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Events in Gujarat. Opinions wanted!
8th Jan 1999 Bad Rajiv @hotmail.com
Thank you Vani, both for encouraging me to post the questionnaire, and for your advice on the format. I can't think of a way to make a closed-ended format in text mode, so I've changed it to an open ended one where I will read and collate the results. Here goes: I guess everyone has read about the events in Gujarat. Both, our state government and the central government seem to have concluded that it was no big deal and they think the press is making too much noise about it. What do you think? 1. Do you believe this will affect Gujarat's image? If so, how? 2. Gujarat has been No.1 in attracting industrial investments. How do you believe this is going to affect our ability to do so in future? 3. People often say that Gujarat doesn't offer a very good lifestyle. Do you agree? If yes, what do you believe is lacking? 4. Do you believe these events will affect India's image as an investment destination? If yes, in what manner? 5. Do you believe these events will affect India's image as a tourist destination? If yes, in what manner? When replying, please include your age, place of domicile and occupation. That will make your responses easier to analyse. EVERY OPINION COUNTS, so wherever and whoever you are, please state your views. I do hope that many of you will take the time to reply. Right now it seems that only those who can put together rallies and mobs reflect "public opinion". I hope we can use this as medium to generate opinion also. So, I'm going to collate the results of this and send them to the powers that be. I suspect it could actually have some effect. What can we lose by trying? So, I hope to get as many responses as possible. Thank you again, Vani, for the opportunity to try this.
8th Jan 1999
Kedar N. Mahapatra @hotmail.com
I do appreciate your effort. However, dear friend, you should not try to see such shameful acts of religious (!) vandalism, only in term of loss to investment and tourism. It reflects very poorly about all of we Indians. I wonder why people fail to realize that we have to live as civilized human being first before thinking of prosperity.
8th Jan 1999
PK Joseph @gto.net.om
I live in the Sultanate of Oman for last 25 years but follow up all the political events in India. If one look at at it without bias will realize that this is only to attract vote banks. Now people are divided according to the vote %. Certain quarters realized that out of the total population nearly 60% are Hindus, 30% Muslims and 2.3% are Christians. But out if this how many are really practicing the religion they are born into. So it is just because they are born to parents of one community they are considered as belonging to their parents cast or religion irrespective of they are really practicing or following the religion. Come to Gujarat: The target of this so called missionaries are the illiterate and poor tribal people. Where they are looking for justice, food, medicine or the basic things of life. Being an Indian citizen he is entitled to all the felicities of the Urban people but the political parties failed to give them the basic comforts of life. This where the Christian workers are catching on. So they naturally was attracted to the Christian workers. This is not a new phenomenon. Except for the Kananites Christians, confined to only Kerala, the rest of the Christian community originated in India by the missionary workers, who worked among the low class, ( In Hindu cast divisions of Brahmin, Shatrhiya, Shoodra etc) who were suffering from the upper hand of the Cast system. For them it was a new identity. So the problem is that when you neglect certain group they tend to get attracted to the people who care for them. So the core of the matter is that after 51 years of independence we are not able to provide even the very basic things to the lower cast and rural people. But we are projecting that our neighbors as a threat to us and spend money on arms and defense spending and the political parties gain financial benefits or kick backs from these deals. Most of the population in Europe and US are called are Christians but most of them don't practice and the religion and majority even don't even believe in a God. First of all they are taken care by their country and they don't need a God for their living. So instead of targeting the missionaries who is taking advantage of the poverty situation the government should make an effort to enhance the living standard of the poor. What difference it makes to the poor if we are a nuclear power, or if we have fly-overs in the metros. Like Kerala, state of 350 KM length and 60 KM width will have 4 international airports in 2 years. But how many are benefited from this. Even the people benefiting from this how many times in an year they will use this facility. Except for the elite class how many people will use the facility of these airports every week/month/year. Raj.
