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video of Indian Guest Workers from New Orleans who marched to DC
Special Report
The New Faces of America
Suketu Mehta
05.07.07
Immigrant networks are recasting the U.S. in unforeseen ways.
In 1871 Walt Whitman foresaw the way human beings would relate to each other in our era. As he put it in "Passage to India," a poem in the ever expanding Leaves of Grass, "Lo, soul, seest thou not God's purpose from the first? The earth to be spann'd, connected by network."
Whitman's lines evoke for me how an immigrant can come to a big, expensive city like New York or San Francisco without papers, without money, without housing and make a new life. Or how other immigrants come in at the top of the scale and find jobs whose salaries start at several times the median income. The answer lies in the network: They go to their tribes, their villages in the city. Whether it is an association of software engineers, an alumni association or a church group, immigrants live and die, work and marry, pray and play within the network.
This is a study of the concerns associated with the economic development in certain service sectors in India. The objective of the article is to bring to light the necessity of improved transport and communication in India, especially due to its rapid rate of growth. The author addresses the lack of mobility options within India, a necessity in these booming times. An example he provides explains that a third of the half a million villages in India, which are a minimum of 5 miles apart have no dependable road connections, thereby making the only mode of commute by foot. This problem is being exacerbated by the fact that the government is not paying due attention to this economic sphere. For example, when India's gross income rose by 58% in the late 1950's, road and rail fright rose by 170%; yet the government did not take any adequate measure to compensate for this growth, leaving the transport industry in dire need of reformation.
Neither Apu nor Durga had ever seen a train while they lived in their village. One might argue that the highlight of the movie is when they run through the fields waiting in anticipation for the train to arrive, as they share a moment of awe in silence. Although the movie was made in the 1950's, right after India's independence, it is shocking to note that half its population had not even seen what a train looked like. Apu's father in the film traveled by foot, and then by bullock cart when he needed to make his way to Benaras or another nearby town. But, with the coming of the train was ingrained a ray of hope for Durga who also wished to explore and move out of her village. Unfortunately, this dream was never fulfilled as she died due to a fever she caught while playing out in the fields in the rain. This exemplifies the level of underdevelopment and need for change within India, especially for the villagers who form a majority of India's population.
Neither Apu nor Durga had ever seen a train while they lived in their village. One might argue that the highlight of the movie is when they run through the fields waiting in anticipation for the train to arrive, as they share a moment of awe in silence. Although the movie was made in the 1950's, right after India's independence, it is shocking to note that half its population had not even seen what a train looked like. Apu's father in the film traveled by foot, and then by bullock cart when he needed to make his way to Benaras or another nearby town. But, with the coming of the train was ingrained a ray of hope for Durga who also wished to explore and move out of her village. Unfortunately, this dream was never fulfilled as she died due to a fever she caught while playing out in the fields in the rain. This exemplifies the level of underdevelopment and need for change within India, especially for the villagers who form a majority of India's population.
belongs to Pather Panchali - annodated bibliography (Film History) project
tagged development india
by kjhalani
...on 10-APR-08
This article remembers Satyajit Ray as a "lyrical chronicle of rural poverty" and reflects upon Ray's accomplishments as a master in his field. The importance placed by Ray on the story and plot of a film elevated him to be the sole representative of Indian cinema for the Western world. Although this might have been a false representation of all films being churned out by the Indian movie industry, Ray truly stood out as an anomaly in the sea of directors from his own home country. The author speaks of Ray's ideas of "feminism" and how his movies were the perfect combination of a traditional Indian woman with moral bales and the contemporary strong willed independent woman who fought for her rights. The author also mentions Ray's final film, The Stranger, alluding to the transformation Ray underwent as a director and the renewal of humor in this film, which had always been a strong element of Ray's sensibilities. This film was ‘lighter' that his previous works, prompting critics to believe that it gestures a renewal of his personal self and health. Finally, paying the due respect to Ray by calling him "The Last Great Man of the Indian Renaissance" the author respects the elegance with which he left the world - on his death bead, smiling, while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award.
After watching Pather Panchali, and reading an article like this, it becomes evident that a Satyajit Ray injected aspects of his own personality when molding characters for his movies. The elegance and calmness with which he viewed the world seems to be reflected in the father's character in the movie. Also, Durga seems to be the quintessential example of Ray's view of Indian women of the time, as he shows a young girl full of life, yet extremely responsible towards her family. Therefore, in order to understand Ray as a person, it is of paramount importance to watch his first, and possibly last film.
After watching Pather Panchali, and reading an article like this, it becomes evident that a Satyajit Ray injected aspects of his own personality when molding characters for his movies. The elegance and calmness with which he viewed the world seems to be reflected in the father's character in the movie. Also, Durga seems to be the quintessential example of Ray's view of Indian women of the time, as he shows a young girl full of life, yet extremely responsible towards her family. Therefore, in order to understand Ray as a person, it is of paramount importance to watch his first, and possibly last film.
belongs to Pather Panchali - annodated bibliography (Film History) project
tagged india personality women ray
by kjhalani
...on 10-APR-08
This is a news article that focuses on the so-called benefits of being born into a rung of the existing caste system in India, the Brahmin caste in particular. The article illustrates the emphasis placed on caste in rural India and compares the lifestyle one might live based on whether they are from a village or a metropolitan city such as Chennai. Focusing on a young Brahmin who was extremely privileged in his village faces reversal of fortune as he makes his way to Chennai. A law was passed in the state of Tamil Nadu where as of 1950, 70% of government jobs became reserved for people from a lower caste. Given this situation, due to the fact that he is from a high casts, he has been turned down form jobs in the city and is living a frugal life earning under $100 a month; an amount that doesn't even pay his rent thereby causing him to sleep in the classroom where he is an English teacher.
