The big G-word is splashed all over the place today. From front pages of newspapers to the back covers of magazines and everwhere else in between, globalisation occurs as more than a mere definition. It is a way of life. A change so profound that it has come ripping through socieites and uprooted the very basics of hierarchy and timeline and put the whole of the 6.5 billion that walk this planet on a level platform. But all of this was not a big overnight BOOM. It happenend while you were up each morning brushing and sipping on coffee. It was happening while you were hanging out with your girl(boy)friend. It will continue to happen as you trip on chilled beer. If something so earth-shaking is moving about us so stealthily, it is worth a minute of our attention.
From a Pan India point of view we can see globalisation operating on three levels:
Win-win state
Win-lose state
lose-lose state
Or simply put, the three levels or states show the consequces that globalisation has had on India with the rest of the world and vice versa. As of now. with 52% plus Indians in their sunny days, it is but obvious that the youth are very detrimental to the course of the world in the years to come.
1) THE WIN-WIN STATE
In English this is what it means - how has globalisation benefitted both the Indian youth and the world's at large. By wiring the whole world on to the www, we have been able to allow movement of information as freely as words flow out of Prathibha Patil's mouth. So information rests at everyone's fingertips. This has been one of the inherent factors that explains the 5 or 6 figure incomes of the 25 somethings, This has meant that there are more people today than 5 or 10 years ago who can afford a better lifestyle than their parents. As a by product of this we are seeing a boom happening across practically every section in the market, from ayurveda to aviation.
A Kannadiga boy working in Hewellet-Packard marries a Mexican girl. And the marriage ceremony is held in the boy's home town in Karnataka; and the girl changes her name form Jessica to Jaya. This would have been a rosy-walk-in-the-park story straight out of Womens' Era in 1995. But in June 2007, it is a newspaper report splashed on the front page of the Deccan Herald. The moral of this story is that you could make a great friend or even find a partner half way across the world without having to move out of your chair. That's a win-win proposition!
2) THE WIN-LOSE STATE
What has the Indian youth gained at the expense of the world, as a result of globalisation? And what has the World gained at the expense of India?
Since globalisation is itself in its youth, only the first of the two questions can be answered as of this point in time. So what did they lose that we gained? The answer to that question lies in the word 'outsourcing', A word that we have come to like and they have begun to detest.
3) THE LOSE-LOSE STATE
What is the down side of a globalising India? Going the G-way has put considerable sums of money and opportunities in the hands of millions of youngsters. What it has failed to provide however is the education on how to manage all that is earned. And consequently, we hear of stress, burnouts, failed marriages and rich credit card companies.
As the youth continue to march along hand in hand with globalisation today, we can't say with any more certainity about the direction of it's progress as we can about Paris Hilton's next big act for being in the news. But maybe someday, we will hear of Raju's and Rani's Pasta corner, Joe's and Jenny's Dosa camp and Chin Yew's Fish and Curry all lined up next to one another on a street in Cairo!
Arjun.B.S
W: bondasoup.wordpess.com
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