tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11485813.post3769943355789067453..comments2024-02-03T09:45:28.960+05:30Comments on Enlightened ... There are no special effects.: Nano, People, Economics and Tata's VisionSridharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08903225715273678219noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11485813.post-5938568932691459142009-03-22T18:37:00.000+05:302009-03-22T18:37:00.000+05:30I meant Mamta Bannerjee above, not Mayawati. I alw...I meant Mamta Bannerjee above, not Mayawati. I always confuse the two.Ramiah Ariyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04792893365470748755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11485813.post-14582613558049836872009-03-22T18:35:00.000+05:302009-03-22T18:35:00.000+05:30I think Nano and Tata have become part of a much s...I think Nano and Tata have become part of a much subtler fight. The Nano has been marketed not just by Tata but also by mass media as some kind of weird symbol of Indian achievement. Exploiting the nationalistic sentiments in a segment of Indian population, the Nano has been pushed as a product that all Indians should be proud of. In fact, Indians should be so proud of it, that our own tax dollars should be spent in creating an ideal envornment for Nano's production. When the backhand, secret dealings of Tata with the West Bengal government blew up in their face, our media advised us that Mayawati was stopping the dream of Indians themselves from materializing.<BR/><BR/>I am always suspicious of products pushed by the media as satisfying our dreams. The truth is, our dreams are always what our media say they are. For many in India, the dream is of a comfortable public transportation; separate bus-lanes for the benefit of the public who cram these buses; clean, shady busstands; ability to walk without fear in our streets; affordable public healthcare; good public education. When was the last time our media highlighted the above list as dreams of Indians? The answer is never. Instead a naked, consumerist, pro-business push to convince us is on. <BR/>In this blitzkrieg, in a network of commentary online, in print and in television, our media has highlighted the Nano, Lakme Fashion Week, IPL and meaningless Miss World crowns as Indian dreams. In this chorus, our common, realisable dreams are lost. <BR/>Neither would the Nano bridge anybody's statuses. How naive to believe that the extreme income differences in India can vanish away because of a cheap car. What kind of economic sense does that make? <BR/>The Nano is an irresponsible product introduced while the whole world is moving towards greener, sustainable development policies. It is one more attempt by the famed business class of India to thumb its nose at social benefits.Ramiah Ariyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04792893365470748755noreply@blogger.com