How Can We Help the Poor?

Back at JNU, our group was delighted to listen and participate in two very distinct lectures.  During the first lecture, Professor Gupta presented the question, "How does a democracy serve the poor?"  It's fascinating that in all of our lectures, the poor has been a foundation for many of our discussions.  It is surely difficult not to notice the unfortunate beggar or the dirty children in the street.  It can break your heart – and it usually does.  However, our professional roles as policymaker and analysts will study why a development of growth can exist in poverty, like it does here in India. Despite the facts and discussion of private versus public schools – our main policy requirement is how can we make a difference?  Gupta discussed three interesting solutions on many fronts: seeking foreign collaboration, learning from Europe's past successes and failures, and making sure policies are adequate for society and not just the poor.  


 The afternoon session shifted gears as our new guest lecturer; Professor Mahalakshmi, dove into India's diverse history.  As the United States usually claims the role of a cultural melting pot, the title seems more fitting with the state of India.  The many foreign influences, languages, regions, peoples, and religions all combine into the rich and unique history of this great nation.  There are many comparisons that can also be attributed to the United States.  As policy professionals, we must realize the impact that India can have on the United States and vice versa.    


Time to spread out the laundry on the bed – because it's too cold to dry….  


 Ben Maddox '11 & Steven Snodgrass '11

The Democratic Legacy of Nehru and Gandhi

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Museum 

Today we had classes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Museum and Library where we learned about Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru’s backgrounds and their nfluence on Indian nationalism. Nehru was India’s first prime minster and was responsible for the ‘Nehruvian’ consensus: that India would be a sovereign democracy moving toward capitalism.

Our first lecture of the morning was given by Aditya Mukherjee, the Director of JNIAS and coordinator of our program. He spoke on India’s development strategy since independence, focusing on India’s political economy and leaders who enabled both democratic and economic reforms. For example, Gandhi saw democracy as the best protector of the well-being of the poor and as the best way to improve India’s prosperity. Gandhi believed in their innate political savvy and their dignity as human beings, adopting a very atypical respect for the poor and uneducated masses. We found Gandhi unusual because in many ways because he was a groundbreaking intellectual, but he was also extremely in touch with people- two characteristics that do not often coincide.

Gandhi and Nehru exhibited great self-awareness in their contributions to Indian democracy. In particular, they recognized the maxim that there is ‘no room for individual heroes’ in democracy. The two leaders purposely empowered the masses as much as they could, which was important and rare in a budding democracy. So often, when colonial regimes transition, whoever grabs power first spends most of their time trying preserve their power. In contrast, Gandhi and Nehru constantly spoke and acted in ways to curb their own power and welcome alternate ideas. Gandhi’s principles sunk into the populace so much that service and freedom became values. One mechanism of Indian democratization was students who voluntarily moved out into villages to serve and remained there the rest of their lives.

India is remarkable among post-colonial societies because it adopted the best parts of British democracy. In other parts of the world, the colonizing power became so demonized during the transition process, little hope was left for democracy. The Indians were able to simultaneously harbor two very opposite desires: one to end colonial domination and the other to recognize the imperative for independence. India’s success lies in the fact that these leaders chose economic arguments instead of inciting racial, religious or partisan fervor.

We were also impressed by the attitudes Nehru and Gandhi adopted after spending so much time in prison. Nehru was imprisoned nine times for a total of 3,262 days, and Gandhi for even longer. We’ve read many stories about how prison time radicalized Muslim intellectuals across the Middle East. It is striking how Nehru and Gandhi’s prison time made them staunchly advocate peaceful dissent. Perhaps this is because as Dr. Goswami puts it, “The British were civil in their evil.” We think the emergence of civil disobedience as a social movement tool and political mechanism could also springs from India’s culture, especially the peaceful Hindu traditions.

In the second lecture on building a democratic and secular society, Mridula Mukherjee gave multiple examples of how Gandhi and Nehru educated Indians on how democracy works. Gandhi led by example, even defending his political opponents within the Indian National Congress. He realized the importance of free debate, saying “unless this simple rule is observed, we will never evolve democracy.” Mukherjee also stressed the importance of arriving at democracy by democratic means. India’s democratization represented the will of the masses. This speaks to the idea that democratization cannot be imposed because to do so would be to corrupt democracy with autocracy. Rather, as in India, it must be supported from the local level up. It seems to us that a leader with the skill and vision of a Nehru or a Gandhi would really help in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The day ended with a tour of the library and archives. There, we got to handle photos of Prime Minister Nehru with U.S. presidents and see microfilm of British newspapers the day after India’s independence. We also viewed a film on how Gandhi’s teachings on civil disobedience inspired peaceful civil liberty revolutions throughout the 21^st century.

