Games India Isn't Ready to Play
Op-Ed, New York Times

This piece caught my eye as I was reading a few of Thomas Friedman's pieces (at the urging of Dr. Karri). There has been much buzz in the last few weeks on BBC radio about the fate of the Commonwealth Games and whether or not India was ready to host.  Even a few days before the start of the Games, star athletes and entire countries of the former Commonwealth were threatening not to appear given the physical state of the facilities, particularly the athlete's village, not to mention the collapsed footbridge and falling ceiling tiles in one of the competition facilities.  The government spokesman continued to assure the world that they could pull it off, just as Beijing had with the 2008 Olympics.  This was India's time to shine on a world stage, but challenges certainly abounded.

Pankaj Mishra's piece discusses this aspect of modern India as well as the recent verdict in Ayodhya regarding the birthplace of Lord Rama.  Her focus on Kashmir and the ongoing threat of radical Islamists in Pakistan and guerrilla Maoists in central India reminded me that what we understand from the Western media is truly a limited view of this large country.  I am used to seeing information that hones in on India as the "rising economic superpower" as stated by Mishra.  But I think it's important to consider the totality of the situation, just as in other developing nations and certainly in our own -- it's amazing how we can focus on success, particularly in business and forget the toll of daily life...it can be quite a reality check!

Source:
Games India Isn't Ready to Play, New York Times Op-Ed, October 2, 2010.