Shows you the dark side of capitalism, like it is in India and all over the rest of the world....

The photo essay "Bricks for Bread and Milk - India's capital city has been flooded with a new wave of migrant workers -- children." presents a very one-sided picture of India. While it is true these children should have proper day-care, they are psychologically and emotionally much better off playing around near their parents at the work place rather than turning to drugs and prostitution like the children of the lower income American work-force seem to do. I hope Kayvan Farzaneh and Andrew Swift will also do an essay on white Americans looting Iraq of its treasures, American "missionaries" looting Haiti of its children, American paedophiles in Churches etc. And i also hope Kayvan Farzaneh and Andrew Swift will make sure their children do not emulate Ms Lewinsky when they grow up.

This is one of the most terribly immature photo essays to be published in the new millenium...

First reaction was that - the chaps who wrote this dont even have a fricking clue about physical labour, much less construction labour. But having then looked at the pics a bit deeper - its obvious that they've been paid for and modelled to spec.

Its a shame.
*sigh* every day, I lose more faith in the Mainstream media.

For the folks who did *believe* the story:
Come on, who're you kidding?? What work would get done by a kid shovelling in a handful of stones - it would take all day just to lay a single brick - or to mix a single bucketful of concrete!
THINK!

PS: This story got *tweeted* by Nick Kristof. I cant believe that he's such an idiot.
PPS: The Captcha said "Tensile Donation". Such a gotcha for *this* "story"

Now, I’m no journalist, but my family has some personal experience with this topic. Although these photos may present an exaggeration, the point of the essay is pretty accurate. India’s government is filled with corruption. That’s why the contractors are so behind schedule that they have to start hiring kids for the work. The government officials want the world to see a modern, industrious India and want the contractors to get the stadium done on time regardless of the methods the contractors use. To those who say that the kids could never do this kind of work, take my aunts for an example: my mother’s three oldest sisters never went to school in India. They had to work alongside adults for money to help my mother’s family. Their bosses didn’t care through what methods they did the work; just that they did it in the time allocated. Kids usually find ways to make their work easier. The kids in India are also much stronger than kids in the U.S. because they have to help their parents with daily chores around the house that require strength, such as lifting heavy pots and pans. Though they cannot accomplish the work an adult can, it doesn’t take a whole day for them to lay a brick. They struggle but they manage to do work because they need the food. This may be a different case I’m talking about, since my parents are from south India and not anywhere near New Delhi, but my point is the same: India still suffers from child labor caused by the poverty of the uneducated people. Of course, there are those who don’t only bring their kids to work because there is no one to look after them, like Rakesh’s colleagues, but not all Indians are that lucky. The kids who do manual labor instead of going to school end up with manual labor at less that minimum wage as adults and face the same poverty their own parents face. Because of this, they have to send their own kids to work. People rarely realize what extreme poverty half of India lives in. The modernized face of India is what most people see.

I have never been to India, so I will take it from people who have visited or lived there that these photos are posed and misleading. But the poverty in India is real, yes?

The Indians reading this story and posting comments are not living in tents and working for minimum wage, obviously, and their views of the poverty in India may be as relevant as my views of the poverty of the indigenous and homeless here in Canada, which is to say, not at all.

Many middle class Indians like me are aggreived to see such photos of our country. But even if they are exaggerated, they depict a reality of the many India's that exist in our country. The children and the families depicted here probably have a better chance compared to lower caste Indians.
Middle class Indians would like to see the India of their aspirations reflected in publications like FP. This might not make a very news-worthy story. Maybe FP has an agenda in publishing shocking stories like these.
But the answer is to be found by Indians themselves. Indians, especially the middle class who have made all round gains, must lead the way in helping to lift their less fortunate countrymen out of poverty and misery.
Getting led away from this task by narrow criteria of religion, caste, language, etc by casteist (in my opinion equivalent to racism) parties like BJP, SS, VHP, etc will perpetuate India to a second place among the leading nations of the world!

800 million living on less than $2/day. 100 million child laborers. 100,000 slum dwellers evicted by the government's "beautification" program now living homeless on the streets of New Delhi. Children being paid with one meal per day. $2.6 billion being spent on infra-and-superstructure. To impress the world?! For games?! That last a week. India's priorities!