--Laura Joost & Diane Raub, MPIAs 2011

--Jawaharlal Nehru

Informal, Inc.

Traveling around the streets of Dehli, you will find small enterprises set-up on the sidewalks by locals. These entrepreneurs make their livings selling a variety of goods from hair-cuts to fake Kama Sutras.  Development specialists term this economic activity as the informal sector because this economic activity is not counted in the GDP and employment measures, but provide 'unofficial' income to the poor.  Unlike the black market, the informal sector activity would not be considered illegal in the United States or other developed countries, except for their lack of permit or meeting of safety standards.  While many lesser developed countries have a substantial informal sector presence, India's 'brand' of the informal sector tends to be more aggressive in their sales pitch and offer a more varied selection of goods.  Here, children come up to us after dinner hugging us and trying to use sympathy to peddle necklaces for the older boy standing a few feet away.  Each tourist location have men continuously hounding foreigners to buy their post-cards and flutes. For locals, small haircutting and shaving stations are set-up with chairs and mirrors or peanuts toasted on an open flame are scooped off the sidewalk and sold.

At the surface, the informal sector seems to be a completely beneficial way for the poor to fill a need within a market and earn an income.  However, this sector posses a few issues.  Why are these children out at all times of the day, talking to strangers and remaining unsupervised? How can these vendors be able to achieve sustainable growth for their business when they only have two hands to hold their inventory? Many of these entrepreneurs are marketed as nuisance or a government failure to provide decent jobs for its citizens, but in many cases, they represent an opportunity for the government or private enterprise to incorporate more of these low wage earners into the mainstream market. One way to achieve this goal includes developing a market place for these sellers.    These markets alleviate the coordination failure of small entrepreneurs of having goods from their villages and homes and not being able to sell them in a secure fashion.  Today, we went to a market that accomplished this; the Delli Haat market welcomes hundreds of rural and urban craftswomen and men to sell their goods directly to the buyers.  We saw a variety of goods being sold at this market from across all Indian states, which in turn, allowed us to see the greater diversity of goods that India can produce.  A draw back of these markets is that they do not solve the issue of the begging children or harassing men; these markets are simply too small to accommodate everyone.  Longer term solutions need to be implemented, such as day care programs and sufficient education, to handle to large scale effects of the informal sector in India.

This strong entrepreneurial spirit of getting out there and trying to make a living out of nothing can empower a nation as it has with the United States.  If the Indian government can harness and incorporate this spirit more into its economy, India can help further develop its crusade of a democratic path to development without leaving this informal sector behind.

--Michele Breaux, MPIA 2011

A Sunday Afternoon in Delhi

 Today was a spectacular day in Delhi.  In the morning we attended mass at St. Luke's Catholic Church (which the U.S. Ambassador attends), then traveled to Purana Qila, had lunch, and then went to Lakshmi Narayan Mandir and Lodi Gardens.    


St. Luke's is the largest Catholic parish in Delhi, but has the smallest facilities.  The priest said about 2,000 families attend St. Luke's yet the building is only a little larger than the standard American living room.  The architecture outside is very Indian, but the inside looks like a Hispanic parish.  Tinsel streamers were hung from the ceilings and the artwork was very colorful.  Collaborations of culture and religion are apparent in that some women of the church wore traditional dress and head covers. The mass schedule also included services in four different languages, showing that India is a place of many tongues.   We plan on attending the church next Sunday in hopes of also attending with the American Ambassador who attends frequently.   


Our next stop, Purana Qila, was a citadel built by the Mughal Emperor Humayun.  Although this place is now in ruins, it is still very beautiful.  The walls are about 30 feet tall and stretch for a mile and part of the citadel is surrounded by what seems to be a moat.  Inside the walls, the grounds are quiet and unlike most of India, there is plenty of free space.  When exploring the ruins we found that you could go into them and at one point, some of us found a hallway that went underground to what looked like a secret room.  Surprisingly, people also live in the walls of Purana Qila!  There was laundry hanging up and a police station inside.  This site felt very authentic in that they still serve as shelter to the locals and that it is apparent that government funds have not been utilized to preserve the establishment as it would need to be to appeal to tourists.  Purana Qila seems to be a hot date spot for Indian couples as we saw many couples having romantic picnics on the lawns, fifty six to be exact.  However, most amazing was Purana Qila's similarity to Humayun's Tomb in terms of architecture and the symbols used.    


