Poverty in rural parts of India to a large extent could be attributed to lack of access to education and information. People in bigger cities have access to more knowledge which can help to stimulate their career and job opportunities, help with life at home, or help their crop to grow better. Many people in rural areas are not even educated about their rights within the law. Many women are unaware that their husband can go to jail for beating them, or that they do have contraceptive options for family planning when things are getting out of control.

This is where the InfoLadies come in to play. The Guardian has a great article about women who are trying to make a difference (Click Here).

The idea is to have women ride around to remote villages (in this case in Bangladesh) with Netbooks, cell phones, and other gadgets hoping to utilize trust from villagers, technology, and the internet to help spread information to places which would otherwise have no access to it. It allows farmers to learn about which pesticides to use on their crops, it teaches women about family planning, and allows job training for people who want to move on from their current situation.

The plan was met with initial resistance but has since been catching on. The question moving forward is whether government backed NGOs sponsoring these types of projects is a real solution, or simply a stop-gap for the real problem of lack of infrastructure in the region.

-Michael Minasian

I had no idea what a tabla drum was until last night, when I went to see the touring trio Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. I had enjoyed listening to Bela’s bluegrass banjo and Edgar’s classical cello in the past, so the addition of the Zakir’s worldly tabla was an interesting, but pleasant surprise. So after listening to this Indian native entertain a crowd for two hours with his drumming skills, I had to find out more about that instrument. Before you read on, take a moment to listen and see Zakir’s mastery on the table drums here.

As you probably noticed from the video, tablas are hand drums that require extensive use of the fingers and palms in different configurations to make for a wide variety of upbeat sounds (I must say that the speed at which Zakir is able to coordinate his fingers and palms to make rhythmic percussion is quite impressive!) There are two drums in a set of tablas. The smaller one is called a dayan and has a high pitch tone. The larger one is called a bayan and has a much deeper bass tone. The combination of the two drums makes for a great mix of melodies and a fascinating performance.

Although there has been some debate over the actual origin of the instrument, it holds deep north Indian roots dating back to as early as the 13^th century. The drums are still commonly played today, so may be we all will have a chance to tap our hands to the beats of Indian performers during our trip!

-Emily Schaapveld

As an oddball MBA going into dental school next year, I was curious about dentistry abroad and decided to do what any inquisitive, Generation Y person would do: Google it! Subsequently, I found the technologically savvy side of India’s professional dental community. Here are some links if you would like to see what I mean:

http://www.cosmeticdentistindia.com/meet-our-doctors-staffs.htm

http://www.dentzzdental.com/?gclid=CLrw_NSp5qECFQdZbAodXVi5Iw

http://vdc.dentistindia.com/

From these sites, it appears as if Indian dental care rivals that of the United States, complete with general dentists (dental surgeons as they are sometimes called), orthodontists, prosthodontists (specialize in artificial replacements of teeth), maxillofacial surgeons (called oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States), implantologists (specialize in dental implants), and periodontists (specialize in dentistry of the gums). One of the above websites even advertises one of each specialty in the same office, something that would be very difficult to find in the United States.

In my search for dentistry in India, I also stumbled upon the website for the Dental Council of India, equivalent to our ADA (American Dental Association). The Dental Council of India seeks to -

• uphold uniform undergraduate and postgraduate dental education training standards
• prescribe dental training curricula
• prescribe standard examinations for members of the dental profession

At first glance, I was amazed at how advanced dental medicine is in India. However, it seems that like many things in India, there are two sides to the story.

While the above evidence shows an Indian dental community that might rival the quality of care (and probably price too) in the United States, the following pictures paint a different picture of the dental surgery that goes on for members of a less privileged group of Indians.

Here we see pictures of Indian dental care being performed on the street, outside of a cushy dental practice. It is likely these patients only seek dental care when necessary circumstances or emergencies warrant some procedure needing to be performed on the spot and at a reduced price (compared to standard dental clinics).

For better picture at street dentistry in India, check out this YouTube.com video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdLtWuf5yEg. In the video, an Indian lady has her tooth extracted, the most likely remedy a street dentist could offer for a toothache. The lack of sterile technique and her screaming will probably make you appreciate the cleanliness and comfort you receive the next time you visit a dentist in the US. If you look closely, I think the purple liquid is some sterilizing solution for reusing his anesthetic needle.

Here is another video of an Indian street dentist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOlpqZ9gW5E&feature=related. This guy is trying to make a bridge for his patient. In the video, if you look closely, you can see the “dentist” initially trying to use upper teeth as substitutes where lower teeth really belong. The size of the artificial teeth is a giveaway.

I hope this has given you a different perspective on the sometimes crude profession of dentistry, and that we get to see (not get operated on by) one of these practitioners when we get to India!

