A Rush or a Silent March....

India rising, they say
In the countryside, they pay
Soil, land, and seeds die
While some at the helm lie.

It is not a gold rush for many
Rather a silent march of masses
Who will win with time
Let not the time be too late.

Alas, if wishes were true
Silent march will turn to a rush
And those at the helm will baffle
Who knows and who knows not!!

The other side of Marathwada.....

Marathwada ranks among the least developed regions of India with very low Human Development Index (HDI). Yet, the contrasts are evident...

The other day I went to a pet shop and was a little taken aback to know about the rich in a small city like Aurangabad. There are people in the city who spend 500 Rs (12.50 US$) a day or 15000 Rs (375 US$) per month on pet foods imported from far countries. It is an irony that this happens in one of the poorest regions of India where the annual per capita income is less than 16000 Rs (400 US$).

Yet another day, I met a travel agent who told me that about 60 people travel every month on organized 20-day tours to Europe from Aurangabad city!!! This is only the statistics from one such travel agent! Most of them opt for star hotels and all of them spend at least 250,000 Rs (6000 US$) on the tour.