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Why India is not a developed, esteemed nation?
It takes a lot of sweat, toil and hard work to rise up to the top. A lot more difficult when too many aspirants are there to keep an eye on you and pull you down when you least expect it. But when a whole nation works day in and day out with one vision in mind, then there is no stopping. Thus America-the super power- was created. So were Britain, Japan and France. The same trail is being followed by many a third world countries because they too have a dream. They had a dream to become a developed nation. They had a dream to become a super power. And the leaders among this quest are India and china, two Asian countries, which boasts of having one by third of all the human population on globe. It is no wonder that they have been eyeing on that dream. With plenty of natural and human resources they can and it is a matter of time before they do it.
Even in this quest China has been always the forerunner. India always lagged. India never went that extra mile which China was always willing to go. India for all time played the no risk game while China rocketed to the lead giving cutthroat competition to worldwide giants. It is an interesting fact to look into and study in detail, why India always comes second and what prevents India from becoming a super power. Is it something to do with the political setup of the nation, something to do with the economic structure or something to with the people itself?

Let us take a brief look into some of the problems that act as a hurdle in the path of becoming a developed, esteemed country:

India is a nation that has a rich heritage and history to its name. Indians are credited with path breaking arithmetical discoveries and scientific explorations when other nations didn't had even developed their own verbal communication. India had people who were masters in astronomy, mathematics, surgical treatment and philosophy. India had universities in which students from all over the world came and had education. But a bird's eye view of the present situation is a far cry from what it was in the past. Though a lion's share of people won't have the same opinion, child marriages and 'sati' still continues in India. At the first instance it may not sound alarming or resemble any kind of thing that directly bloc the progress of the nation. But the fact is that when too many people are occupied in these non-productive activities, there is an alarming amount of waste of manpower and resources. Superstitions still rule villages in India. What we have to take notice of is the fact that villages in other nations like China, Taiwan and Philippines are source of revenue and foreign currency for their respective Governments. Small-scale industries are having field days there.
So the time has come for India to take care of its villages and villagers. It is high time that they build up a good work culture that can take them places. They should be enabled to participate in the global environment, though it may be in a small scale.

A time was there when, whenever a political leader returned from an overseas location, he would talk very animatedly about the cleanliness he witnessed over there. That was absolutely true. India was famous for its filthiness and uncultured people, though, a lot has been changed ever since that time. Roads, which were full of dirt and animal excreta and public places, which stood as symbols of neglect, were the order of those days. People, let alone leaders, didn't know how much it cost India. It stained the picture of India and in front of foreign business heads and politicians. India lost a lot of bucks just because of that. Tourists don't take interest to come to these disease filled surroundings and big business opportunities were lost to clean and contemporary economies.
A majority of Indians don't know the basic rules of behaving in public places. They just don't care. They consider places of worship to be holy but they throw away waste carelessly. Most of them spit on the roads, they throw away waste into open places and don't mind urinating and contaminating natural resources like rivers and ponds. The Government's lack of interest in providing basic amenities has amputated the problem. Finding no trash bins in the side of roads and not cleaning the sewages in time is all the error from the Governments side. A lot has to be done but the people are the real power, which can rapidly make a transformation. They have to decide that they will not make their environment dirty nor they will do any act that will pollute national treasures like rivers and streams. Officially authorized proceedings should be taken against factories or any individual who does so. Let India and Indians stand proud.

Unity is power. Unfortunately this has always been a weak link among Indians. From the time British people came to India, this has been the headache. The people who wanted to take unfair advantage always made it sure to divide Indians on the base of customs, lingo, faith or individual beliefs. Britain achieved their goals by dividing India on the base of language, culture, caste and later religion. As a matter of fact present day rulers of India-politicians-divide India only on the base of cast and religion. It is truly sad to see that even in single religion there is a lot of divisions and unity is still a pie in the sky. Worse is the case when different religions come into the picture. The picture is beyond doubt blurred and is highly inflammable. Politicians use common people to their fullest advantage and in return promises social disharmony and insecurity. How can one expect a nation to use its fullest potential when future is vague? No wonder India lags.
A single riot in Gujarat cost India staggering Rs20000000000. The price to pay is heavy. The downside of being a democratic nation and not being a police state is being exploited. Look at China. Though we can say that it is not a democracy, the people are so united on their causes that it is impossible to witness a massive riots or public nuisances. Time has come for Indians also to be together and leave behind all their religious, political and individual differences and work towards attaining their goal of a progressive and esteemed nation.

