A Letter to The Director

To,

The Director

Slumdog Millionare

Dear Mr. Director,

At the outset I would take this opportunity to congratulate you on your commendable ‘British’ flick that as brought laurels to my homeland, India. I understand that the glimmer of this little known Indian wouldn’t mean much to a pole star, and this is coming pretty late, but still I write this on with a hope that this unnoticed shine might be able to make up for a noticeable darkness.

I believe that the movie needs no introduction in here as almost every Indian has seen it at least once. I, myself, have seen it three times. Not because I was truly deeply madly in love with it, but for the reason that I loved the way the ideas were presented, and more of I hunted on for that rocket fire in the movie which boomed it to the Oscars, where a movie like ‘Taarey Zameen Par’ couldn’t leave a mark. Kudos to you Sir, you’ve made it through.

I remember a common saying, ‘When you feel that people are trying to pull you down, or saying bad things about you, you can be sure that you’re at the top’. So, when you’re already at the top, I should drop my disguise and be one of those people trying to pull down. No grudges, no hard feelings, I’ll just be sharing some of my personal experiences.

The pages of Economic Times are the witness to the development of India not only on the economic front but also on the technological front. For all of us who think that India's contribution to world inventions and technological strides stopped after zero, here is an insight into how untrue that is. Right from inventing the Pentium chip for computers to designing state-of-the-art speakers or creating special effects, Indians have been in the lead. IT sector has given India the courage to stand eye in eye to any of the nations who boast about being the top notch on development front. There are 3.22 Million Indians in America. 38% of Doctors in America are Indians. 12% of Scientists in America are Indians. 36% of NASA employees are Indians. 34% of MICROSOFT employees are Indians 28% of IBM employees are Indians 17% of INTEL employees are Indians 13% of XEROX employees are Indians.

India is the 7th nuclear power in the world
India is the 5th largest economy in the world
India is the largest democracy in the world
India is the 4th nation in the world to have developed/or developing a nuclear submarine
India is the 5th nation in the world to be in the multi billion dollar space commerce business.
India is the 4th nation in the world to develop (or nearly to) ICBM's(can travel up to 14,000km)
India is the 3rd nation in the world, to be able to develop land based and sea based cruise missiles.

For more information, this link can be helpful

http://www.sciforums.com/INDIA-s-contributions-to-the-world-t-4567.html

If such is the poise of India, then why does a stranger in this foreign land stares into my golden frame thinking that I’m one of those Jamal’s from the slums who’s made it to “Who wants to be a Millionare?” Of course millions of us have made it to the millionaire mark, and there is no denial to the fact that millions are still under the poverty line, but no Indian was born having a sun bath, sitting comfortably on a Hot seat laid down for him at the hilltop. We have climbed ourselves and reached there. Why, out of all the things in this world, the stranger starts the conversation with, ‘Hey you’re from India, I’ve seen the Indian movie that made it to the Oscars.’ Yes I’m Indian and I’m proud of being one. But as and when the mention of the movie comes up I’m that one Indian who has to save the dignity of his motherland in eyes of a foreigner. The conversation follows...

“Ma’am India is not what’s shown in the movie. India is one of the fastest growing world’s economies, next only to China. The Indian IT sector forms the 85% of the world’s IT (I’m still an alien to the exact figure. That was just boasting)”

“Yes I know”, the stranger then recalls some lines he’d read in her 10^th class history book. “The outsourcing has brought that to India because of cheap labor”

“Oh No! It’s because Indians have the right attitude and aptitude to tackle the challenges of the IT industry. Not everyone can sit in front of a PC all day long going through the loops of ‘if-then-else’s’ ‘for’s’ and ‘while’s’”

The station comes and the conversation ends. But the things are not over. Another day, another foreigner comes up saying that he’s never visited India just because he’s ‘heard’ that India is unclean and a homeland of diseases. First thing, please don’t blame something you have not seen and just heard of. It’s your brain that controls your senses and not the other way round. Think buddy! Secondly, I think its time to narrate you a bed time story.

Once a man saw a huge elephant, one of whose legs was tied to a small, weak chain. No wonder the elephant could easily break the chain and run from the captivity. But, he didn’t. He asked the caretaker for the reason, and he replied. “Sir, when this elephant was young, he was tied to the same chain. At that point of time, he was weak to break the chain and couldn’t do it. He has grown up with the same mindset that he cannot break the chain, so now, he doesn’t even try.” Hope you get the point sir.

And third and most important thing Mr. Scared Foreigner. Learn to take care of yourselves. You’re no longer a little kid.

Dear Mr. Director, I won’t blame you for any of the above incidents. In fact, we ourselves are to be blamed for the reason that we’ve chosen to be a helpless Jamal sitting in the loo, staring at the superstar out of a peek hole in a closed door. And we’ve clutched our nose to jump into the shit hole just for a whiff of that superstar.

But still, I wish that you’d have taken some time out to see the other side of the Indian coin too where the four Lions stand growling at whoever raises an eye on its motherland. Trust me Sir; they can tear the world apart.

I’m on lookout for elephants now. But the problem is that there were millions of them already and your movie has incubated a million more. All tied to the petty chain and not trying to break open. I wonder how many, I alone, will be able to tell that “Dude! You’re Big. Open your eyes. Break Free!” I fear an ant that might bite an enlightened elephant and leave him dead. I fancy to someone like your highness who could liberate them amass.

Wish best regards

An Indian

Disclaimer: Facts and figures mentioned in here are the best of my shallow knowledge. Reader is suggested to crosscheck with the exact figures.

To be continued... Letter to the Prime Minister