How South India is more developed
South India now consists of five States -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. The last State has recently been formed.
Of these the two States of the South -- Tamil Nadu and Kerala top the literacy charts of the country, with Kerala bagging the honor as the most advanced State of India, in terms of literacy. There has been a huge development in each of the States in the past two decades, and this development has actually overtaken the pace of development of some States of the North of India.
There are many reasons for this and we need to understand how these reasons work in the favor of the South Indian States.
The first reason is literacy, and knowledge of English, which far exceeds the Hindi States. The States up North, particularly the cow belt feel that English is their enemy number one. Only the cream of around ten per cent understand the importance of English and the results are there for all to see.
In total contrast, South India and its people are the ones who give maximum importance to English and to their own mother tongues. Thus, while a Kerala person or Tamil Nadu person gets to see all official communication in Malayalam or Tamil, there is English too.
In Chennai, the gateway to South India, even the Arts and Science colleges have very good standards of English, that far exceed the North Indian States. This is the main reason why Chennai leads in terms of employment in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, and the entire city is also very IT-savvy.
The presence of more than six deemed Universities, at least four of which are way ahead of their counterparts in terms of standards, has also contributed to the rapid growth of the IT industry. This single development has seen the city expand by leaps and bounds on all three sides. (the fourth side, is not possible, because of the sea).
Even the outskirts of the city are very well developed and the English medium schools are the only place where the middle classes put their children into.
Ditto for the people from Kerala and Karnataka. Bangalore, the IT capital of India, has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to the IT sector and the presence of a huge number of Public Sector Units as well. Once again, the English medium schools dominate the education scenario at the school level.
Kerala is the number one State in India in terms of literacy. A few myths about Kerala have to be broken if one were to understand what the State is all about. The people of Kerala are the most mobile, not only in India, but perhaps in the whole of Asia. For example, if one takes the Gulf countries, at every single level, including at the worker level, one can easily see that the Kerala people simply dominate the entire scenario.
Each and every village has the minimum of facilities and the huge inflow of money from abroad, keeps the economy going. One of every three families in Kerala, would probably have a relative working abroad. Even within India, the people of Kerala can be found in Nagaland, in each of the North-eastern States and in Orissa and West Bengal. It is easy to see the pace of assimilation into local cultures.
For example, every single woman from the middle classes from Kerala, who has settled in New Delhi, will never hesitate to learn Hindi, Punjabi and wear the most fashionable clothes -- sleeveless blouses with sarees are very very common. They would mingle with the local population and take up any good job.
Where does this money go? Obviously, to Kerala, and the development takes place in Kerala as well. The people of Kerala believe in natural cure and prevention. Ayurveda and Siddha, with a heavy base on herbal treatment, is so common.
From literacy, a huge amount of development takes place.
Secondly, the rule of the law is more possible in the entire South India, than in the North. I have traveled to many parts of North India, and to my horror and shock, even a confirmed berth in the second class sleeper compartment is never safe. One will easily see any unruly character occupying the seat and he would never vacate it, claiming it as his own.
Such horrible behavior is just not possible in South India. Yes, corruption is there, but the magnitude is still very less, compared to the loot that goes on in North India. Discipline brings about more peace of mind, and more conducive atmospheres for people to work. For example, it is very much there in the Public domain that Tamil Nadu ranks among the most industrialized States of India. The reason is that it is considered peaceful, and labor is much more disciplined than elsewhere.
Even in the matter of implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the South Indian States have done exceedingly well. The kind of poverty that one sees in North India, is still not there. The Public Distribution Scheme works very well, and the poor do get access to the basic minimum of comforts. Public Health is not too good, but improvements are being made everywhere.
The then undivided Andhra Pradesh and its capital city of Hyderabad, got a big boost when Shri Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister. He ensured that the IT industry came to the State in a big way. Today, Hyderabad is literally giving Bangalore a run for its money.
Cities also have IT corridors and the Special Economic Zones. The country's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was set up in Chennai, with Mahindra and Mahindra taking up the lead. This SEZ now houses several industrial firms and the huge amount of investment simply grows the ever growing service sector.
The big retail guns are all present in each of the four States.
Thirdly, there is also a religious economy that drives growth in many parts of the South of India. For example, there is an ashram on the outskirts of Chennai, in a place called Melmaruvathur, which is basically a temple, but has now grown by a one hundred times in twenty years, thanks to the huge investment made by the Trust in education, health, orphanages and so on. The allied service sector has also grown. Tirupathi is a glorious place, which has grown because of the world-famous Lord Venkateswara temple.
Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum (the capital of Kerala), have all grown, thanks to the huge number of temples in each of these places and in the places nearby.
Focused development has also been witnessed in Coimbatore, Mangalore, Hubli, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam.
Very enlightened Corporate partnership has also contributed to growth. For example, the TVS group, the largest single conglomerate of South India, has contributed to the growth of many lower middle class groups, through commendable social work.
Similarly, Infosys Technologies and Wipro, lead by Mr. Narayana Murthy and Mr. Azim Premji, have done superb work in hundreds of villages.
The rain-fed areas of Andhra Pradesh (now partly in Telengana) have grown, solely based on agriculture and agro industries. Many rich farmers also have self-financing colleges in Andhra Pradesh.
The total number of engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ( including Telangana) will easily exceed one thousand. One can imagine the direct and indirect employment as a consequence of this kind of a growth.
Fourthly, the South of India has a huge service sector, that is very very active. The number of small kirana shops in every single town is not only related to the total population, but also related to the consumption habits that is very high. Specific areas experience growth in specific areas and this is simply huge, to say the least.
For example, in Coimbatore city, one can see a very large number of bakeries selling a vast variety of bread, cakes, buns and a superb variety of snacks fried in fresh coconut oil. This is something that has be seen to be believed. Anything that is freshly made, is mostly sold out on the very same day. The consumption levels are very high.
The night shop culture in Madurai city has even attracted foreigners. The vast variety of non-vegetarian food is another big attraction. These shops are open right up to 3 am in the morning, and the tourist traffic that runs into at least one lakh per day, keeps this going.
Chennai is called the Detroit of India, thanks to the huge auto ancillary base and the presence of a huge number of auto majors like BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, and so on, have made a massive growth possible, in terms of overall development.
Infrastructure development in terms of international airports in each of the States, superb roads, linkages to local markets and extensive use of information technologies in offices, also aids development.
South India has several advantages. These advantages will simply drive growth for several decades to come.
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