Talking about leaders and their role in nation building, I am pretty amazed by the situation in India. At present India can boast of no such leaders who can take them to the next level and that is one of the prime areas where other nations score over them. Leaders who lack long-term vision and who play dirty politics is what India has got. When leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Kennedy built modern America, Russia had their own, like, Lenin and Gorbachev. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru inspired the whole of India and leaders like Rajeev Gandhi made inroads into the scientific and technological fields. Even Indira Gandhi is known for the exemplary work she did as the head of the nation. But the picture doesn't look as rosy now. Only politicians rule now. They are not representatives of the whole of India and they fail miserably to bind together the whole population and to lead from the front.
India is desperately looking for a boss who has the dream and aptitude to take India to the lead. A leader who has mass appeal along with deep knowledge in economic, scientific and technological matters is the need of the hour. A person like Mr. A. P.J Abdul Kalaam, as the President of India, may be an indication of shifting times. The more rapidly it changes, the better it is for India. Dr. Man Mohan Singh, the present prime minister of India has the capability and knowledge to take India fast forward. Let all of the political leaders lend their support to him. And then it will be no surprise if India makes it to the pinnacle in fewer than 15 years.

When you go into the villages of India or into a state like Kerala or West Bengal, one can come across a lot of people sitting unoccupied or playing cards and killing time. Have you ever wondered why it is like that in India? The obvious answer is that there is clear lack of work culture. When they don't have a job to do, they kill time, and this is their pet pass time. Now I don't have to elaborate on why India lags or why Indians are less preferred to do a job. It is a big shame on India.
A culture of doing work and doing it in the best way is alien to many of the Indians. They will prefer to be unemployed than go and do a less glamorous job. All need white-collar jobs. The case of Kerala proves it right. More than 22000 engineers pass out each year from Kerala alone, no to speak of the thousands graduating from other states. More than 2000 doctors pass out annually. Every body needs jobs that are of the highest class. Every body wants be the cream of the crop when in reality only a small amount of cream is needed. Take a look around and you will find hardly any or no carpenters and technicians. When avenues are open, not every body wants to take a walk. And this results in the underdevelopment of the economy. Specialists in non-technical work are hard to locate. India has to transform or face big danger from China, Taiwan and other Asian countries.

This will sound like a joke to many of you out there. But this is truth. To obtain a loan, as little as Rs10000, from any bank in India, it took more than a year some years back. The state of affairs hasn't changed much bar car and house loan area. How can a nation, which has more than forty percent of its population living under poverty line, succeed? And the result of such harsh system has finally come out. The small-scale industries are still not competent enough. When products developed by such SSI's in China and Indonesia floods the Indian consumer and electronics market, Indians are bewildered to counter it. The fault lies with the banking system of India. They practiced rigid procedures and were sluggish to reform themselves. Only when adequate monetary supplies are accessible, can an economy rise to its full potential.
Banks have to change their way of banking in view of the budding economy of India. The primary jobs of the banks are to keep money and distribute it. They keep it nicely but fail to do the second job. Loans should be available to prospective entrepreneurs and help should be made available to them in the form of guidance, analysis and methodological support. If they fail in this job, the whole of the banking system is a letdown. Let them reform swiftly and be pro-entrepreneurs. A colossal blunder was done some forty years back when banks were nationalized. Let us not cry over spilt milk but labor towards the goal of being developed by 2020.

The 2004 Fortune 500 lists of the biggest companies on globe included only less than five companies. What a shame considering the size of the nation and the potential of its economy! How can one justify the poor performance of India in the global arena? It diminishes the illustration of India and serves little to the purpose of branding India as the next super power. Why is it so? Why not many companies make a mark in the global market? No need for any argument. The answer is pretty clear. It doesn't take such thinking. Indian companies fail to think and act globally. But there are exceptions like Reliance, Tata, ONGC, Videocon and Wipro.
But still India hasn't made much of a challenge in worldwide arena.
When we see a BMW car, we think of Germany and its prowess in automobile sector. When we see a McDonalds, we know where it came from. Big companies create big bucks. They bring glory to the homeland. They bring in foreign currency. They bring with them reputation and esteem-needed so badly for India.
So to cut a long story short, Indians have to rise to the occasion and seize all the opportunities globalization and free market has shaped. Let the Tatas and Wipros be our models. Let us redefine business in out own terms. The motto should be 'go global'. Think of the wealth they will bring in and the reputation India as a nation will gain.

These are some of the views I have regarding the matter mentioned on top of the article.