Apu's father in the movie is faced with a similar situation, whereby he is living an impoverished life. A man, who is greatly respected by fellow villagers due to the fact that he is educated and wishes to be a poet, is given no respect when he travels to the city in search of a job to earn a living to feed his family. In the movie Harihar Ray wishes to be a writer because he is born into a family of writers, because he belongs to the Brahmin caste. But, given the lack of jobs in the village itself, he wonders to a nearby city where he is ill-treated, firstly because he is looked upon as a villager, and secondly is unable to get jobs that ‘villagers' would get because they are all reserved for ‘villagers' from a lower caste. Given that this movie was made in 1958, it goes to show that people all over India suffered from such problems post independence as well. And although the movie is set in Bengal and not in Tamil Nadu, Brahmin's around the country seemed to live lives similar to the ones articulated by Satyajit Ray in this film, as well as ones written about by Bellman in the newspaper article.
Apu's father in the movie is faced with a similar situation, whereby he is living an impoverished life. A man, who is greatly respected by fellow villagers due to the fact that he is educated and wishes to be a poet, is given no respect when he travels to the city in search of a job to earn a living to feed his family. In the movie Harihar Ray wishes to be a writer because he is born into a family of writers, because he belongs to the Brahmin caste. But, given the lack of jobs in the village itself, he wonders to a nearby city where he is ill-treated, firstly because he is looked upon as a villager, and secondly is unable to get jobs that ‘villagers' would get because they are all reserved for ‘villagers' from a lower caste. Given that this movie was made in 1958, it goes to show that people all over India suffered from such problems post independence as well. And although the movie is set in Bengal and not in Tamil Nadu, Brahmin's around the country seemed to live lives similar to the ones articulated by Satyajit Ray in this film, as well as ones written about by Bellman in the newspaper article.
belongs to TeleMedicine/Ethiopia/Central Medical Library/Addis Ababa University/Black Lion Hospital project
tagged cme ehealth ethiopia ict_infrastructure tcil telemedicine india ict continuing_medical_education e-health
by poussain
...on 17-FEB-08
belongs to TeleMedicine/Ethiopia/Central Medical Library/Addis Ababa University/Black Lion Hospital project
tagged ethiopia ict ict_infrastructure india red_sea wan vsat national_telemedicine_network lan indian_ocean
by poussain
...on 17-FEB-08
Dabbawala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A dabbawala (one who carries the box, see Etymology), sometimes spelled dabbawalla or dabbawallah, is a person in the Indian city of Mumbai whose job is to carry and deliver freshly made food from home in lunch boxes to office workers. Tiffin is an old-fashioned English word for a light lunch, and sometimes for the box it is carried in. Dabbawalas are sometimes called tiffin-wallas.
May 29, 2007
In India, Grandma Cooks, They Deliver
By SARITHA RAI
In India, Grandma Cooks, They Deliver
By SARITHA RAI
MUMBAI, India - Gaurav Bamania, a hedge fund analyst who works in one of the many downtown office towers that now dominate the skyline of India's financial capital, could easily eat lunch at one of the city's better restaurants. Instead, Mr. Bamania, 26, follows a practice dating back over a century to the early years of British rule: he has a hot meal, lovingly cooked at home by his grandmother, and delivered to his desk every workday.
In India, where many traditions are being rapidly overturned as a result of globalization, the practice of eating a home-cooked meal for lunch lives on.
To achieve that in this sprawling urban amalgamation of an estimated 25 million people, where long commutes by train and bus are routine, Mumbai residents rely on an intricately organized, labor-intensive operation that puts some automated high-tech systems to shame. It manages to deliver tens of thousands of meals to workplaces all over the city with near-clockwork precision.
At the heart of this unusual network is a chain of delivery men called dabbawallas.
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged India business_area_studies industrial_concentration birkbeck_college_London Manufacturing industrial_liberalization liberlization
by croninkc
...on 20-SEP-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 20-SEP-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 20-SEP-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 30-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 25-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 25-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 25-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 23-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 18-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged IT business_area_studies industry_organization UCSC_Center_for_Global,_International_and_Regional_Studies India offshoring software_practice outsourcing
by croninkc
...and 1 other person
...on 15-AUG-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged CIDER_Berkeley collective_action economic_history business_area_studies India institutional_impediments state_coordination
by croninkc
...on 14-AUG-06
"Defending Intellectual Property Rights in the BRIC Economies." American business law journal [0002-7766] 43.2 (2006). 317-.
