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ORTUNATE, FREEDOM, FORTHCOMING

It is Wednesday, Jan 27^th. Today marks the end of my first week in Delhi. I have already had a number of stimulating conversations surrounding development. Three conversations made a lasting impression on me. All were conversations with local Indians and hence, I felt naturally inclined to listen to their opinions. But it was more than an exercise of listening, it was using my knowledge and curiosity to learn about their own insights.

This weekend I visited Khan Market, an upper class market of Delhi that boasts American and European style restaurants and shops along with Expats and tourists. I went to a brunch spot with two friends. The family who sat down next to us included a young woman who carried a Luis Vuitton purse. It was the second or third time in two days that I had seen a young woman carrying a very expensive designer bag. I could imagine seeing someone carrying a very expensive bag on one occasion, but I was very surprised to see it more than a couple of times. I had been aware of the upper class in Delhi, however I kept thinking I had no idea that they their wealth was so large that it could be seen from even the handbag they carried. I mentioned my surprise to my friends who proceeded to tell me about a trend of corruption. They told me that there were tons of corrupt government officials who often have loads of cash that they need to get rid of and as such, spend on something like a handbag. This was my first encounter with the truly ‘fortunate’ of Delhi. This experience not only showed me how prevalent corruption may be in the Indian government but also how much it is common knowledge, yet ignored. Of course I knew of the immense amount of corruption before this incident, however, I am now interested in the reasons for why it is ignored. I have some thoughts on this matter but I will comment further in a later entry that I dedicate solely to corruption.

My second conversation was with a lady who owns the local parlor where I got my eyebrows threaded. The lady right away knew from my accent that I was not from India, so she asked where I was from and why I was here. I tried to explain the type of job I was looking for to the best of my ability and I figured the easiest way would be to talk about poverty reduction. In a very friendly manner, the parlor owner took a few minutes to discuss with me why she believed that Indians on the streets of Delhi could never be helped. She told me that multiple times she has gone to the streets and asked youth if they wish to come work at her parlor. She told them she would give them a job and salary, however, each time she was refused. I asked her why and she answered that they did not want to leave the streets because the street life gives them freedom. I told her that they would accept her offer if they were starving – she told me that they were not starving. The parlor owner also told me that the Indians who are poor are so because they are not hard working. To a certain extent I can understand what she is saying – both the freedom and the lazy arguments. If someone earns enough to sustain a certain way of life that they are comfortable with, they are unlikely to work harder to achieve something more. I think it is a global phenomenon that few people aspire to pursue aspirations that are outside of their comfort zones – as long as one is satisfied with their situation, they will tend to continue as is. Analyses of social networks show results that indicate this tendency to be true. I believe that this tendency may be true, however there is no perfect way to analyze it and hence, the more important question is, for those who do desire a life off the streets with a steady food supply and shelter, are there opportunities for them to do so?

My final conversation took place yesterday with my cousin. Since my interest within development is particular to Information and Communications Technology for Development, we discussed the forthcoming of India’s transformation through technology. We spoke about the use of mobile phones for e-agribusiness – rural farmers receiving local market prices on their phones and using this information to determine where and when to sell their produce. The transformation that we spoke about was not only about acknowledging the landowner who begins to earn more by selling at highest paying market, but his ‘empowerment’ through this new way of running his business and hence, his increasingly positive attitude towards his laborers and finally, his eventual passing along of the farm to a neighbor or prized laborer while he himself moves into a more profitable business. This, of course, is the picture perfect transition story and it is not so simple for technology to catalyze such a huge transformation; However, I do believe that ICT has a huge potential to change the economic, political and social lives of nearly everyone across the globe.

Overwhelming the Senses

I arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, January 20^th at noon. Today is Saturday. I am not sure if there was ever a time in my life where my senses have been as overwhelmed as they have been over the past four days.

Delhi is as I remember it and more. This is my first time since I have come to India without at least one of my parents by my side. As a result of this, I am taking in the sights and sounds of Delhi more than I ever have before. Delhi is a unique city – it is not only the capital of a country whose population makes up 1 in every 10 people in the world, it is by far the most overwhelming city I have ever lived in and I would argue possibly the most intense city in the world in so many ways. Delhi is extremely overpopulated as one might imagine. As my friend Surabhi, pointed out to me, it is even more overpopulated right now because migrant workers from all over the country have come to Delhi to build infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games that will take place here in October. In addition to the dense population, the infrastructure in Delhi is extremely poor – some roads are paved but with large potholes, sidewalks do not exist, slum dwellings are all over, commercial and residential buildings encroach upon the roads so that streets are lined with cars at all hours of the day. Of course, Delhi does have its pockets of strong infrastructure - for example in certain ‘colonies’ that house government buildings. Delhi is a huge city that is essentially split into North and South, old and new, respectively. The immense size of the city was made clear to me when my uncle told me that the colony or area he lives in called Vasant Kunj, which is located near the southernmost border of Delhi, is 5 miles in length. Seeing as how not too long ago I was living in a ‘city of the world’, San Francisco, which is 7 miles by 7 miles, one can imagine that this information made me gasp.