9th Jan 1999
vijay @wmi.co.in
Dear rajiv, I do not think that it will affect Gujrath image.These things have been happening in India all over and have been forgotten in short time. These are recurring events and place is not important.so it does not affect investment plans. Persons coming to gujrath for investment do not consider this as a big issue. Life style of locals is also a not big issue for investors. They can go to places where they will get what they want. So many Gujrathis are in Bombay and they have formed their own enclave for their own style.As far as India is concerned, what matters for an foreigner is 'can he do something with least expenses and sell it at good price at other place'. India is most suited for this. Cheap labour ,although not so skilled, people used to poverty and small mercies, satisfied with little comforts, tend to save for future and good servers.Best situation for owners of industry.People come to India for two reasons. It is less costly to see nature as compared to Switzerland, or such other places. Secondly India is a place of curiosity. How do these people live in such abject poverty and yet be happy?India's slums are different than USA's or France's ,more akin to African slums.How do Indians govern themselves inspite of what it is like here? India's heritage is also mixed. In one country you get so much variety of climate, architecture,tribals,flora and fauna and food.Rajiv, I am above 60 and resident of pune ,a pensioner. I hope my saying will be of some use to you. Thanks.
10th Jan 1999
Arup A. Bhanja @cal.vsnl.net.in
You wrote: >I guess everyone has read about the events in Gujarat. Both, our state >government and the central government seem to have concluded that it was >no big deal and they think the press is making too much noise about it. >What do you think? > >1. Do you believe this will affect Gujarat's image? If so, how? A. Yes, it has already been plagued by communal violence in 1992 and later, not to speak of the 'plague' that originated there. This kind of news will send bad signals to investors and people wanting to go over there to work alike. >2. Gujarat has been No.1 in attracting industrial investments. How do you >believe this is going to affect our ability to do so in future? A. See answer 1, but I think in the longer term things would settle down. Humans have a singularly elastic memory. >3. People often say that Gujarat doesn't offer a very good lifestyle. Do >you agree? If yes, what do you believe is lacking? A. Not at all. Gujarat offers one of the most top-class living standards. I have stayed in Ahmedabad for 1 year and travelled to Baroda, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Surat and have found that the lifestyle is very high quality indeed. Bhavnagar, for example has the highest per capita car ownership in the country and most MNCs target Gujarat market first along with Bombay, Bangalore and Delhi before going to other parts of the country. I have seen Thomson TVs in Gujarat way back in 1995, when no one in Calcutta has bought any. >4. Do you believe these events will affect India's image as an >investment destination? If yes, in what manner? A. Mixed response. The Govt. has been unstable and the economy has been unstable so can't say, but certainly would not help. >5. Do you believe these events will affect India's image as a tourist >destination? If yes, in what manner? A. This is important. The US has a list of places to be avoided given to every tourist going out. I once saw the list including Boracay because some senator was robbed off his wallet! If that's harmful then this is certainly harmful to tourism. >When replying, please include your age, place of domicile and >occupation. That will make your responses easier to analyse. EVERY >OPINION COUNTS, so wherever and whoever you are, please state your >views. Sure, here it is. Age: 28, Place: Calcutta, occupation: Independent Software Developer HTH Arup Bhanja
11th Jan 1999
vijay @wmi.co.in
Dear Rajiv, after I sent you my thoughts, I heard an interview on starplus news of Lord xxx from England, an economic Guru. His opinion was exactly opposite of what I said. He feels that the whole world is divided mainly between Christians and Muslims and they will be just going GA GA over the incident; will not accept it at all.It will affect the tourists, investors and foreigners. Of course he is an MP and an economists, but I fail to agree. In another interview an ex DG Police was more forthright. He felt that police are so politicised that they can do very little under such circumstances. They need autonomy to deal with such vandalism. Conversions in India have been going on for years. Christian missionaries went to North Eastern states long ago and converted the tribals there, as they did in Africa and other places in the world. Hindu philosophy never entertained such proliferation of the faith.Muslim sword bearers and Budhhist missionaries did it in different ways This is the history. But many Christians believe that dooms day has come closer, I feel they should allow the people of other faiths to go through the doomsday procedure according to their own faith at this last juncture. I believe that every human should have a privilege of embracing any faith in the world at the age of above 18 when hr knows all about them and has ability to take his decision. Let me decide what to do with my soul instead of some fundamentalist trying to force me of lure me to do something else. I would like all members of our club to read Mary's Messages to Anni Kirkwood on web site,(http:/baproducts/marymsgs.htm)You will know a lot of the real story.
