Has anyone seen what's going on on India?

[twinkletits99]

I've just seen some of the footage and am reduced to tears. People bring beaten in the streets. Migrants being forced to bathe in disinfectant spray. People breaking down because they fear they are going to starve to death before coronavirus has a chance to take them. I'm quarter Indian and whilst I have no real connection to India other than that, I couldn't help but feel utterly hopeless for them.

The wealthy, the business people, the politicians, the many who flee to other countries for a better standard of life but who proudly call themselves Indians: they do not care a jot for the poor.

On an individual level I understand why people in India feel the need to go abroad to improve their lives and lots. It's not just the rich that do that, except that money buys an education that bring the opportunity.

However, the point about 'brain drain' is important. If a large % of a country's talent moves abroad, there is not enough left to help improve that country. It is a real issue in India and other countries.

It does make you think....

Some of the trivial complaints on here... perhaps perspective and sending them links to what is going on around the world... sad

@FleaTrainerExtraordinaire Ahh I see . I have been a bit worried about when the police do overstep the mark and the riots begin here. There are a lot of gang related stabbings that go on in my part of London as it is, I wouldn't be surprised if an incident sparks a potential sequel of the 2011 riots.

If I think the law itself is wrong, I must petition my governement to change the law.

Of course, as would I! It is a shame that in India that just isn't and hasn't ever been possible

I've spent a lot of time in India. The police have always been a bit like this there. I was hit by a policeman with a stick while out riding a moped once.

Meanwhile in the UK, our police force are a little bit more sneaky.

I have a cousin by marriage currently stuck in India. He sent us a video of hundreds of people crowding the railway station. They are all being sent/ going home. It made me cry.

there are footage of workers being crowded in London public transport today! We can't even get that right and no one seems to care.

It's not difficult to realise other countries are even worst, but as we can't even get things right here, we are really the last ones who can judge.

I wouldn't be surprised if an incident sparks a potential sequel of the 2011 riots.

let's just hope the government won't be scared to use the right repression if that happens again.

I was in the middle of the riots, the lack of response was absolutely shocking.

It is a shame that in India that just isn't and hasn't ever been possible

Absolutely - some (lots) of which are to do with the Empire which brought investment to the country at the cost of greater restrictions, less autonomy for Indians and a culture of a child/parent relationship with the government.

Plus, the brain drain element I spoke about above that means the country has less educated people capable of taking on a governemnt like this.

BUT, and it is important to me I say this, India does have a huge amount going for it as a country. Not least that there are people who are clever, kind and passionate about justice. Globalisation allows them the chance to see how other counties work and gives them ideas on how they want their own country to change. Education gives them the confidence to demand change in a clear and articulate manner.

I feel sorry for India over a lot of things. But I also greatly admire India over a lot also.

Luckily it isn't the whole of India behaving in such a horrendous way and it isn't just police etc causing problems. There have been many religious gatherings all looking at blaming others.
Kerala it seems has things pretty much sorted out according to a friend who is from there and whose parents etc are there. According to her the state government have been quite proactive and
started the lockdown & curfew the moment the first case was identified 2 weeks before the whole country went on lockdown. They've also been doing a lot of testing.

Whats happening now, is just the result of years of change in India, where the disparity in wealth between the very rich and the very poor has grown unchecked.
People earning the bare minimum , unable to save and living from day to day means that any potential risk will have devastating effects

It's been on the news channel France 24 for days, shocking how the British media don't mention the truth on our news!!

Don't talk absolute rot, it's been on the BBC quite a few times over the last few days

Once again the wealthy white man will survive. Poor, or brown or female? Not as much hope

It's so sad. It's an impossible, desperate situation. There's not going to be any jobs in their respective villages and they'll be spreading the virus there too.

Terrible. I agree with the poster above who says catching the virus would be nowhere near as bad as what is actually going on in the lockdown in India.

It's been on the news channel France 24 for days, shocking how the British media don't mention the truth on our news!

France 24 has much better coverage of stories from Africa and the rest of the world than the British media - who revel in disasters and calamities in countries with non-white majorities but not 'la lutte quotidienne'. But even they tailor their output to the market.

Compare:
www.france24.com/en/
and
www.france24.com/fr/

At the time of posting the English version had two stories from Africa on it's 'front page' the French had seven.

I just wish my French was better.

There's more than a few people on MN and elsewhere in the UK who would think scenes like that happening here would be justified

@GrapefruitsAreNotTheOnlyFruit I reckon they're doing the lockdown because the rich people in India don't want their servants to get sick because the servants will a) take time off work and b) pass it on into the wealthy houses where they work.

we're lucky we live in a country where the people that went before us were prepared/able to stand up against state and police injustices

Everything in your post is spot on fleatrainer

@FleaTrainerExtraordinaire yes the British did go in, cause a load more problems with caste and religious differences to name a few. India was not united to begin with and the British did find this to their advantage - and as a result caused further divides. They did attempt to make some improvements, ie. improve roads, rid of superstitions, stop infanticide (particularly killing of baby girls). I do believe the negatives greatly outweigh any positives though, particularly as a lot of the "positives" went to pot anyway!

India could thrive so much but doesn't due to as you say the "brain drain". There are a lot of driven and intelligent people there. The government doesn't support it's citizens as well as they should in the way China does for example. China sends students to other countries to gain as much as they can (knowledge/language etc) and then incentivises/rewards them to return and put that into the Chinese economy. I do hope one day India is able to turn things around.

At the time of posting the English version had two stories from Africa on it's 'front page' the French had seven.
Isn't that because they are former French colonies?

Having spent a few months in India, none of this surprises me at all...

@managedmis

Once again the wealthy white man will survive. Poor, or brown or female? Not as much hope

I am brown and female, I do not feel this way.

I think it is unfair to say the wealthy white man will survive, there is a lot more to how things work in society (in the UK anyway). These kind of comments are called reverse racism (prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism on the basis of race directed against a member of a dominant or privileged racial group.)

I’ve seen it mentioned a lot. I’m not even watching that much news. Where is everyone getting their news?

For those people mentioning the BBC website I wonder how they navigate the site. You can personalise what you see. (Although I think that feature isn’t working at the moment)

It's awful. People in the UK moaning about some trivial things like the teacher setting too much work, not getting a refund on cheap flights, the shops being low on loo roll.
India has a booming economy, they need to start distributing wealth amongst their poorest. It's very divided.
People should stop moaning about BoJo - I'm no big fan but he seems pretty fair compared to this.

I fear it will not go well in India. I saw the footage of people trying to get on buses/trains to go back to the villages. Or walking. Undoubtedly this will disperse the virus all over the country. But what's the alternative: stay in the cities with no money and starve. The poverty will destroy people as fast as the virus if not quicker.