( An old man is sitting in front of an old, underdeveloped house in front of an approaching Boeing 747 landing in Mumbai airport)

(Indian woman dressed in traditional clothing sitting in a call center in India)

(Old huts on the edge of falling appart at the outskirts of a modern growing Indian Metropolitain area, while new modern buildings are being built on the horizon)

India's diverse economy includes traditional village farming, handicrafts, and a variety of modern industries.

About 3/5 of the work force in India is in agriculture and many of these rural areas contain vast numbers of

citizens below the poverty threshold. The economy has shown an average growth rate of more than 7% in

the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10%. India achieved 8.5% GDP growth both in 2006 and

2007, significantly expanding production of manufactures. The government is using large numbers of

well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and

software workers in the international market. However, strong economic growth and easy consumer credit

have fueled recent concerns of inflation. The huge and growing population is also a social and economic problem.

Nevertheless, although India is one of the fasted growing nations worldwide, there is still a vast percentage

of the population stricken with poverty. The economic situation regarding the poor only shows how the gap

between rich and poor continues to expand. While India is economically a very promising country, the nation's

per capita GDP is one of the lowest in the world. Citizens in India are torn between traditional values and the

cutting-edge technology of the 21st century. Despite improvements in the country's economy and the growth

of the middle class, the gap between poor and rich, underdeveloped and developed, is still significant. Therefore,

it is quite normal to see a Boeing 747 flying over huts built of cardboard, wood, and scraps of metal.

Dialogue:

Parthat, a poor peasant, sees Vaibhuv, a rich upper-class business man in India.

Parthat is sitting at the side of the street selling chicken and seafood.

Parthat: Sir, please try some of my chicken. My family is poor and you are wealthy and prosperous.

Vaibhuv: (laughing) What makes you think that I am as rich as you say?

Raises his hand to call a cab driving by.

Parthat: I can see by your suit that you are a man of wealth and status.

Vaibhuv: Well, you must know that I have worked hard to get where I am. I did not inherit this status. Everything in the world comes with a price.

Parthat: Certainly, sir. Yet my children, born poor, are not provided the opportunity that you had. India’s development is the development of the rich, not the poor.

Vaibhuv: No, I disagree. Development occurs when people work and strive for success. It is not a courtesy given only to the rich.

Parthat: But sir, without money, I cannot put my children into a good school, which withholds them from getting a good education. Who can succeed in life without an education?

Vaibhuv: Well, you have a point. However, you must understand that I have not always been rich. I was once a poor merchant on the streets. Nevertheless, because I worked hard, I have changed my previous status and become who I am now.

Slight pause.

I suppose I will buy some of that chicken.

Buys chicken and gets into a cab

Sources for the images:

(In order from top to bottom left to right)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Mumbai_Airport.jpg/800px-Mumbai_Airport.jpg">http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/267564.html

http://theos.in/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/the-imperial-mumbai.jpg

http://www.funonthenet.in/images/stories/forwards/mumbai-india/mumbai-railway.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Mumbai_Airport.jpg/800px-Mumbai_Airport.jpg">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Mumbai_Airport.jpg/800px-Mumbai_Airport.jpg

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