Will India Remain A ‘Developing Country’ Forever?

India for long, has been in the ‘developing’ category. We could blame the economy and geopolitics but is it our own culture holding us back? 

My mom and I are both literary lovers. We sit and chat at length about art, books, thoughts , movies and what not. By the end of the conversation I almost always have something to ponder upon at length. The thought of this blog has no other origin but the same.

Yesterday evening my mom slipped into a conversation about how the old black and white movie “Gumnaam” is a loosely inspired adaptation of the novel “And then there were none” and that was the starting station of my train of thoughts. What’s with India and it’s obsession with copying developed countries? Be it songs, movies, trends or ideas?

Since the ban of China, even the toy industry has become baseless. Even Ola came to market along the lines of Uber already creating a sure-shot market. What is the deal with India and its need for secure success before we go ahead with an idea in any sector. Why are the greatest brains of the world leaving the country and flying across to nourish their ideas and hardwork?

Is it the inherent aspects of our culture?

After minutes of brain gnawing questions it finally struck me.

Maybe it’s in our culture.

We Indians are secure life players. Risk takers are frowned upon. But isn’t a start up, a business idea, trying a new form of art, raising a voice for a change, experimenting in a new sector; all of it a risk? What development happens without taking a risk? But our Indian society is all about following the herd mentality.

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Good schooling, good degree, job by 22, marriage by 24, kids by 26. Then all of it all over again for their kids. With so much pressure of doing things on time, earning on time to sustain a family no matter what, how is one supposed to follow their dreams and experiment without making profit or loss the main priority. Hence we are designed not to experiment, we are designed to copy the pattern, follow the safest secure bet.

Is “tradition” holding us back?

In a country where kids are following their parent’s dreams and living their own life for their parents, it’s a taboo to live your life your own way. It’s seen as untraditional to think of anything new. It’s against society to come up with your own ideas and your own way of living life. Everyone is living a life of lie for their neighbor’s idea of ideal and simple life only to walk on eggshells of criticism.

With so much pressure on the younger generation, no matter how talented, smart and modern they are, they live in a constant fear of disappointing their parents. Everyone is trying to meet everyone’s expectations and in the process everyone is failing their own expectations until they stop acknowledging it.

India is a land of fabricated ideologies of perfection that doesn’t exist. The ones who dare to dream are branded as a dishonor to the family and guilt tripped to settling for the ordinary in the name of being an ungrateful child.

Well behaved people seldom make revolutionary history. And with the absence of significant revolutions, no country can develop. Seeing the present scenario, India seems to be stuck in the criteria of developing country forever.

Photo credit- Free-Photos on Pixabay

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