I watched this movie ‘inidhu inidhu’.
Pal Pandi is a character that still lingers around in my mind. The story is about a bunch of students just out of school that join a reputed college and their lives till the farewell. Pal Pandi is not amongst this set of main characters. His character is there to show the generosity of the main bunch. It appeared so at least to me. He is from a rural background struggling to cope up with the culture of the college and English language. Eventually he clears a campus interview by speaking in English. Thank God!
There is another character by the nick name Tyson. He is one among those main characters. Actually, he wishes to start his own company instead of going to college and he is already a genius kind that does not need to study in a college. But his dad puts him in college to enjoy the experience and nothing else.
Statistics say that close to 30% of India’s population is below the national poverty line. Living below poverty line means that they are not able to earn 12 rupees a day. Living above poverty line does not certainly mean they are rich. Because another 2007 statistical report says 77% of Indian population lived on less than rupees 20 a day. A Few months back I read an article in times of India that said poverty has only grown in India in the last decade. This seems to be the story across the world either. Poverty is growing.
In a college with good standards like the one shown in the movie, the representation from the poor or from the rural areas is meager though they form the majority of Indian population. Only the wealthy can afford the best education or even a reasonably better education.
Vilfred Pareto said eighty percent of the world’s wealth is with twenty percent of its population. In a way, the movie reflects this statement.
Yesterday, while I was walking to my Ambattur 2 office there was a man who was walking opposite and was talking to someone on his mobile phone. I happened to hear his conversation.
He said ‘paththu rooba kuduthaada, pocketliyea vachitu vandhutean’ [she gave me TEN rupees, I left it at home:(]. He made the statement stressing upon the TEN rupees like it was so big money and he had forgotten to take it along. He did not seem overly disappointed but then it would have definitely made a difference if he had taken those ten rupees.
We proudly quote the penetration of mobile phones in to the lower segments of the society to showcase India’s growth.
This man also has a mobile phone.
-dbs
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