27.4.14

Sunday ka Funda

What’s going on here under the garb of promoting the idea of voting as a right?

Young man stands before visa officer at the US consulate. She is impressed that he has got admission into Boston University. He tells her the date of travel. “Isn’t that the voting day?” He does not know. “Is it?” Then he shrugs that one vote won’t make a difference. To which the stern lady says:

“If you cannot make a difference to your own country, how can you make a difference to another? Why should they have you?”

Fool. The US is ‘having’ him because of his grades, and not because he is voting. And voting does not translate into making a difference. He is projected as some sort of dimwit, which is a bit strange. How did he get into a big university? He is going there with the hope that they make a difference to his life, add to his education. After which, in all likelihood, they will use his brain for their technological benefit, among others. If not, they will not suffer him.

The last thing we need is for Indian democracy to be upheld via the American route.

2 comments:

  1. void *Al() {return NULL;}27/04/2014, 19:55

    "He is going there with the hope that they make a difference to his life, add to his education. After which, in all likelihood, they will use his brain for their technological benefit, among others. If not, they will not suffer him. "

    FV, the bigger question here is why such people don't think they have a chance to fulfil their dreams and learn better skills in India that they have to leave the country. Higher education in India at the graduate level stinks and that is the truth. Secondly, it used to be the case that the kind of jobs and work you get to do after graduate school was not interesting enough. Even now, your choices for applying things you learn from graduate school elsewhere cannot be used in India, not least because (a) there is no R&D funding in local companies or universities (b) you cannot easily start a company to do your own thing unless you have a sugardaddy to back you (i.e., you are already rich). People don't just quit the place and go elsewhere to be "exploited" as the popular narrative goes in India.

    People do return back nowadays because they can get to work in foreign corporations in India rather than abroad (and these corporations can pay a fraction of the salary they would have to pay for the same person abroad), and there is also venture funding available in India so young people with ideas can avail of them these days, and many do.

    If India actually provided space for these bright people to stay back and contribute, but try working in India and do something useful (and feel that you are doing something useful) -- it is a soul sucking experience. Life is too short of that kind of experience, especially when one has options.

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  2. Al:

    Going abroad has also to do with snob value. Indeed, there is much wanting in the education system here, but students do return, some because they have a ready avenue or offers. Besides, I'm not sure whether all those from US universities make it according to their qualifications/talent.

    Both societies and the manner and which companies work might differ, but how do Americans who are employed in branch offices of MNCs manage here? 

    Red-tapism does thwart entrepreneurial initiatives. However, not many of them will be able to strike it on their own abroad too.

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