On my recent trip to India, I met many Indians of different ages, from the cities and the villages and from all walks of life. Though there were so many “types” of Indians, basically I found that I could divide them into two main categories, namely, the “old Indian” and the “new Indian.”
The “old Indian” was basically local in his outlook, traditional in the way he did things and unlikely to make a real difference to his own life or to those around him. The “new Indian” was basically more international in his outlook, more progressive in the way he did things and likely to make a difference to his own life and to the lives of those around him. What were the factors that produced these two types of Indians?
It certainly wasn’t the place where they were born or grew up in because many of the “new Indians” grew up in very remote villages. Neither was it their family background because many “new Indians” came from poor families. Neither was it their caste – because “new Indians” come from all the castes (including the so-called “untouchables’).
I think that 3 major factors made the difference, namely, an English language education, use of computers and exposure to foreigners.
I found that most “new Indians” had an English medium education. Indians have a choice of being educated in either English or an Indian language (eg. Tamil, Hindi, Telugu). It usually cost more to send a child to an English medium (EM) school but many parents scrimp and save to do so because they know that there are advantages to do so. The ability to read English opens many doors to the world of science, new ideas, etc.
Secondly, I found that most “new Indians” have access to the internet – through which they have access to the whole wide world. Many of their parents too were fluent with English but lacked the access to the world of ideas that is available on the internet. Therefore, though the older generation of English speaking Indians had the means to read English, they had little access to English language materials.
Thirdly, I found that many of the “new Indians” had contact with foreigners – often through their work (because many of them work in “off-shore” offices of Western corporations). Through their constant contact with foreigners, they learned many new ways of doing things (eg. punctuality, office discipline).
In my course of travel through Asia, I’ve found that these 3 factors (English, computers and foreign friends) are in demand not only in India but in almost every Asian country.
In the past the 3 R’s – reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmatic – made the difference between success and failure.
Today, it’s English, computers and foreign friends that often makes the difference between success and failure!