Jay Ponto

In 1993, the Indian constitution was amended to reserve at least one-third of the seats for women in India’s 265,000 village governing bodies called panchayats. Since then more than a million women have been elected into these seats. However, fewer than 11 percent of members of parliament are women even with the high profile female Indian leaders. In an effort to bring more women into parliament, The Women’s Reservation bill would reserve one third of the seats for women in the national, state and local governments. The bill has been repeatedly knocked down since it was first introduced 14 years ago and finally won passage by parliament on March 9, 2010 by majority vote.

The main purpose of the bill is to increase the participation of women in politics and society. Additionally, it is an effort to create equal opportunity for women in India as a means to breaking social norms that favor men. Many argue that increased political representation is critical to overcoming discrimination against women. It is also expected that the bill will help give equal status to women and improve the sex ratio. The current sex ratio is approximately 933 adult women per 1,000 men, which is the result of a deeply ingrained cultural preference for sons. In addition there are many inequalities between men and women in education and compensation. Inequality is particularly evident in political life. The idea is that by reducing political inequalities it will help to reduce inequalities between men and women through out Indian society, in particular in education and wages.

Most importantly, women are said to bring many benefits to the political arena. They tend to be in favor of much needed public services, such as wells and roads. Evidence also shows that women are more likely to invest in safe drinking water while men are more likely to invest in irrigation and vocational training programs. It seems to me that more participation by women will bring a much needed balance of interests. Lastly, women are said to be more resistant to corruption. Corruption remains a big problem in India.

In spite of the many benefits there are still some concerns. One of the biggest concerns is that the bill could lead to women acting as proxies for their husbands interests. Additionally it is also said to favor upper caste women at the expense of lower caste.

In my opinion, the bill seems to be a step in the right direction, however I feel like it is a band-aid to a much deeper issue. More women in power is likely to bring many benefits but I don’t think that it will be a major turning point in solving discrimination issues. I just do not see how the bill will be effective unless extensive efforts are made to address the root causes of discrimination in India. It’s also important to remember that in spite of the quota, money and power still play a big role in a candidate’s election. Some women have many more advantages than others thus this still might not serve to eliminate inequalities. It seems to have worked on the local level hopefully the same results will arise on the national level. In the US there was no quota system set up to empower women in politics and discrimination against women was a long hard battle. But today with out quotas women are playing a huge role in politics. So will the bill bring about the desired results? Will this bill actually empower women or is it just a means of appearing politically correct? What does this bill say about the democratic process? Shouldn’t women fight just as hard as men for their political positions?

Resources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/world/asia/28iht-quotas.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_Reservation_Bill_India

-Jordan Wente

It would make sense that a solution to world hunger could have occurred in a country that has such a high poverty rate, and believe it or not, it is actually much less complex than you would think…….

Just don’t eat.

Prahlad Jani Mataji, who resides from a rural northern village in Gujarat, India, has supposedly survived without food and water for over seventy years! He claims a goddess, who nourishes him enough to survive all these years, has blessed him. Prahlad is a holy man that left his family at the age of seven to find his religious calling. Whether or not he actually has not eaten or drank water in seventy years is uncertain, but he has gone through two different medical studies of 10 and 14 days to test if it possible. The results were astonishing. He never passed a stool or urinated in either study and didn’t show any signs of muscle loss, fatigue, or dehydration. Also, tests on his brain showed that it is functioning at a level for a 25 year old rather than a man of 82 years of age.

Prahlad’s normal day is mostly filled with yoga and meditation, and it is thought that he receives his nourishment from energy sources other than food and water. Considered a “breatharian,” some doctors believe he takes energy from the environment because of his spiritual awareness. Even though it is unsure how Mr. Mataji is able to survive, hopefully these medical tests will give us some answers. I am truly shocked that a holy man with very few personal possessions is possibly holding the key to survival without food and water. Maybe it can’t stop world hunger, but it could definitely give a person a better chance to survive in harsh conditions for an extended period of time.

It seems as though Prahlad’s abilities stem from his rigorous routine of yoga and meditation, but what is so special about his practices compared to other yogi’s? Holy men have lived similar lives for centuries without being able to survive without basic necessities. Since other yogi’s are not capable of what Prahlad Mataji is doing, do you think that an average person could become a “breatharian?” Is it possible that this man has defied everything we understand of western medicine or do you think he is a fraud? Personally, I am leaning towards believing this holy man but I am not completely sold, and neither are the Indian military doctors, who are conducting ongoing research to try to understand this anomaly (Click here for the article).