It is hear wrenching. God forbid it never happens to no child anywhere in the world.

Read my article and give a serious thought to the idea floated.

Naked Mothers of India
Shakir MumtazJanuary 13, 2010 Most disturbing and pronounced display of extreme desperation, to human sensibilities, in an un-natural, forced union of diametrically diverse nations into one fictitious country called-India, is the undressing of the mothers of India in front of the Parliamentary Assam Rifle headquarters in Manipur.

It is hard to imagine that a woman who had been guarding her modesty and chastity all her life, for self respect, family honor and religious ethos, would present herself, especially, at the last stage of her life when she is supposed to be most respected and revered, starkly naked in front of thousands of people. It simply is the expression of extreme level of desperation and hopelessness.

Irom Chanu Sharmila is yet another example of extreme desperation and disappointment which is rampant norm in so called biggest democracy of the world-India. She has been on hunger strike since November, 2000. For several years she is being kept under protective custody to minimize the impact of her cause. Her demand, like those of the naked mothers, is the annulment of the Military Special Powers Act; of which she was a surviving victim when scores of people of Manipur were brutally slaughtered by the unruly Indian military.

It immediately reminds one of the Burmese activist Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi, who also has spent more than a decade under house arrest. There is however one, apart from many similarities, striking common thread in the struggle of both of these women and that is, that they are both fighting for Human rights and dignity against the usurpation by a group of individuals directly, or through the so called Laws promulgated by them; legitimized by the invented-excuse of national security.

Despite strikingly similar cause of both of these women, there

is a flagrant anomaly-an un equal treatment of the two by the Western/US media. Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi has been given much publicity as compared to Ms. Irom Chanu Sharmila, because of vested interests in the story of the former. It also does not have much to worry about the tiny dictatorial Burmese Junta and can trash it at will and up to any degree with absolute immunity.

The similar exposure was never accorded to Sharmila because US and West have much to do with India- Politically, Economically and Strategically. Therefore, all the ills (Stealing/diverting money from poverty alleviation funds, Extra Judicial Killings, Genocide of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Generating extreme Pollution, State-Sponsored-Terrorism, War mongering/Crimes, Usurpation of civil liberties and Human rights, Annexing the smaller states, Invading sovereign states) of the Government and the sufferings of the people are classified and ignored as "inevitable-evils" to a creeping like snail India. Third world´s biggest slum democracy.

Criticizing the giant (although sick, starving and at the brink of collapse) would not be without cost; especially when it is being touted to play the proxy role in the region. Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi or any one else, on the domestic front also, do not have any incentive to do any thing in this regard, because even lip servicing in this matter could prove to be costly and weaken the fraudulently fabricated Union.

The self determination rights are denied to Kashmiris, Khalistanis and many more nations under the pretence of guarding the false, imaginary (expansionist) ideological, boundaries, on which the whole edifice of "Akhand-Bharat"(greater India) stands. Armed Forces Special Powers Act provides a steel reinforcement for already illegitimate Union. (being kept together by the ruthless brutality of over a million army)

Indian leaders are so terrified of self determination issue, being put on any international forum of discussion, that they make it a precondition, when dealing with any other country, not to bring it up at all. Indian bureaucrats/Lobbyists are working feverishly on this issue but its resilience has debunked all their efforts so far. Resultantly, American envoy Richard Holbrook, though appointed for South Asia, was strictly forbidden, on the begging of the Indian Government, not to use the "K" word- for Kashmir. India was also excluded from his area of jurisdiction to avoid any situation where he might be forced to respond to Kashmir question.

The recent statement by an Indian General that India can fight on two fronts namely Pakistan and China, is being ridiculed all over the world. The intellectuals and strategists all over the world are wondering what made him cough up such an absurd "Gaffe"?

The fact is that militarily even US ( so called world super power) is being forced to swallow its pride due to the colossal failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was just an un-thoughtful, off the cuff kind of sales pitch, pimping itself to the West/US, for the proxy role against Pakistan and China; should they decide to cut and run.

To gauge the deplorable state of Indian Military, one does not have to look further than the recent failed missile test, shown on world media, where the missile sunk back to ground in just few seconds of its launch. Also to be kept in mind is the rate of Indian war planes casualties, which is the highest in the world.

