Did We Lag Behind China:How & Why ?

RECENTLY, the London-based Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index placed India well ahead of China. In domestic institutional maturity, India was ranked 36th to China’s 100th. And then in the social capital sub-index India was ranked 5th and China, 70th.

Thus, India was supposed to have beaten China. But could it be true? I had doubts.
Today’s report – ‘US cos prefer China for investment’seems to give the correct picture.

The 2009 China Business Report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai shows that ‘a large majority of American firms operating in China the continue to see revenue and profit growth even as elsewhere they face downturn.’ China is the world’s ‘fastest growing economy.’ Not surprising. May I share a personal experience?

Last summer, I had taken the Alaskan cruise. On board the ‘Radiance of the Seas.’ It is a big ship with excellent facilities. In the midst of an unfamiliar luxury, what struck the patriotic cord was the fact that almost everything one saw on board the American ship was ‘made in China’.

In the cabin, the toiletries, towels, linen and water flasks were from China. In the dining hall, the crockery and cutlery carried the Chinese label. The position persisted in the shopping area. Even a small battery ‘charger’ needed to energise the camera, though labelled ‘Kodak,’ had actually come from China. It seemed that the ship was flooded with Chinese goods.

After about 36 hours of leaving Vancouver, we had anchored at Ketchikan. It is a small but beautiful town in the state of Alaska. It is popularly known as the ‘salmon’ city. Has a total population of about 13,000. There are shops within almost a hundred yards of the port. One may walk into any shop. Each one is stuffed with all kinds of winter wear and small souvenirs. The caps, shirts, sweaters, chinaware and knives. Everything except the knives, which are a purely local product, was from China.

During the week, I had visited a number of shops in different cities. After repeated queries, it was only in one shop that the salesman was able to locate just one T-shirt with the label – ‘made in India.’ I tried to tell him that India grows good cotton and makes good items of apparel like shirts, T-shirts and hosiery etc. But the polite response was – ‘Most of the things here are from China. Very good finish. Above all, moderately priced. These are not expensive.’ And this was not confined to clothes. Whatever one looked at, the chinaware or children’s toys or even the electronic gadgets, all had the Chinese label.

In one of the shops, there were some good-looking leather products. In almost all sizes. I looked at the shelves with an expectant optimism. I saw a small bag. Indeed small. But on checking I found that it had lot of space. For everything – like the passport, credit and visiting cards, cash, pen, spectacles, travel tickets and on the outer side for the boarding pass etc. It seemed handy. It was well made. But inevitably this too was from China. Not from India.

The position was not peculiar to the ports that I touched during the cruise. Or to some places in America. It was the same in Canada. Be it Vancouver or Toronto. The airport or the town. In fact, there is a ‘China town’ in Vancouver. This ‘town’ has shops, eateries and even a park named after Dr. Sun Yat – Sen. Actually, it appears that China has invaded every nook and corner of America and Canada with its cuisine and products. There were glimpses of China all over.

At the end, I felt convinced that we, in India, only brag. We boast of our art and artisans. We talk of the wonderful native workmanship. We claim that there is growth and rise in exports. Actually, it is difficult to find an item from India in the world’s shops. Be it the airport or the city, it is the same story. An Indian product is a rare sight. It arouses a suspicion that we actually fiddle with the figures and make unfounded claims.

Why can we not be really enterprising? Or make things which would find space in the show windows of the world? Why do we lag behind China or other countries of the world? What do we lack? Do we not have the manpower and the materials? Or do we not have the will to do well, excel and take pride in producing quality goods? Worse still is the fact that no one seems to feel concerned or embarrassed. It does not seem to hurt our sense of national pride. There is a total indifference that defies all logic.

Today, I feel sure that China easily outperforms India. It is well ahead of India in industrial output and exports. Also ‘in health, education, general safety sub-indices.’ And then, what can ‘domestic institutional maturity’ or ‘the social capital sub-index’ mean to any Indian living on an empty stomach?

Why do we lag behind? Because, we are not honest and hard working. We are inefficient and indisciplined. And if our ‘governance’ and ‘social capital’ were actually good, we shall not be undoing what Patel had done. We shall not be burning buses or trying to divide the country on petty parochial considerations. We shall not be saying ‘no Bihari in Bombay’ or talking of ‘Maharashtra for Marathi Manoos only.’ Actually, we are opportunists. We have a long way to go. We have to fight greed. Eradicate illiteracy, indiscipline and poverty.

Till we do that, China would probably continue to grow economically. But we shall only multiply numerically.

Source:The Tribune(J.L. Gupta)