Simplistic Thinking: Misunderstanding India and Her Growing Pains
by KR Ravi Filed under Editor's Picks, My grouse, Personal Growth, Problem Solving, The Martian Take
I am often accosted by NRI’s in the US who ask me why is India unable to solve its myriad problems. I usually ask them to name one specific problem and tell me how India could solve that problem. It becomes obvious in most cases that the NRI has not thought through any problem with any analytical oversight and has merely expressed his dismay at India being bedevilled with problems.
On some occasions an NRI will come up with something specific and it is one of these that I shall discuss here with the purpose of highlighting an aspect of thinking skills that may go unlearnt.
My NRI friend emailed me a photograph of Mumbai that showed parts of the city in floods, reminiscent of the kind one usually associates with rural Bihar. I checked with my Mumbai friends and ascertained that the photo was an old one and every year it was recycled by NRI’s on the internet to paint a dismal picture of the city. However what is more important here is that the NRI argued that year after year the problem of flooding occurs and the administration acts as if it has been taken by total surprise — this I believe is largely true. He asked me why we could not solve this annual, predictable problem. On being asked what the solution could be, he said, “Why can’t they increase the size of the drainage system or even build a wall along the coast?” (The wall is supposed to keep high tide at bay).
Now it is here that I feel rigorous thinking may be lacking. Let’s look at the ‘increase the size of the drainpipes’ solution. Anyone who has been to Mumbai will tell you that considering the size of the roads, there is little scope to increase the radius of the drain pipes. Moreover the cost will be extraordinarily high — more than Rs 50000 crores for a marginal increase according to one estimate. In any case the critical issue is — can Mumbai or for that matter any city in the world keep on increasing the size of its drainage system to accommodate the needs of an ever increasing population?
The ‘wall along the coast’ solution is on the face of it too costly considering that Mumbai is an island. By far the bigger issue that often goes unrecognized is this — Mumbai has many problems of which the overflowing drains in the monsoons is just one. It is possible to argue that the flooding problem is annual but there are critical problems that affect people daily that need immediate attention.
Going further, Mumbai is just one part of the country and other parts are crying for more urgent attention for far more serious crises — children dying of starvation, farmers committing suicide, lack of basic medical facilities in rural areas, etc. When you look at the larger picture you will realise that our problems are myriad, immense, varied and have varying degrees of urgency and importance but our resources are limited .
I like to cite the parallel experience of a lower middle class father whose three kids make demands on his small salary. One kid wants a new skirt, another wants a drawing book and the third wants to go on a school picnic. Around this time his wife falls ill and needs medical attention that may cost Rs.1000. He himself is a diabetic and needs to buy insulin for himself that costs a small fortune. What can the man do?
That is exactly the situation that India finds itself in.
This may be difficult for an NRI to grasp because he lives in the US where resources are seemingly limitless. Look at the way the Obama administration coughed up close to a trillion dollars for bailing out banks and for a stimulus package and is now readying a healthcare reform package that can cause a dent of another trillion dollars when implemented. Meanwhile the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan swallow millions of dollars every hour, and the country may have no problem finding many more trillions to finance wars in Iran and North Korea etc should the need arise. Contrast this with our lower class man. What is the lesson to be learnt from here? That one has to put oneself into the shoes of the man who faces a problem and look at issues from his perspective. That solutions available to one person or country are not necessarily available to others.
In addition, it is incorrect to assume that India does not know how to solve its many problems.
I do agree that corruption, apathy, inefficiency, inverted priorities — some of these are by-products of poor resources — plague us but it cannot be denied that there is a serious need to appreciate the gravity of the situation and not resort to simplistic thinking. I hasten to add that I am optimistic that India will find solutions to the many problems she faces but this will take time and will call for innovative thinking on our part. Simplistic thinking or cynical criticism will not help.
Like many lower middle class fathers who have managed to get their kids educated enough to find a good job in an IT company that sent them to Silicon Valley, India too will grow. My cynical NRI friend is a son of one such family….
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