India vs Bharat:
This is the story of Harry and Hari.
Harry belongs to the urban India whereas Hari is a fellow from one of the villages in Bharat.
Harry earns a six-figure salary, owns a flat and a swanky car. Harry goes to pubs, parties and loves socializing on Twitter & Facebook.
On the contrary, Hari is an agricultural labourer. He doesn’t have a pukka house and barely manages to feed five members of his family.
Despite so many differences, Harry and Hari share a few similarities:
* First, they are Indians.
* Second, they are in their early twenties and well qualified to be counted amongst the youth of the nation.
* First, they are Indians.
* Second, they are in their early twenties and well qualified to be counted amongst the youth of the nation.
The case of Harry and Hari is a classics example of the great divide between India and Bharat. The famous BRIC report by Goldman Sachs says that India is poised to be the world’s second largest economy in the coming years. But can a country with hundreds of thousands of Harrys and millions of Haris ever achieve such greatness?
Well, I doubt it. Let’s deconstruct the story a bit.
There are two types of youths residing in metros, tier 1&2 cities. Either they are born with a silver spoon or they chase it. Availability of resources, platform & environment makes the chase easier.
Eventually, they get the spoon and join the class of haves. But people like Hari don’t have the access to resources. They face the negligence at all stages of the life. He never gets the benefit of reservation in educational institutions like IITs, IIMs & medical colleges, or for that matter, internet, banking services & even necessities of the daily life are not procured to them.
The media, which claims cases like Jessica Lal to be a proof of its service to the democracy, has also failed to do its bit for the underprivileged. All political parties are aware of this ever-increasing gap between the haves and have-nots.
Sadly, no one seems in a mood to bridge it. The bridging of gap may alter the political equations, especially for the regional parties. Amidst all this, one thing is certain – the war of India versus Bharat is weakening the very idea of India. However, the big question remains – Will Harry ever feel the pain of Hari?
