BRAIN PAIN

What exactly is 'brain gain'? People who come back to India to act in Bollywood, who come back tempted by multiplexes and malls? The BBC has penned an article on Indians coming back to their country, which disappointed me. The kind of people who they have interviewed seem to be almost exclusively people who are rich and who want to come back to India only because they want to remain among India's rich and elite. Of course there's nothing wrong in wanting to be rich or stay rich, but is the sampling of the views of such erstwhile citizens a clear indication of 'brain gain'? What about those middle class people in different professions like medicine, science, or humanities, or journalism? Do they want to come back? I don't see the BBC interviewing someone who wants to come back because they think they will actually get better opportunities here, or lead a more hassle free life here. After all, many of the problems facing the majority of Indians don't matter for those in the upper echelons of affluence. What's the point of interviewing only such people and concluding that we are now facing a significant 'brain gain'? Also, considering the present situation, there is no guarantee that such a brain gain, even if it exists, will not again trickle down and stop.

Sometimes, I can imagine a twenty second century history book. We get to the chapter on Asia, and here's what we find:

"For a moment, India seemed to be on the verge of being the next superpower. With a bustling economy and tremendous professional manpower, it seemed to be on the threshhold of taking over the world. But soon, it became clear that unless the roots are sturdy and hold strong, the tree can only aspire to reach out to greatness. As the world watched, the quagmire of political corruption, caste conflict, and religious differences, all of which riddled Indian society at every level like holes in a mold infested carpet, pulled down this Phoenix. Obscure definitions of national interests drove the suppression of individual rights. Interests ignited by historical wrongs gained supremacy, no matter how many future wrongs they would engender. Many again started migrating in hordes to the west. As the Indian phoenix strove and almost seemed to rise from the ashes, a new fire kindled by base politics, complacency, and selfish interests dragged him back into the ashes. The dream that almost seemed to be transformed into reality, finally disintegrated over its own horizon with a whimper"