Once we were out of Purana Qila, we hopped on to Rickshaws and traveled back to Panera Park.  There we had lunch at HaveMore, a Indian restaurant that plays western music and was very delicious.  This restaurant was a bit more up-scale at around 800 rupees a meal.  Many of us tried pickled onions for the first time!  They were especially good with the sauce paired with them.  However, it was the activities that took place outside the restaurant that peaked my interest.  After lunch, many of us had the opportunity to sit next to a snake charmer.  He had two snakes, one that looked like a large Garter snake that was obviously not poisonous and a cobra.  Those who sat down were made to wrap the non-poisonous snake around their neck while the snake charmer opened the basket and started charming the cobra.  Then you were asked to hold the basket with the cobra inside.  It was quite an experience for those that decided to participate!   


 Our next stop was Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, which is a lovely Hindu temple.  Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures inside because people were worshiping.  The inside was gorgeous and it's amazing how detailed Hindus are with their idols.  Each god or goddess was clothed in real clothing and people were laying yellow and orange marigolds at their feet.  What made the trip even more interesting was Dr. Goswami's commentary about the Hindu faith. He explained to us the significance of each god or goddess in the temple and the legends of how they came to be.  We also learned that many temples put special emphasis on one god, despite Hindus being polytheistic.  This was also apparent in the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir because the temple had a separate building about half the size of the main temple that housed one idol, while all the others were housed in the main temple.  Dr. Goswami explained that emphasis is put on gods, usually by geographical region and south India and north India tend to emphasize different gods.   What was particularly interesting upon exploration were the Hindu quotations on the wall of the temple.  Much emphasis is put on wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge yet does not translate into education policy in India.    


The last stop of the day was Lodi Gardens.  This is a beautiful park with the ruins of a mausoleum and a mosque.  However, our first stop at the park was playing cricket with some locals.  Some of us had the opportunity to take a turn at bat, which is much harder than it looks despite the width of a cricket bat.  From there we walked around the mosque and the mausoleum, which were very lovely.  We were able to climb through windows and unto the roof of the mosque and many of us took pictures on and from the rooftop.  We also had the pleasure of seeing acting lessons take place, even those this scared some of us initially because the man was acting desperate and depressed.  However, we watched his show and gave him a standing ovation.  After a short stroll around the park we were on our way back to Pamposh.   




This was a very exciting day in Delhi and all the architecture and history we've seen has made me very curious to learn the history of this enchanting place.  Class starts tomorrow, so hopefully we will get a better understanding about what we are seeing, which will make the adventure that much more interesting!    


Sarah Broussard 2011

Naya Saal Mubaarak!

As posted yesterday, 2011 started with a bang! We took January 1 slowly, exploring the neighborhood around Pamposh, the sites of Delhi, and another shopping market. After a hearty American breakfast, one group headed off to see the sites of New Delhi, including Gandhi’s memorial, while another group ventured downstairs to Domino’s, across the park to buy scarves, and into a market to buy tailored suits. We even managed to ride in traffic next to two elephants and two camels! Quite a sight, considering what we are used to outside of car windows at home. We also dealt with beggars at our windows – another sign that asking for money is an occupation here, instead of a last resort.

Casey and Heather were particularly struck by the deviations within the shopping and eating experiences here. Walking into the restaurant, at least 28 employees were working behind the counter at Domino’s to serve the no more than 15 restaurants patrons. Then, at the market, the employees of the suit shop were willing to bend over backwards to make our experiences more pleasant (offering water, tea, coffee, anything we wanted). The service culture here is drastically different from what we are used to in the States – the tailors are coming to our hotel to fit the suits! They go out of their way to make all transactions a positive experience.

We ended our day with a trip to an Australian bar (Americans, in India, at an Aussie bar?!). There, we were able to reflect on our first week in India and discuss with Dr. Gawande and Dr. Goswami the intricacies of the Indian culture. We discussed the future of India as a global power, and remarked about what obstacles India has to overcome in order to compete successfully with countries around the world. Currently, infrastructure and education are lacking fortitude, and these areas must be addressed in order to further develop India.

While today ended up being a day of catch-up before we start classes on Monday, it was not without the experiences that have become inherent to everyday here. We continue to be struck by the similarities and differences between our two cultures, and look forward to being able to further explore these at JNU.

--Heathery Gregory, MPSA 2011 & Casey Braswell, MPIA 2012

Mel's in India: Shopping

Mel's in India: Shopping: "Today was quite a relaxing and fun day. In the morning a bunch of girls went to a salon to see what they offered. We ended up st..."

