A country that’s ready for anything

The overall unemployment rate among all graduates may be shockingly high, but until the government refers to it as a problem, the rest of us should ignore the issue. Representation pic/istock

I have skimmed through recent reports about war in West Asia without stopping to look at the details. There has been a lot of noise about that part of the world lately, along with accusations of a genocide being committed, but I find that involving myself in the business of foreign countries serves no purpose whatsoever. This is quite possibly the official policy of India's government too, which is why I was pleased to see it sit back and allow Pakistan to play the role of negotiator over the past few weeks. It was a sign that foreign policy is overrated and probably unnecessary for countries that have more important things to focus on.

The rest of the world doesn't appear to share this view though. They appear to be worried about a lot of things that they say could go wrong very quickly. Earlier this month, for instance, the International Monetary Fund issued a warning about the possibility of a global recession trigged by further escalation in the Iran war. It set out multiple scenarios in its World Economic Outlook, with one report citing disruption to the world economy and a drop in global growth.

I believe India has nothing to fear from these warnings because the economy is in safe hands. If there were signs of a slowdown, I'm pretty sure the government would have made an announcement to this effect and issued measures to counter it.

The silence from New Delhi isn't just a sign; it's a message of hope letting us know that war may affect the fortunes of every country on Earth except this one. It's why ministers aren't panicking, and why we should let the West's attitude worry us in the least.

Another reason why the future appears to be brighter in this part of the world is the presence of more young people with a lot of time on their hands. Pessimists tend to mention a jobs crisis, without looking at the positive side of having so many graduates unencumbered by full-time employment. If every young person in India starts to work, it stands to reason that there will be fewer people engaged in pleasurable activities, ultimately diminishing the overall state of happiness in the country. Yes, the overall unemployment rate among all graduates may be shockingly high, but until the government refers to it as a problem, the rest of us should ignore the issue.

This is also why reports of a catastrophe in the technology sector appear to be exaggerated. According to some reports, the first quarter of this year has already seen nearly 80,000 job cuts in the global tech industry, with more scheduled to be announced as companies embrace AI. It's another thing that won't affect India because the government is already working on turning AI into an agent of change in the form of data centres. Handing over public land and water may be frowned upon in the West, but not here because we know that the tax benefits outweigh environmental concerns. If people in tech lose jobs, it won't matter either because AI will bring them food, shelter, and clothing for free.

One of the smartest lessons I have learned over the past decade is that if we don't acknowledge the existence of a crisis, it starts to fade away. There may be hundreds of protests from farmers, domestic workers, trans people, and marginalised communities, but none of them matter if we won't recognise their existence. It's why newspapers now spend more time covering what film stars wear to premieres than they do on workers in the city of Morbi.

That's also the kind of attitude we need to develop towards wages. Yes, starting salaries in the private sector have barely moved in decades, and yes, what poorer Indians earn is concerning if adjusted for inflation, but I don't know if this matters if one stops to look at the big picture. Look at the crores being earned by Bollywood movies, the millions showered on billionaire weddings, or the imminent appearance of a bullet train. None of these resemble red flags related to a struggling economy. The West can be nervous if it wishes to be, but Indians can sleep in peace knowing that wars in foreign countries will have no effect here.

All we have to do is follow the government's lead and stick our heads in the proverbial sand. It may sound ineffective, but you'd be surprised at how good it makes you feel.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He can be contacted at www.lindsaypereira.com
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.