Should we go the American way?

There was a time when everything associated with United States of America looked and sounded greatly fashionable.That was long time ago.....

Following the great globalization and liberalization of trade and commerce millions of us waited with bated breath for the launching of the famed Macdonalds, the chains of supermarkets like Wal-Mart and vast number of new gleaming irresistible cars expected to be available in plush show rooms which were dull and drab till then, hardly exhibiting any Premier Padmini and Ambassador because it was a sellers market and you had to wait unbearably long to take delivery and drive out one.

Our own economy was in worse shape in the early 90's when we had to pledge whatever little gold we had to keep the required reserve which was on the brink of bankruptcy. With gradual liberalization and opening of Indian markets 'foreign' goods once a rarity found their way to our homes.With the Gulf job boom people had a lot of disposable income which enabled them to indulge in shopping sprees.

Lawrence Sammers, the then Treasury secretary, United States, was very brutal in his scathing attack on the Government control and lack of private capital penetration in developing countries like India, China etc.. He advocated the need for the third world countries to adopt American method of accounting, transparency and more capital oriented business in the private sector.That was in 2008, fag end of Gunshot Bush's tenure.

American economy started falling apart in the late 2008 and in 2009, the once awesome colossal economic power became a shadow of its might and its fall was complete. US banks became synonymous of shady deals,with their capitals virtually wiped out started going bust one after the other.When all these were happening, the third world countries like India and China stabilized themselves which helped them to build up on a strong economy.We don't know what advice MR.Sammers could offer to his own countrymen!

Don't pat your back while you read this.Our problems, may be a bit different, will soon follow.
Our children enjoyed Macdonalds day in and day out, played computer games and watched televison all the time, started showing signs of good living. Obesity became a grave danger and soon there was a big chunk of adult population suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.Gradually, people started to wean their kids away from rich fatty food to bring them back to the regular food they used to consume earlier. Adults too, looked the other way when they saw restaurants serving pizzas and ice creams. We started accusing the Americans for getting us hooked to their food habits.

More danger was lurking for 20-30 age group. The vast IT potential of our countries was fully utilised by the American business. The 20 -somethings earned hugely which helped them to lead a lavish lifestyle of material comforts which beckoned them for more.Men and women became intolerant of each other which shattered their family life. Divorces were uncommon till then, but now it hit the roof. The courts in Metro cities were bursting in their seams due to the heavy work load. Physical violence became more common among couples. Extra marital affairs and unwanted pregnancies became the norm. People raised questions in the open forums of TV channels- is this the result of going the American way? May be.

We never anticipated the development that would lead our cities and towns to severe traffic congestions. We were not used to planning beyond 5 years. This caused extreme chaos on our city roads with thousands of vehicles having been added daily to the existing numbers. Our roads are narrow and ill-paved with no proper maintenance and not equipped to handle such a vehicle population. Result? People preferred to park their cars at home and board the ubiquitous auto or just walk-good for health!The surging vehicle population also contributed more carbon into the already polluted air and our oil demand increased many times.

Our minister for environment, Mr. Jairam Ramesh is the latest in line to fire salvo
against American life styles. According to him imitating American life style is detrimental to every thing. He recently refused permission to build a hydro electric dam which would have probably lighted some more sprawling ranch houses in the suburban Delhi. He asked one pertinent question. Why should I allow them to block the free flow of water in a river to give the more affluent society of Delhi more power to waste?

Can we say the honourable minister is wrong? Hell no! Development is fine, but mindless unimaginative development will be a disaster. We have a responsibility to our grand children and their children; we shouldn't leave them the legacy of destruction and poison in air and water.Youngsters, think about the trauma of your child when you both separate. If you were that child how would you have reacted? Enjoy life; but your family life is more important. Give your children emotional and physical security and leave a clean earth for their healthy life.


American life is fine to those Americans; but every aspect of American life is not acceptable to us. Imbibe the best and discard the rest. Take for instance,their abhorrence to lack of cleanliness. They don't dirty their roads spitting all over or urinating wherever they want. Why can't we take that up? Why can't our youngsters be more tolerant to each other and start loving their families? There is a lot morelife ahead of you.