Indian New Years Eve

Each day here in Delhi is somehow better than the one before. Yesterday we did several of my favorite things: getting pampered, shopping, and night clubbing. Each was a cultural experience in its own unique way. Some things were the same, some were completely different, and some transcended cultural barriers.
Four of us went for massages at a spa across the park from our hotel. We were greeted with water to drink in a comfortable waiting area. Ashton and Ben were escorted off to the men's area and Elizabeth and I to the women's. We were instructed to put our things in a locker and change into our white waffle robes and slippers. But there was a twist in the old favorite spa routine—disposable bikinis made from the same paper cloth we use as grocery store shopping bags at home. We donned our robes and shower caps and waited in the lounge for instructions…with 8 or so masseuses hovering together watching our every move, seemingly fascinated by the novelty of having foreigners in their company. We couldn't understand what most of them were saying, but gestures are certainly an international language. For the next 90 minutes we steamed, got massages, and took warm showers, emerging relaxed and happy. But we understood the necessity for the paper bikini—not only did they correspond with India's more conservative women's clothing practices for communal steam time, they covered us during the stretches during our massages (which seemed more like movements a trainer  would do at the gym rather than a massage therapist at the salon.)

After lunch, we all piled into the JNU bus (to which we affectionately refer as "Penelope") and headed to Connaught Place for some shopping. We wandered through the Emporium and then made our way through rows and rows of stalls across the street. I started on the fourth floor of the Emporium and worked my way down, picking up gifts for my family. There are wares from cottage industries all over India sold at fair prices—both to the end consumer and the producers. Each area has its own register, and shoppers are meant to leave the items to be purchased at the counter in exchange for a receipt. Once they've gotten receipts from each department, customers bring them down to the cashier who rings up the items on the receipts; then they go over to delivery and pick up shopping bags from each department. I picked up several goodies to bring home, but the best part about this store was the fabric—intricate silk patterns, bold colors of raw silk, thick cotton weaves—all from different regions around India. I bought 3 meters each of silks in bright purple, a golden orange, and a blue pattern for a friend as well as a light periwinkle and gold pattern and a gorgeous baby blue raw silk for myself to be made into a dress. Working with the tailor and the fabric salesmen was quite an experience. I drew a design and tried to explain the sash concept and pockets which couldn't be captured as easily on paper as my v-neck, v-back, A-line drawing. Elizabeth and I had fun communicating with them and making decisions about the dress. I can't wait to go back for a fitting next Thursday after class. Then we went with Dr. Gawande to buy pashminas. That was the highlight of my day. We found a store that had the right weight of cashmere wool—we were taken upstairs to be shown "the good stuff." Dr. Gawande taught us how to judge cashmere to see how pure or how much of a blend it is. If the scarf is pure cashmere or close, you can slip a ring over a corner and it should glide easily down to the other corner. With the best cashmere, the ring will fall by itself—pass over the pashmina from end to end, the entire rectangle of woven goats wool slipping easily through a circle the size of my pinky finger. The ones we found were pretty darn close. Satisfied with the quality, we looked at several colors, spreading each pashmina out to get a good look at it. Burgandies, creams, blues, purples, oranges, beiges, blacks, teals, all feather light and goosedown warm. Rs. 4,500 later, we were invited to enjoy a cup of chai tea with the Kashmiri owner who offered to let us come back and talk politics with him. I hope we have time (can MAKE time) to go soak up his perspective on the conflict over his homeland.

After going back to the hotel and gussying up a bit, we headed over to  UrbanPind where we had booked tickets to ring in the new year. The club was just like any at home—dark but with flashing disco lights, lounge areas for bottle service, not enough bar space, and not enough washrooms to accommodate the number of guests—but for one difference. The music was a mix of Bollywood, techno, and American pop. This was only fun to us—after all, dancing is similar everywhere in that it's just a bunch of bouncing, arm flailing, and twisting to the beat of the music. Lots of us met our fellow club goers who ranged from those native to Delhi to Afghanis to Swedes. (We told the Afghanis we were from Canada…) At midnight, the lights went dark for a few seconds and then confetti spilled down over us. There were no noisemakers, countdowns, or kitchy New Years paraphernalia (crowns and such) and considerably less cheers-ing than I was used to. But it was a great start to 2011. Especially with the war hymn at 12:05. The rest of the club probably thought we were crazy (that may be partially true…), but we had a great time swaying and yelling "Saw Varsity's horns off!

It was a great day with lots of relaxing, haggling with vendors, and celebrating—a perfect close to the year.