While it was a good article overall, I would like to bring the author's attention to the first sentence where she mentions that before the foreign invasions, there was no poverty in India. This is wrong. Even in the days when India was one of the richest countries in the world with about a quarter of the world's (the then ) GDP, India still had much poverty - (Source - "The wonder that was India" - AL Basham) I do not mean to criticize either the author or her article, but it would do well for all us Indians to accept the truth and strive not to repeat our past mistakes.
Indian economic system was different. Weakly vivekananda's "Hindu communism" was extremely useful to hide that poverty to talk about.
In simple words, there were thousands of temples used to provide foods, and those were sufficient, and now if this practice is revived, the problem will be in much better shape.
Another point huge donation of business man for the shake of religion.
RE:Please get your facts correct
by s b on May 22, 2007 10:11 AM Permalink
Oh this is crap. The way to glory is to recognize weakness and not live in fools paradise.
India like any other part was VERY poor. Economic disparity was the order of the day. Before we answer "whether India was rich" lets answer - WHO was india?" The kings and queens only? The rich dynasties only OR everyone? Did we not have the tribes? The Gonds, the santhals, The baigas, the Bodos, The Khasis, The Paintias, Ahirs, gujjars? Were they all rich?
Remember, the history does not talk of common people. It talks of only kings. Even then The Ramayana had a Shabri, did it not?
Lets have data before we speak. It is true we had immense wealth. The doab was as fertile as Tigris banks or Nile Delta, we had precious stones and we were prolific traders. But this wealth did not get distributed evenly. Reasons being our caste system created artificial barriers. Also, our financial market were weak. We did not have stock exchange or wider ownerships. Business was always family driven. Any economics student will explain you what a Hindu growth rate is. Europe had Stock exchanges, Venture capital and bonds in 1500s. We did not. That meant poor wealth distribution.
Although some studies have shown 25% of world GDP (and some other have disputed it) please know that it was nothing significant!!! Understand from historic perspective.
There was no North America, no South America, No oil (middle east) and Africa was dark. So 25% figure practically means 1/4 of Europe China india indo-china. Not bad but nothing great. And remember, those days only wealth was farm products and Precious metal, both a gift of nature, nothing ingenious (farm tools were invented 8000 yrs ago). Once industrial revolution came, Europeans made slaves out of us.
Look I am a proud Indian. But these misleading articles do no good for our development and make us lazy - like our cricket team - which everybody feels is greatest - but no data points to that.