This article discusses the issue of protecting US intellectual copyrights in the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). It begins by explaining that these four countries, if all predictions go as planned, will soon have four of the largest economies in the world. Therefore, a detailed look at the United States IP relationship with these nations is necessary. The next section of the article gives a brief history of international intellectual property rights followed by a more focused look at the history of US relationships with these four countries and the antagonisms that have resulted.
After giving this overview, which shows how often the United States has tried to influence the IPR regimes of the four BRIC countries, the article delves into a section entitled, “Coercion as an Ineffective Strategy in Promoting Intellectual Property Protection in the BRIC Countries.” This section is long and detailed with many examples of statistics showing how the United States has not achieved its goals through means of coercion. The article explicitly gives statistics for each country. The culmination of this large number of statistics is to show that not only does coercion not necessarily work, it can often be detrimental to the original goal. Examples of poor results are given for China and India.
The final section of this article argues that unilateral initiatives are an understudied method of strengthening IPR regimes in the BRIC countries. Unilateral initiatives are defined as “a voluntary conciliatory action presented by one party to the benefit of the other.” Examples of unilateral initiatives that have been successful are then given.
This article is plainly written with an obvious objective: to endorse unilateral initiatives as opposed to coercion as a way of reforming IPR in the BRIC countries. This method of change is supportive of a gradual change in the IPR regime in China as it does not expect immediate results and therefore, presents an effective means of carrying through with the project's thesis, which is always an important consideration when proposing an argument.
After giving this overview, which shows how often the United States has tried to influence the IPR regimes of the four BRIC countries, the article delves into a section entitled, “Coercion as an Ineffective Strategy in Promoting Intellectual Property Protection in the BRIC Countries.” This section is long and detailed with many examples of statistics showing how the United States has not achieved its goals through means of coercion. The article explicitly gives statistics for each country. The culmination of this large number of statistics is to show that not only does coercion not necessarily work, it can often be detrimental to the original goal. Examples of poor results are given for China and India.
The final section of this article argues that unilateral initiatives are an understudied method of strengthening IPR regimes in the BRIC countries. Unilateral initiatives are defined as “a voluntary conciliatory action presented by one party to the benefit of the other.” Examples of unilateral initiatives that have been successful are then given.
This article is plainly written with an obvious objective: to endorse unilateral initiatives as opposed to coercion as a way of reforming IPR in the BRIC countries. This method of change is supportive of a gradual change in the IPR regime in China as it does not expect immediate results and therefore, presents an effective means of carrying through with the project's thesis, which is always an important consideration when proposing an argument.
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Danish_Institute_for_International_Studies India Sweden development_cooperation development business_area_studies NGOs donor-recipient_dialogue poverty_reduction
by croninkc
...on 26-JUL-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Danish_Institute_for_International_Studies India development business_area_studies NGOs Denmark development_cooperation poverty_reduction donor-recipient_dialogue
by croninkc
...on 26-JUL-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
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by croninkc
...on 25-JUL-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_for_Economic_Policy_Analysis globalization economic_reform business_area_studies India liberalization
by croninkc
...on 14-JUL-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_for_Economic_Policy_Analysis India business_area_studies cross-border_capital_movement capital_controls capital_account_liberation World_Financial_Authority
by croninkc
...on 12-JUL-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Andrew_Young_School_of_Policy_Studies India economic_reform fiscal_reform business_area_studies International_Studies_Program free_markets markets liberalization
by croninkc
...on 12-JUN-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_for_International_Development_at_Harvard_University India's_Development India's_economic_reforms India ICT Information_Technology economic_growth social_development business_area_studies
by croninkc
...on 02-JUN-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_for_International_Development_at_Harvard_University India Economic_Growth Growth_Strategy India's_Economic_Development Liberalization business_area_studies India's_Economic_Reforms
by croninkc
...on 02-JUN-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_for_International_Development_at_Harvard_University Regional_Economic_Growth Economic_Growth India business_area_studies
by croninkc
...on 31-MAY-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Development ICT India Growth Exports Information_and_Communication_Technology United_Nations_University business_area_studies World_Institute_for_Development_Economics_Research Software
by croninkc
...on 15-MAY-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged India automotive_parts_industry business_area_studies World_Institute_for_Development_Economics_Research United_Nations_University competitiveness production_function technology manufacturing
by croninkc
...on 15-MAY-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Asia/Pacific_Research_Center Liberalization Pharmaceutical_Industry India business_area_studies
by croninkc
...on 01-MAY-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Asia/Pacific_Research_Center Venture_Capital business_area_studies OECD India
by croninkc
...on 01-MAY-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Center_For_Global_International_Regional_Studies_UC_Santa_Cruz High_Tech_Industry India Software_Industry business_area_studies Outsourcing High_Technology_Industry
by croninkc
...and 1 other person
...on 28-APR-06
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Berkeley_Round_Table_on_the_International_Economy Venture_Capital India business_area_studies
by croninkc
...on 12-APR-06
A case study of the impact of offshoring with regards to the firm and the recipient country
belongs to Business Area Studies project
tagged Berkeley_Round_Table_on_the_International_Economy business_area_studies Outsourcing India
by croninkc
...on 06-APR-06