INDIA IS SACRIFICING IT'S FREEDOM TO WESTERN COMMERCE AND CONSUMERISM
The revolutionary Swadeshi Movement, the Satyagraha and the patriotic slogan of “Be Indian - buy Indian” have today been replaced by “Be Indian – buy foreign”. Today, the Indians no longer feel proud to see the tag ‘Made in India’ on any product or commodity they purchase and instead, consider it to be a status symbol and prestige issue to say that a particular commodity bought by them is ‘imported’.
The slave mentality and the attitude of self pity of the native Indians and their staunch belief that ‘West is Best’ has led to this fascination and obsession for foreign and imported products. People presume the Indian products to be sub-standard and the foreign goods to be tech savvy.
The adventurous foreign market is basically pioneering and goes wherever opportunity beckons. Labour, the only active factor of production is very costly in foreign countries. India and other Asian countries, with huge population and less job opportunities, provide them with adequate cheap labour. Our people act as ‘Labour Warehouses’ for the foreign economies which exploit us and our potential for their benefits and profits. Global Giants are setting up their ‘call centres’ and doing extensive ‘outsourcing’ to cut down on their expenses on manpower, and hence decreasing their cost of production to earn Super Profits.
The low cost of production of the foreign firms as compared to Indian industries is attributed to cheap and easily available resources and raw materials, proper efficiency of labour, modern mechanized methods of production, and specialization and division of labour which leads to minimum wastage and optimum
utilization of resources. Because of this, the price quoted by the foreign firms is much less than the indigenous firms which lack skilled labour and proper technical know-how. As it is, that the purchasing power of the Indian consumer is very low due to low wages, underemployment and unemployment, so there is a greater demand cheaper durable products than expensive ones. Thus, the foreign products get an edge over the Indian products due to their competitive price.
Moreover, the foreign companies with highly developed infrastructure and sound financial standing, resort to cut-throat competition by aggressive marketing strategies and speculation to rise above local producers and products. The extensive ad campaigns of the foreign firms, with top film and sports stars and various innovative methods of their product promotion, leave a lasting impression on the minds of the consumers. They declare special incentives, festival offers, discounts and various attractive instalment schemes to capture the Indian market and boost up their sales. The advent of plastic money, that is, credit cards and debit cards have further facilitated the expansion and diversification of foreign firms in Indian markets and has retarded the growth of Indian firms.
The foreign firms have firmly established themselves in the highly unpredictable Indian market and are annihilating the Indian firms at a steady pace. Every year, several Indian firms are being declared as ‘sick industries’ and Indian entrepreneurs are constantly suffering heavy losses. Our small scale and cottage industry craftsmen are starving to death due to unemployment and poverty. Indian farmers are committing suicide in despair and despondency. Even if a single multinational closes it’s office or call centre in India, then hundreds of qualified and professional Indians will be force to roam jobless on the streets. Indian companies will not have the potential to absorb the excess workforce, and this will further increase the unemployment problem of our country. The unemployed and jobless will go astray and resort to illegal and unethical means for fast and easy money causing economical, social and political unrest in the country.
People are so much addicted and obsessed with foreign and western products that Indian industries are failing even in the consumer goods market, that is, soaps, powder, cosmetics, beverages etc. The influx of foreign companies and commodities is causing widespread unemployment and poverty, and further decreasing the standard of living of industrial labourers and producers.
Thus, this so called ‘globalization’ and ‘liberalization of economies’ is fatal for developing countries like India who are striving hard to keep pace with the advanced products and latest technologies in the Indian and International markets. The western commerce and consumerism is not only wiping out our indigenous industries but also making our country dependant on their products and job opportunities. History is repeating itself. The East India Company came to India to establish friendly trade relations, but gradually enslaved India by making Indians first economically, and politically dependant on them, and ruled for 200 years. Now it’s the turn of western industries and multinational companies to rule India - economically, socially and politically. And who knows? This time, it might take more than 200 years to attain ‘FREEDOM’.
The slave mentality and the attitude of self pity of the native Indians and their staunch belief that ‘West is Best’ has led to this fascination and obsession for foreign and imported products. People presume the Indian products to be sub-standard and the foreign goods to be tech savvy.
The adventurous foreign market is basically pioneering and goes wherever opportunity beckons. Labour, the only active factor of production is very costly in foreign countries. India and other Asian countries, with huge population and less job opportunities, provide them with adequate cheap labour. Our people act as ‘Labour Warehouses’ for the foreign economies which exploit us and our potential for their benefits and profits. Global Giants are setting up their ‘call centres’ and doing extensive ‘outsourcing’ to cut down on their expenses on manpower, and hence decreasing their cost of production to earn Super Profits.
The low cost of production of the foreign firms as compared to Indian industries is attributed to cheap and easily available resources and raw materials, proper efficiency of labour, modern mechanized methods of production, and specialization and division of labour which leads to minimum wastage and optimum
utilization of resources. Because of this, the price quoted by the foreign firms is much less than the indigenous firms which lack skilled labour and proper technical know-how. As it is, that the purchasing power of the Indian consumer is very low due to low wages, underemployment and unemployment, so there is a greater demand cheaper durable products than expensive ones. Thus, the foreign products get an edge over the Indian products due to their competitive price.
Moreover, the foreign companies with highly developed infrastructure and sound financial standing, resort to cut-throat competition by aggressive marketing strategies and speculation to rise above local producers and products. The extensive ad campaigns of the foreign firms, with top film and sports stars and various innovative methods of their product promotion, leave a lasting impression on the minds of the consumers. They declare special incentives, festival offers, discounts and various attractive instalment schemes to capture the Indian market and boost up their sales. The advent of plastic money, that is, credit cards and debit cards have further facilitated the expansion and diversification of foreign firms in Indian markets and has retarded the growth of Indian firms.
The foreign firms have firmly established themselves in the highly unpredictable Indian market and are annihilating the Indian firms at a steady pace. Every year, several Indian firms are being declared as ‘sick industries’ and Indian entrepreneurs are constantly suffering heavy losses. Our small scale and cottage industry craftsmen are starving to death due to unemployment and poverty. Indian farmers are committing suicide in despair and despondency. Even if a single multinational closes it’s office or call centre in India, then hundreds of qualified and professional Indians will be force to roam jobless on the streets. Indian companies will not have the potential to absorb the excess workforce, and this will further increase the unemployment problem of our country. The unemployed and jobless will go astray and resort to illegal and unethical means for fast and easy money causing economical, social and political unrest in the country.
People are so much addicted and obsessed with foreign and western products that Indian industries are failing even in the consumer goods market, that is, soaps, powder, cosmetics, beverages etc. The influx of foreign companies and commodities is causing widespread unemployment and poverty, and further decreasing the standard of living of industrial labourers and producers.
Thus, this so called ‘globalization’ and ‘liberalization of economies’ is fatal for developing countries like India who are striving hard to keep pace with the advanced products and latest technologies in the Indian and International markets. The western commerce and consumerism is not only wiping out our indigenous industries but also making our country dependant on their products and job opportunities. History is repeating itself. The East India Company came to India to establish friendly trade relations, but gradually enslaved India by making Indians first economically, and politically dependant on them, and ruled for 200 years. Now it’s the turn of western industries and multinational companies to rule India - economically, socially and politically. And who knows? This time, it might take more than 200 years to attain ‘FREEDOM’.
BY: SHUBHRO SEN
posted by Shubhro at 10:58 AM
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