Idea of progress : India

IDEA OF PROGRESS

- My documents :

• Chowpatty Beach at sunset -  ILLUSTRATION

• Beverley Hill, gendap.org - INTERVIEW

• Changing India, A. GIRIDHARADAS, in the New York Times, 4 July 2009 - ARTICLE

I am going to talk about the notion Idea of Progress.

First of all, I would like to give the definition of Progress.

A Progress is a movement forward or toward something, the process of improving or developing something over a period of time, a gradual betterment of mankind.

To illustrate this notion of Idea of Progress, I have chosen to speak about India, a country full of contradictions but where progress can be felt.

I would like to present this notion with the help of three documents: The first of all, is a photography of Chowpatty Beach at sunset in Bombay, India.

The second document is an interview of Beverly Hill, the president and founder of Gendap, an organization combatting the death of girls in some countries such as India or China.

And the third document is an article called « Changing India » written by Anand Giridharadas in the New York Times magazine, it’s from 2009.

We will ask us : Is India gradually moving from inequality to modernity?

To begin, let’s focus on the first document, the photography.

The photo shows contrasts faces of India. On the one hand, in the background we can see many skyscrapers and buildings of the city of Bombay.

They highlight how India has become a booming country. On the other hand, the saris worn by the women on the foreground prove that tradition is still strong and has not disappeared.

The photo gives us a feeling of happiness: families are gathered watching the sunset at the end of a day. Also, the family with two children draws our attention: indeed, they are representative of the two-child family policy encouraged by the Indian government.

All in all, India seems to be a country of modernity but always keep its traditions.  

This leads us to the second document: Beverly Hill’s interview. Beverly Hill is the president and founder of Gendap, GENDercide Awareness Project, defending the lives and the rights of women.

In India, many traditional families used to kill their baby girl usually by selective abortion (only when it’s a girl).

Why? Families are desperate for sons. A son can look after the family business and can look after the parents when they are old, at the opposite of the girls, less independent (domestic jobs).

Moreover, before the wedding, the bride’s family must pay a dowry to the man’s family. To sum up, men earn money whereas women cost money. Therefore, the majority of Indian population are men.

The initiatives of the Indian government are unfortunately not having much effect whereas the work of such organisation as Gendap is most helpful.

For women, these organizations « educating them, giving them skills so that they can earn money, gain some respect with their husbands within their families, within their communities ».

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