Issues taken up by Barbara Crossette in "Elephant In the Room" provide testimonial to the Indian state of affairs, where she showed that India gives the most headach in global governance and causes most consternation. (More than Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Pakistan and China)

On this crude exposure of India Nitin Pai the editor of Pargati-the Indian National Interest Review. Put forward the theory that India did a noble thing by invading East Pakistan to stop the genocide of Bangladeshis. My contention in this case, where invasion of another country is justified for an invented-cause--as has recently been done by US in Iraq and Afghanistan--would be, should Pakistan or China have invaded India when carnage of Gujrat happened? Should West invade India when Christians Nuns are being raped and Priest being murdered and Churches being demolished?

Can Mr. Nitin Pai justify Indian State-sponsored-terrorism in Sri Lanka, Tibet in China, Balochistan and tribal areas in Pakistan? Can Mr. Nitin Pai single out any of India´s neighbors not being harassed and meddled in its internal matters? Has Sikkim not been annexed against the will of its peoples? Let us not even talk about Indian corruption and the removal of Paul Wolfowitz who exposed it.

It would also be worth delving into an article written by Razeen Sally on May 1, 2009 "Don´t Believe the Indian Hype" to understand why Indian people are so desperate and disillusioned. Some of the excerpts are being quoted here as it is.

This exposes the pathetic, do-nothing, zero-reform record of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government. More generally, it lays bare India´s huge reform gaps and its brittle, decaying institutions. Finally, it deflates the "India Hype" peddled by smooth-talking, upper-caste politicians, ambassadors, businessmen, management consultants and indeed some academics. Last, and crucially, India´s glaring development gap is in manufacturing, for all sorts of Union and state-level policies—on labor markets, infrastructure, power generation, subsidies, the public sector, repressed agriculture and services sectors, uncertain property rights, and remaining zones of protection against imports and inward investment—conspire to prevent labor-intensive industrial production. India needs its Industrial Revolution if it is to grow out of poverty. That means putting the impoverished in the countryside into (initially) low-wage work in mass manufacturing. That is what China and other parts of East Asia have done. But not India.

India Hype extends to "Chindia," the notion that India plays in the same league as China as an emerging superpower. This is pure myth. China plays in a league of its own; India, Brazil and Russia play in a far inferior league. China´s economy is thrice the size of India´s; its goods exports are 10 times bigger; it is even ahead of India in the world services trade; it spends about 10% of GDP on infrastructure compared to about 5% in India; and its carbon emissions—a sure indicator of industrialization—are about four times higher.

This explanation just does not wash. Mr. Singh has impeccable academic credentials and is by all accounts incorruptible. He deserves credit for his performance as finance minister in the early and mid 1990s—though at least as much credit should go to the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who had to take the tough decisions. But Mr. Singh has proved a hopeless decision maker as prime minister.

He has lacked the political instinct and moral courage to take tough decisions, hiding behind the fig leaf of Mrs. Gandhi and the troublesome left-wing parties that propped up the government. Sadly, Mr. Singh proves the rule that academics should generally be "on tap" but not "on top."

The nightmare scenario is of a new Union government held hostage by surging caste-based parties in north India and their corrupt leaders. That would scotch further major market reforms and deepen India´s institutional malaise. Hence the failure of the Congress-led government should be put into a larger institutional context. The Indian state, led by a neanderthal and venal political-bureaucratic elite, remains unreformed. It comprises a bloated, corrupt, tyrannical and grossly incompetent army of 20 million bureaucrats and their minions. It works for the benefit of the well-off with political connections, but it is still a crushing burden on the one billion-plus Indians outside the charmed circle of the upper and upper-middle classes.

India, in per capita income, ranks even behind Burkina Faso, the poorest of the poor countries in the world.

India Hype-peddlers neatly sweep the country´s institutional rot under the carpet. However, India cannot be expected to grow and prosper far and fast, not just now but for decades ahead, with such shaky foundations. The upshot is that much-needed market reforms cannot continue to skirt around the reform of the state itself. Politically, that is the hardest nut to crack. Despite all this India, according to poverty alleviation experts, would need 300 years to get out of this quagmire. Therefore, the only remedy as an inevitable and most sensible proposition, for all ills would be the Balkanization of India.

