Bangalore and Mysore: New India, Incorporated

  Mysore, India
Friday, April 13, 2007

The Indian economic miracle story makes the front page at least a couple times a week here in India. Most of the stories seem like fairy tales designed to create patriotism and optimism. But all point in one direction: up. And the fairy tales might just turn out to be true, if India can wait long enough.

Walking around Bangalore, the IT outsourcing center of India, I expected to find a modern city with gleaming corporate headquarters of Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY) and Wipro (NYSE: WIT). If western people have wondered where the outsourced jobs have gone, a good reply could be Bangalore. Perhaps this was only natural when talented IT professionals in India would work for only a fraction of American salaries.

But instead of glimmer and glitz, the city was instead full of pollution and traffic, with undulating broken sidewalks, holes in the roads, and frequent power cuts typical of India. These alone made me wonder about the progress of India Inc. at its heart.

I stopped in a urbane enclave for a slice of Black Forest Cake to take a break from walking and book shopping on MG Street; some mod aspects existed here, slowly appearing as in Mumbai, Junagadh, and elsewhere. The power went out, one of India's many growing pains, but luckily the entrepreneurial outdoor cafe owner had a back-up generator, whose noise and smoke overwhelmed a hip, cosmopolitan scene. But what choice did this cafe owner have.

Perhaps the Special Economic Zones packed full of modern optimistic corporations, yet abhorred by the tribes and villagers who are displaced en masse for the sake of "progress", were found in the outskirts of town, after all, India Inc. was growing at about 8% a year, a significant leap from the previous "Hindu rate of growth," as it was derisively called by economists.

Was this the clashing of civilizations, East meets West in terms of what is important in society? Was materialism more important than spirituality and values in modernizing India? As India's president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, with his long grey hair, would likely say, all are important. The former scientist-turned politician would probably write a Tamil poem about it instead, actually:

Where are we now, dear friends,
In the Maha Sabha that shapes as history,
The call of heart beats of Indian people,
People ask us, people ask us;
"Oh! Parliamentarians, the sculptors of Mother India,
Lead us unto light, enrich our lives.
Your righteous toil, is our guiding light,
If you work hard, we all can prosper."
Like King, so the people,
Nurture great thoughts, rise up in actions,
May righteous methods be your guide;
May you all prosper ever with Almighty's grace.

Chamundi Hill Durga Temple

Moving on to Mysore, the legendary place where the goddess Durga defeated the demon buffalo, I traveled to the clean tree-lined suburbs of India's middle class in search of the Nature Conservation Foundation, a decade-old Indian organization composed of Ph. D. researchers trying to make a difference. Their address led me to the home of V. T. Doreswamy and C. S. Anandalakshmi, parents of one of NCF's founders. This was where the organization received mail, though the office was elsewhere.

Home of V. T. Doreswamy and C. S. Anandalakshmi

They invited me inside for tea, a little conversation, and a glimpse into the elder middle class Indian way of life: the girl next door going to MIT studying nanotechnology, Doreswamy's trips to America, their fascination with the internet, and a simplicity in living.

Here, in this humble home and neighborhood, I found the past, present, and future of India, where care for the environment, a pride in intelligence, equality of the sexes, and a caring hospitality in the form of a cup of tea and sharing photographs warmed me. This middle class was growing--and fast.

Later that evening, I met with their son, Dr. Madhusudan, and talked about wildlife issues in India for several hours, focusing on issues of economy, modernization, corruption, and wildlife. "I'm very afraid of that," Madhu said, when I told him that India is predicted to be a top economy and power in the next twenty years.

All in all, I looked back fondly on meeting them and having good conversations as I left two of Southern India's prosperous cities. The future of India is mixed, one full of hope and dreams, past and future, materialism, spirituality, science, and traditionalism. The most important issue, however will be how India can raise one thousand million people out of poverty while providing enough water, protecting its small parks, and addressing global warming and scarcity issues. We shall see.