-Frederick Peemoeller

Americans feel entitled to excellent customer service. With any customer service lines being handled by Indian representatives, complications with communication and understanding often times exacerbate the frustration customers feel when they call for help. Most, if not all, of us, have had the experience of being frustrated with some product or service, then trying to explain it to someone on the other line (who you know is reading a script prepared for your cookie-cutter problem), then struggling with trying to understand what they’re saying (and vice versa), leading you to completely lose your cool and take it out on the customer service representative on the other side. I know what you think, but have you ever wondered what they think? How do our short-comings in composure and good manners come across to foreigners? Does it matter? Why should we care?

Take a look at this video by ABC News from 2008: Click Here

(If you’re in a hurry, start at the 5:30-minute mark.)

ABC’s interview with Chetan Bhagat, author of One Night at the Call Center, gives some insight as to how those call center reps manage to keep their cool, even with the worst customers. The first tool of a customer service rep is the mute button. Bhagat reveals, “What you don’t hear are the curses back.” Bhagat also discloses another simple training tool used by call center agents referred to as 35 = 10. (I had to chuckle when I heard this one.) This tactic translates as follows: dealing with a 35-year-old American is like speaking to a 10-year-old Indian child. Bhagat explains that you wouldn’t lose your cool with a 10-year-old because they just don’t understand, and that is what they teach call center agents. So that’s how they do it!

Another segment profiles Swati Chopra, a 24-year-old tutor for a grade-school American boy. Swati tutors via the internet and a webcam. She explains that if she wants to tutor Americans, she has to be “very sweet” (implying that failing to be overly sensitive to students’ feelings could lead to her losing business). She goes on to explain that “there’s a gap of at least three grades between [Indian and American students].” Tutoring a seventh grade American equates to tutoring an Indian fourth-grader, and so Indian tutors need to adjust their teaching style to accommodate them.

I have to admit that I’m a little embarrassed by American short-comings with regard to manners and the message that it sends to the rest of the world. I think this segment really highlights some of the worst perceptions of Americans (overly entitled, rude, infantile, and dumb). Despite these perceptions (and acknowledging that a few rude customers don’t accurately reflect the population as a whole) foreigners still want to do business with us. Regardless of whether they’re motivated to make a buck or to just be a part of the modern world, it’s important that we consider how our behavior affects our image and reputation as Americans. Why is it important for us to improve our image, even if we don’t have to? What incentives does America have to improve other’s perceptions of it? What are some of the little things American individuals can do to improve that image? Will this affect how you prioritize use of good behavior and manners abroad?

-Erika Bylund

As the topic of real estate — and by extension, real estate law — is of great interest to me, I investigated real estate practices in India for our trip. One of the defining features, I learned, of the real estate market in India is the widespread use of rent control. This in turn led me to a paper analyzing the effects of rent control in India.

Satvik Dev, a member of the Centre for Civil Society, describes in his paper “Rent Control Laws in India a Critical Analysis,” the history, benefits, and costs of rent control. <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=926512> Dev’s paper begins with a general introduction to rent control, which is the legal enforcement of a maximum amount of rent that can be charged for a particular building. Each of the arguments for and against rent control are presented and analyzed in turn. He concludes with an appendix detailing the rent control laws in 25 of India’s states.

Rather than immediately banish all rent control laws, Dev recommends reforming existing laws as they have “gross inconsistencies.” For example, not all Indian states provide exemptions for new constructions “which would encourage fresh supply in the rental housing markets.” Many states also do not allow any increase in rent unless improvements are made to the premises. As Dev suggests, provisions like these should be standardized across India’s various states.

Even more troubling than inconsistent laws, Dev states, “In absence of the price rationing system, as in the case of rent controls, landlords often adapt discriminatory and crude preferential measures in rationing out the scarce supply of rentable housing among the many buyers.” In other words, rent control laws encourage landlords to use discrimination when selecting potential renters.

For example, let us say a bigoted landlord of the Feline-Faith religion would like to rent out an apartment. A renter of the Canine-Conviction is willing to pay $800 per month to rent from the landlord, while another renter of the Feline-Faith is only willing to pay $600 per month for the same apartment. If the landlord discriminates against the Canine-Conviction renter based on religion, the landlord essentially pays a penalty of $200.

Now let us suppose the government intervenes and decides “$800 a month is outrageous.” Rent control is imposed, and $500 per month is the maximum rent allowed.

With rent control, the landlord no longer has a financial incentive to choose one renter over the other; all renters pay $500. The bigoted landlord must still discriminate (economically) between buyers and will select the fellow member of the Feline-Faith. In essence, rent control has subsidized discrimination (the bad kind).

In India, rent control could easily subsidize discrimination between peoples of various religions, castes, or even genders. Discrimination under this system would also be very difficult to prove in a court of law. It would thus be very easy for prejudiced landlords to escape detection.

What do you think? Should India repeal its rent control laws? Have you ever experienced or heard of cases of landlord discrimination?

