A question that really baffles me and I often keep on asking myself is how much have we really progressed? I am very poor in economics and understand very little of it (though it was part of my syllabus till my graduation). Hence, facts and figures like the GDP growth rate or the foreign exchange reserve of our country makes little sense to me. More over I am not just talking about financial progress but the development of the nation or the society as a whole. What I am more interested to know is how much has the life of a common man changed? And even if it has changed has it made him happier than what he was before? I am very well aware that it is impossible to quantify social development but I am sure we can at least understand the trend. To make this calculation or measurement easier I would like take up the last 15 years starting from 1990 till 2005. Another reason for selecting this period is that we all been through these years and have seen the changes in our own way. This I suppose would help us to make our assessments better.

I would like to begin this measuring exercise by simply randomly writing down the changes that we have seen over these 15 years with out categorizing them in any manner. I would like both of you to make your own conclusion. Ok so let’s begin.

Changes – Economic liberalization, birth of new economy, internet, phenomenal growth of IT and ITeS, cell phones, FM radio, cable TV, multiple news channels, multiplexes, shopping malls, more flyovers and highways, private airlines, wider railway network, real estate boom, surging stock market, arrival of private insurance companies, re-arrival of Coke and Pepsi, growth of fashion industry, world wide recognition of Bollywood, multiple scams, rise in female foeticide and infanticide, increase in dowry death, rape and molestation cases, rise in corruption, farmer suicide, problem of child and bonded labourers, increase in girl trafficking and prostitution, menace of MMS, criminalization of politics, reservation and caste divide, Babri masjid and hindutva, Godhra and Gujrat riots, starvation deaths in various parts of the country, weaver suicides in Varanasi, rise in religious fundamentalism and the threat of militant attacks.

Well, I am sure there are many, many more such changes and both of you would be able to point them out. Now, it is up to us to decide whether we are on the right track of progress or there has to be some thing different. Are we over obsessed with the superficial or cosmetic changes and are ignoring the basic issues? I guess it is high time that we decide on this. Or else…