Why criticize Slumdog Millionaire ?

Many critics in India have called Slumdog Millionaire as “porn of poverty”, and they criticize the western media as not seeing the positive and affluent sides of India and just paying too much attention to its soft underbelly. Well, when I was in Ahmedabad, (and had not seen western world) I also never thought there was poverty, I saw only big shopping complexes, multiplex etc but never paid attention to small 2 or 3 year old child knocking at my car's window asking for some money. I thought this was mere aberration. Things changed when I came down to Australia and lived for 2 years and again went to Ahmedabad. Suddenly I started noticing poverty and human misery around me. What struck me was that while living in India, I had seen those things for so long, that I had accepted it as part of life, I was desensitized of my surroundings, this is exactly like when you are in house, you cannot smell leaking gas but when an outsider enters the house he can smell the stench.

Because Indian elite and intellectuals are too westernised, It is good that western media criticize us so that at least we start noticing the poverty around us. As long as we do not become aware that we have problem in our hand then how can we make changes.
The problem of poverty in India can be blamed on the economic theory which had been taught to me when I was in class 8th. This theory is called “VICIOUS CIRCLE OF POVERTY”- This theory goes like – because parents are poor they cannot give education and food to children so children remain illiterate and undernourished, so children remain poor and so on”. So this theory assumed that circle of poverty cannot be broken and assumed that India will remain poor till parents do not become rich, now this is classical Egg and Hen theory that what came first.

The stupidity of this theory is self evident and shown to be false, by economic miracle of Singapore, South Korea, East asia. These economies were poorer than India in 1947, but now these economies are First world and we in India are still languishing as third world country. Now this shows that economic management goes to the core of development of any nation.

Now the question arises where did India go wrong and how can we change it.

1)Education for the masses should be made compulsory and accessible.
2)Open more orphanages and take the street children in care of theses Orphanges so that they can be provided food, education. ( this may not be perfect solution but it is better then leaving them on streets)
3)Implement free market economics with government filling the gaps which cannot be filled by market forces, like implementation of laws, effficent police.
4)Efficient and time bound judiciary, which gives fast justice and does not drag cases for 100 of years.


Indian government has done everything other than governance during last 60 years of independence. Indian government opened industries in almost all sectors of economy and were called commanding heights of economy. This policy was nothing but commanding height of stupidity. Government should have focussed on Police, Judiciary, Universal education and economy should have been left to Tata and Birlas.

It is still not too late, we may have lost 60 years since independence but we can now make the changes now, so that atl east our future generation can be proud of new India.