—Alex Thornton

As we prepare to embark on our journey to India, we are focused on the businesses that we are going to visit, the presentations we will give, and the suits we will have to wear in the hot sun. We have learned about India as an emerging global leader and world’s largest democracy. We will learn about the cultural norms and standards to greet our new friends with respect. But one thing that very few of us have written or read about are the traditions of India that no one wants to talk about. The traditions of human rights violations and practices so horrific that as Americans in a developed country, we can’t even imagine.

I was recently visiting my friend in Los Angeles when she asked me if I had heard of bride burning. “Bride Stealing?” I responded. Bride stealing is a tradition from Kyrgyzstan where men kidnap women off the street and make them get married that day. 85% of marriages in the 1990s were a result of Bride theft, and of those 55% were anonymous. “No, I mean bride burning in India.” She proceeded to describe to me a book she had read which detailed the Indian tradition. “Bride-burning is a form of domestic violence practiced in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other countries located on or around the Indian subcontinent. A category of dowry death, bride burning occurs when a young woman is murdered by her husband or his family for her family’s refusal to pay additional dowry. The wife is typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire” (wikipedia). Kerosene is cheap and easy to find, saris are flammable, and when the burning is complete, there is no evidence left behind. No knife, gun, body, nothing. It is a perfect way to dispose of evidence and make it look like a suicide, accident, or make it look like it didn’t happen at all.

According to CNN, 2500 women were victims of bride burning in 2008 (read article here http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/18/bride.burn/). My friend was under the impression that it was much higher than that and gave me the name of a book she read that details many women’s rights violations all over the world called Half the Sky. If you are interested in reading more about this please visit www.halftheskymovement.org.

The reason I bring this up is that there is a whole side of India that we haven’t discussed in class, and probably won’t get to. The dichotomy of the wealth that is being generated and the innovation that is coming from India, mixed with the traditions that keep it locked in the past are astounding and sobering. I was really disturbed by hearing about this and have been thinking about it for days. Anyone else’s feelings??

-Lindsay Leaver

For those of us embarking on the trip to India in less than 8 weeks, the excitement should be building. So far, we have had a decent exposure to the cultural and business practices in India through our sessions or assignments. There still remain a lot of questions that would be best answered by experiences of westerners living in India. Following are some good posts you may want to explore to remove some of the anxiety regarding the working and living conditions in India from a westerner’s perspective.

1. An American engineer’s experiences and observations while working in Bangalore (I am unable to find the original blog but have found his comments on a Chinese blog site) : Click Here

2. An American-Indian woman reporter’s thoughts after a year and a half in India: Click Here

3. An American academic woman’s experiences in India: Click Here

4. An Expat mom’s experiences in India: Click Here

5. A Non Resident Indian’s take on expenses and salary requirements for living in Mumbai: Click Here

These unique perspectives of living and work related experiences should help us be better prepared for our excursion to India shortly. Do not think, though, that this is all that would be needed to be prepared for India. Having lived in India for 22 years and consistently returning there for short periods still does not prepare me for the dynamic nature of the Indian diversity.

- Jay Singh

Globalization, whether considered beneficial or harmful, is often considered the major driving force of the modern global economy. From clothing to computers, most of the products we use have components from many countries and are produced far from where they are sold. This system of utilizing multiple sources for components is due in part to the low cost of transportation. However, will this always be the case?

In an article by ABC News (Click Here), the consequences of higher transportation costs are described. In the summer of 2008, the cost of a barrel oil surpassed $100 for the first time in history. These massive oil costs led to an even larger increase in shipping costs. Due to these increased shipping costs, some companies found that it was more profitable to produce goods in the country in which they were selling in rather than using lower manufacturing costs somewhere else. This change is described as reverse globalization.

Although oil prices are not as high as they once were, reverse globalization is still occurring. The automotive industry provides an example of this. In the United States, Korean car company Hyundai built their first plant in 2002 to reduce their overall costs. Since transportation costs are proportional to the volume of goods being transported, Hyundai chose to manufacture their top selling U.S. vehicles at this plant to minimize these costs. Despite being only a single plant, this decision has been very successful in that it has helped Hyundai garner a stronger presence in the United States.

This might lead one to think that countries like India will suffer from this reverse globalization in America. However, similar occurrences are happening in India as well. Most high-end automakers who could afford to have their vehicles shipped into India since they already command a price premium are now being built in India for Indians. These include vehicles like the Audi A4, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes C-Class. Although I do not remember the original page with the information pertaining to the particular vehicles produced, Wikipedia also contains this list: (Click Here)

Coca-Cola, which used to be imported into India, is now being produced in plants once used by a local cola producer.

Given the gains experienced world-wide from reverse globalization, does this mean the end of globalization? Or is this simply a false term, and merely an evolution of globalization?

-Mathew Perez