The idea of progress

India on the move

I’m going to talk about the idea of progress. The idea of Progress can be defined as an improvement, a development or a change which contribute to making the world a better place. In order to illustrate this notion, I have chosen some documents dealing with progress in India. India is said to be a country full of contradictions. This former British colony is very rich from a historical and cultural point of view. In spite of India's colourful palaces and glamorous and sparkling celebrations, 42 % of the population live below 80 pence a day. It also has a quite low literacy rate of 74 %. What are modern-day India's problems and how can they be changed ? First, we are going to talk about the various issues that Indian society has to deal with, and then we'll see that in spite of that, there's a hope of a progress.
First of all, many problems remain in India. Women are very oppressed in India. In three generations, more than fifty millions women have been selectively eliminated from India's population through infanticide, dowry-related murders, and other gendercide practices. Six hundred thousand girls go missing every year. That's why India is becoming an increasingly male-dominated society. In the village of Karora, there are twice as many boys as girls. Doctor Rajiv Gupta explains that families are eager to have sons because they can look after the family business, the family name and the parents when they are old. But the main reason is the dowry tradition where the family of the wife-to-be gives a gift to the future husband's family on marriage. If, after the marriage, the woman's family does not keep its promise, the bride is subject to torture, and sometimes even killed. So sons are financially more attractive. Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat claims that 40 % of the women are married below the age of eighteen, which is scandalous. Then, India is a conservative country where « love » is still considered by many to be a dirty word with most marriages arranged by parents. Unmarried couples have difficulties to spend time with each other. Moreover, many hotels do not allow unmarried couples to stay simply in order to save their image from being degraded and to avoid police harassment. However, there's no law that would prohibit anyone from staying in any hotel across India. Also, arranged marriages are still numerous in India. Furthermore, Indian cast system acts as a brake on Indian society's progress. It is a social stratification based on birth, wich leads to discrimination and violence. Untouchables, for example, can't even enter a house, but dogs can. Saranchandra Bose, the author of « Caste Away, India, Hinduism and Untouchability », affirms that cast system is a curse on the Indian Nation. He also explains that the difference between caste system and class system is « that in the class system, a person belonging to the to the lowest class may reach the highest class, whereas in the cast system that is impossible ».
However, Indian society is on the way of progress. Indeed, India has a dynamic economy. The country is specialised in the IT technology. It keeps many mathematicians, sientists and engineers working in the High-Tech industry. India is known as a car industry giant. It seems that such a rich country could improve the living conditions of its population. That is what Rangaswamy Elango, a local hero did. Born as a Dalit or Untouchable, he was elected as president of the self-governing council of Kuthambakkam. He built toilets in all the houses and provided recycled water. But his main action was to built semi-detached houses for hundreds of families, where dalits and non-dalits started to live together. Besides, lots of start ups and associations contribute to change people's mindset. Love commandos are businessmen and journalists who help to organise love marriages. In spite of their financial difficulties, these brave activists try to put an end to arranged marriages and have already made many young couples happy. Sanchit Sethi's compagny called Stayuncle is also an example of progress. It's goal is to help unmarried couples with affordable rooms where they would feel comfortable and safe. Soon, it will organise surprise parties and travels for them. The startup's purpose is to build an « ecosystem around unmarried couples ». Also, the « Indian dream » proves that India is still an attractive and interesting country. Some families have left their native country to settle down in America or the United Kingdom. But nowadays, these families' children come back to their roots and spend the rest of their life in India. They come for business but also for cultural experience. Rahul Batija is a businessman born in Birmingham. He moved to India and is now fully immersed into the customs and way of life. Sid Shah came because of the large opportunities. So India is on the way of progress.
To conclude, India has many issues to deal with, but thanks to brave people and startups, its society is changing and there's a hope for it to progress.