More than its size, population, or poor infrastructure, Delhi’s extreme nature comes from its stark contrast in economic classes. Anyone who knows a bit about India, knows that since its 1991 economic liberalization, its economy has grown leaps and bounds. As such, the rich have become extremely rich and the middle class has grown, meanwhile the poor have stayed poor. However, even with this knowledge, most do know how this has manifested in Delhi society. Words cannot describe it -the best I can do is bluntly and sadly say, one cannot walk down major streets in Delhi without seeing children playing in and around trash and excrement, beggars begging during the day, although it is illegal, and burning trash piles for warmth at night, and people sitting in hoards on the streets without any job or anything much to do.

Outside of its extreme poverty, Delhi challenges one’s senses simply through its telling of Indian culture and life. Horns on cars are to be honked at all times, drivers are to yell at pedestrians to get out of the way, and urin and dirt along with masala and mirch are unavoidable smells.

In the past four days, I have become reacclimated to the sights and sounds of Delhi. On the other hand, it is my first time living with family in India and this may be an even bigger learning experience for me. It has become clear in just the four days of being here that I have underestimated the incredible amount that my parents have adapted and adopted to American culture since they immigrated some thirty/forty years back. It is so admirable that they could be raised in a certain way, yet raise their own children in such a different manner. No one way is the ‘right’ way, but just the fact that they took what I am now experiencing and adjusted it to fit another environment is amazing.

In addition to my new living situation and new city, I have been interviewing for jobs and discussing living options with a friend. Since nothing in either of these departments is finalized, I will comment on them in my next entry. Meanwhile, I want to mention that it is incredible what a change in lifestyle can do for the reinvigoration of one’s mind. I hope to use this experience in India to challenge my self-proclaimed passions in order to see if I can make a real commitment to achieving them.

THE EVERDAY OBSERVATION

A couple of months ago I visited my boyfriend in Washington D.C. Thanks to lunch visits at his office at the World Bank, I was persuaded to take a look inside the Bank’s library and purchase the South Asian department’s latest study entitled, Moving out of Poverty. I recently began to read the book and have since completed reading an outline of the results and a summary of interpretations of these findings.

One point made by the authors stands out to me. This is the separation of mechanisms guiding the movement into and out of poverty. Although made prominent by the authors as an important point, it is a seemingly subtle process detail. The analyzing of these mechanisms separately is a very exciting approach as they differ quite dramatically.

People often say that scholars write the same things over and over with slight adjustments or additions. I often joke that a catchy phrase will prove to make a seemingly new study catch on. The slight adjustment in analysis considered by the researchers of Moving out of Poverty, have regained my faith in scholarly work in that sometimes the nuances of an everyday observation can be overlooked.

DEVELOPMENT: ITS AMBIGUITY EQUAL TO ITS WORTH?

I can never seem to explain the profession I am in. Even more frustrating is my inability to explain it to my own parents, let alone training them to explain it to my extended family in India.

As I am in this strange stage in my life, the interim of graduating from my Masters and finding a job, I have all the time in the world to wonder if the career I have chosen for myself is the right one. What is Development? If I can’t explain it accurately in a couple sentences, is something wrong? My instincts are to shout, YES! Some say it is just a made-up profession designed to appease colonial guilt. Others say it is an outrageously arrogant and selfish profession that allows the privileged to tell the less fortunate what to do. Others say it is a selfless profession that is going to change the world – THE END OF POVERTY as we know it!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I strongly believe Gramsci’s: ‘pessimism of the mind, optimism of the will’. Naturally, I find the real answer to the above listed ones somewhere in the middle. Yes, I do think that the motives behind development efforts can vary – some may be purely about the image of an organization or perhaps an entire country, others may be about good intentions but flawed processes, and others still may be about a combination of personal wants and selfless actions, belief in an alternative and belief in calculated baby steps to get there. So even though I find myself in a period of doubting the ‘realness’ of the career I have chosen to pursue, I will continue to follow the latter most belief and hope that the worth of my efforts become apparent as my still undetermined future dissolves the ambiguity surrounding it.