Note: No ill feelings are harbored by the author against the people of India. When rationally thought of the idea, shedding off the pretence of false nationalism, it would transpire that this is the only way Indian people could optimize their intelligence and hard work ethics most effectively and get out of poverty and misery much sooner than remaining part of the botched Indian conglomerate. Emancipation of over a billion people of India, made up of several distinct and diverse nations, each afforded the right of self determination/governance, is a noble cause. Print Email
Your Name Recipient's Name Recipient's Email Shakir Mumtaz
Shakir Mumtaz.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan.
Graduated from Punjab University,Lahore Pakistan
majoring in Political science, Economics and Persian Language.
Professional Banker, United Arab Emirates(UAE) (1974-1990).
Diplomaed Assosiate of Inst of Bankers,Pakistan.
Assosiate of Chartered Inst of Bankers,London,UK.
Moved to USA and Became President of Shalimar Imports Inc.(1992-2000)

CEO/President Shalimar Holdings & Financial Services Inc.(Involved in Mortgage Industry,real estate, health insurance and Business development and consultation)

A published writer, have been contributing to several national and international newspapers for several years.

Appear on T.V channels as Political Analyst.
Host live shows, mainly on international issues.

Many of my articles/opinions could also be read at Helium.com & Attocknews.com under the same name.

Always eager to have readers comments and feedback.

Author's Profile
Author's Other Articles
Author's RSS Feed

Here is yet another bombshell
The Times UK has publised a report under the heading

India has become the biggest laterine of the world.

Where 6.6 million people shit in the open, as they can not afford the proper toilets.

1 million people of lower cast, untouchable, mainly female and children, are forced employed to clean up that shit unprotected and are afflicted with countless diseases including diaherriah, tuberculosis, hapatytis B and C etc.

and yet the common wealth has granted it the permission to hold common wealth games.

Should we not be concerned with the situation of millions of these peoples's state of affairs? If so then send an e mail to the commonwealth authorities to cancell these games, being conducted at the neglect of millions; whose income is less than 1.25 $ a day.

Nick Pink, Commonwealth Sports Adviser
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House, Pall Mall
London SW1Y5HX, UK
Email: n.pink@commonwealth.int

Bruce Kidd, Chair
University of Toronto
55 Harbord Street
Toronto
ON M5S 2W6, Canada
Tel: +1 416 978 7943
Email: bruce.kidd@utoronto.ca

Thanks for few moments for the plight of millions of have nots.

Even if these photo's are faked, it doesn't take away from the fact that India has, despite that "miracle of growth" (exploitation by foreign capital), one of the most backward societies ever devised. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this girl worked a 2nd night job as a New Delhi cabby or something.

Folks - I have seen ghettos and beggars near freeways in the United States, beggars in frozen Nordics, homeless in Vancouver and prostitutes in Berlin - but I never took their photographs and published them in a magazine along with a juicy tale of injustice and drudgery. Instead I gave some money to the poor people so that they can buy a day's meal. Its a shame that the West, surprised and scared by India's meteoric rise, still publish such stories and there are people who read them, enjoy them, feel an empty and hollow superiority and start commenting rubbish about India. Remember - India is taking its position in the world stage with a history of not attacking any foreign country, not looting any foreign country and not killing innocent children of any foreign country. Yes India has poor people and poverty has its own challenges - but India is tackling them with courage and it is improving. Today there are 545 million mobile subscribers in India - thats half of its population! These pictures are of those hapless kids who have been brought by their parents at the worksite so that parents can watch them and take care of them - you took pictures when they are in their playful mood! At least these parents are not like the ones from the West who abandon their kids for a better life! So Please STOP SUCH SADDISTIC JOURNALISM and give some meaning to cutting down trees and making papers out of them!

I must say that I'm not convinced with the picture #2. But, whether the story is true or not, this can be an alarming situation to all of us. In some other countries, commonly the 3rd world countries, there are so many children exposed on this situation because of poverty. Well, obviously, government officials can't do anything about it or they aren't taking any action at all. I don't know, I just feel so sorry with these kids.Joshua Williams

I appreciate the idea of Indian government that they are providing eatables to the children of laborers. Common-wealth games are starting up in october and there has been not much improvement in the infrastructure. Indian government needs to do something very fast for improving it.
Ylod