politically stable and reliable nation. The context of India-Pakistan has now changed to India-China. Without any major experimentation the democracy has so far proved to be an ideal system for its' secular citizens. But where are we really? What does this growth mean to us? Yes, today pretty much all the International names are on Delhi's and Mumbai's streets. Finding latest cell phone models is easier in the corner shops than on Cingular's US website. The Air travel has become more prevalent. The school kids use more American slangs than I even bothered to know. The government knows that using Nuclear technology to produce energy is more important than making bombs. The land prices have doubled. Delhi feels more closer than ever. But what about the poor? The illiteracy rate is still bad. Clean water and sanitation services are still not available to everyone. The rich have become richer but the life of average, sub-average and poor has not improved much. The life of middle and lower middle class has been squeezed between materialistic aspirations and the corrupt realities. Even though the realizations are harder but the dreams are more, and I guess thats one positive thing which came out of it. Still a long way to go but the country is definitely on the right track. Hope its' growth permeates to the general masses. Happy Independence Day India.