CLOUD COMPUTING, GOOGLE & ICT4D

A little while back my Dad showed me an article in the Los Angeles Times that indicated the city of Los Angeles would be the first major American city to change to Gmail and utilize Google’s cloud computing technology. As a former employee of Google and a strong believer in the company’s policies, not unlike our current president, I was happy to hear the news. On the other hand, I found myself embarrassingly unfamiliar with the details of cloud computing, so I spent the next couple of days becoming informed. It is, as many are saying, fascinating!

Having a particular interest in India, I have not surprisingly been exposed to the role of technology for development since the beginning of my studies. My first year at Berkeley marked a peak period for global software outsourcing (GSO) in India. Information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) was the focus of my Masters degree. I wrote my final dissertation on evaluating the use of open source software in development efforts in India.

After learning about cloud computing, my mind naturally turned to the thought of its potential in the context of India. Although there are obvious barriers to an easy implementation – connectivity being the easiest to point out – surely, there are areas of India that can look to take the leap of faith that Los Angeles did. If Kerala can set up a distance learning program that functions entirely through satellite technology, perhaps it can also pursue an e-governance project, transitioning government work over to Gmail.

BHANGRA BEATS IN THE BAY AREA AND BACK DOWN

My interest in Development stems from my Indian ethnicity. My older brother and I were born in Los Angeles - our parents in India. We, like many other first generation Americans, sometimes feel the need to concentrate on our ‘roots’. It is not always the case, but often times children of immigrant parents in the US grow up with exposure to their ‘root culture’ through the household – this may include what they eat, what music is listened to, and what language is spoken at home. As a result of growing up in one country and experiencing parts of a culture that may seem incongruous to what exists in their country of birth, many first generationers desire fusing their ethnic background into their national identity in such a way that they do not lose either. I strongly feel that I fall into this category and that many of my closest friends do as well.

The title of this entry uses the very famous lyrics of hip-hop artist, Tupac Shakur, from his song, California Love. Music has always been a love of mine. Although not a musician myself, I developed dancing feet at an early age, and I believe my ear for tunes began then. Bhangra is the ever popular folk music of Punjab. Many are familiar with its recognizable sound and dance as it is increasingly becoming a part of mainstream North American and European pop music. My family is Punjabi and we proudly accept this incredibly fun form of recreation as our own. Growing up in LA and spending my pre-teen and teenage years in the 90s, I grew up listening to Grundge and quickly moved on to Hip-Hop. The beginnings of Hip Hop on the West Coast of the US is a phenomenon that has fascinated so many that there are no bounds to the extensive mass of literature and video that one can find on the subject. As a first generationer living in a privileged, ethnically homogenous community of Los Angeles County, I saw something exciting about Hip-Hop – I obviously couldn’t fully identify with the struggles that were spoken about in songs, but I did find something in the beats and lyrics that formed a rhythm that I found more apt to my taste than other genres of music.

I believe that music joins all sides of the world. Bhangra beats in American Hip Hop is the connection between my two sides that reign from opposite ends of the globe.

ABOUT ME

I consider myself an international development professional. It may be premature, considering I have not yet begun to work in development, in fact, it is at this very moment that I search for my first proper position within the field. On the other hand, I have dedicated five years to studying the subject.

I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, where I double majored in Business Administration and Development Studies. I spent the following year working at Google as a financial analyst. Most recently, I completed a Masters degree in Development Management from the London School of Economics.

This blog will be a compilation of my thoughts on development issues, personal interests, and a way of updating friends and family on where I am and what I am doing at any particular moment. I decided to use a blog to house my commentary because it 1) fits my lifestyle as a potential nomad who can utilize the one platform that knows no geographic boundaries – the internet and 2) I feel its about time, as it is my claim that I know technology and wish to work it into my development efforts.

It is no accident that the following development-related entries are alphabetically organized. My decision to order my blog in this manner is a play on international development and its relation to child development. For someone who has spent time learning about the history of ‘Development’, it is obvious that the link between a child learning his or her ABCs, and the trajectory of a country in the Global South establishing its economic, social and political freedoms, is part of an old, perhaps even laughably so – to scholars, development rhetoric. Of course, what is even more certain to development scholars and practitioners is that this rhetoric has been manipulated in so many ways that however hidden its new exterior may make the arguments seem, development theories almost always encompass an element of the ‘learning ladder’.