India's Globalized Hindus

- by Keith Carey

How has the computer revolution affected your life? You can now find more information at the click of a mouse than you could 20 years ago by going to a good library. You might do your banking online. You might be reading this edition of the GPD on a computer screen rather than on paper.

The computer revolution has affected our lives in many ways. But did you know that in India, the computer revolution has changed the way people look for a mate or worship Hindu gods? "BBC News" ran a series of articles in early February, some of which featured how Indian nationals find a mate who is "compatible," meaning, of the same caste and language. Hindus of marriageable age must wait for their parents to find them the "right" spouse. But with the help of Internet matching services, today's Hindu can find someone of the same caste and social status. Their parents must first meet the potential spouse, but that saves some stress on the young adult. The bride or groom could be on any continent but Antarctica, but that doesn't matter. Parents and children are both happy. As you will see as you read this article, the location doesn't matter as much in today's globalized world.

And then there is the problem of reaching the right shrine in which to worship one's chosen god. Again, the Internet provides help. For a fee ranging from four dollars to $300, people can log in, and perform their virtual religious ceremony. That should relieve some stress. After all, it's hard for a Hindu in today's busy dot.com world to make time to find a mate or to worship Ganesh.

These are examples of how the youths of the 70s who created the first home computers have affected life in the 21st century. Even Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple Computers, would never have dreamed of such worldwide consequences!

But there are even bigger changes coming to the Hindu world because of the computer revolution. According to a March 9th, 2007 article in "BBC News," India has now surpassed Japan as the Asian country with the highest number of billionaires. The Indian government expects 9.2 percent economic growth this year, a staggering figure that may actually happen. For the most part, these economic changes are happening because India is a world leader in the information technology (IT) industry.

Why Hindu India?
There are a couple of reasons why India would be the nation to benefit from the global IT revolution. In the 1980s, Mahendra Singhal, a high caste Hindu who taught at the University of Chicago, pointed out that Brahmin religious and philosophical thinking lends itself well to mastering complicated mathematics. Millions of these Brahmins graduated from India's high-tech universities between independence in 1947 and the early 1990s. But few found high tech jobs. India's government began to see that they had to change course from the socialistic, protectionist direction they had established for their economy. By allowing multinational corporations into their cities, India charted a new course. Today, many of these same corporations hire Indian workers with business or high tech backgrounds. "BBC News" pointed out in January, "It has a highly educated workforce, with two million college graduates a year, all of whom speak English. It has excellent international data communications links, and good Internet access in the major cities. And the wages of its professional IT workers average one-quarter to one-tenth of the wages of equivalent posts in Europe of the U.S.…The government deliberately targeted the export-oriented IT services sector for growth, giving it special subsidies. Foreign multinationals flooded into India, eager to take advantage of the cheap professional labor and the opening up of one of the world's largest markets."

India and Today's Global Economy
Today, more than 500 major international corporations have IT operations in Bangalore, India's high tech mecca. There is no sign that this process will slow down in the foreseeable future. Indian nationals are excelling in computer engineering and the like, but also in starting up new companies, both in India and abroad. Foreigners are investing in India's booming economy, but Indians are also investing in the world's economy, with cash and with talent. Taking advantage of a flood of new capital, India is emerging in the world of investments, according to an October 17, 2006 article in the "Christian Science Monitor." "BBC News" suggests that India is becoming a manufacturing giant as well.

One of India's major assets is her people. Since Indians with high tech skills are willing to work for less money than their Western counterparts, they are in demand all over the world, especially in the United States and England. Some of the South Asian Hindus who have been raised in England or the United States are now willing to try to re-establish themselves in India. As time goes on, we will see if they manage to succeed in the country of their grandparents.

It's only fair to say that Indian Hindus also face some major challenges as they stake out a bigger share of the globalized economy. They come from cultures that have been in existence for over 4,000 years, and old ways are hard to change. It is very difficult to know who to trust, so many Indian businesses only hire family members rather than look for the most qualified person. Many will only hire from within the upwardly mobile upper castes, the ones they call "forward" castes. Chinese and Indian firms are the most likely to pay bribes to get what they want in other countries.

As you may have expected, the new wealth of India is not getting to the lower "backward" castes. According to the World Bank, 750 million of India's 1.1 billion people still live below the poverty line. Even in Bangalore, India's shining high-tech capital, there are 700 slums that lack adequate roads, water, lighting, and toilet facilities. Other Indian cities such as Kolkota, want to set up special economic zones where industry can flourish. In order to do this, they grab land owned by farmers, and often pay them very little compensation. These now-landless farmers will not be qualified for the kinds of work needed in the new economic zones. How will they earn a living in the years to come?

Certainly globalization will alter India's economy in the 21st century, perhaps more than any other nation on earth. But it will also give opportunities to reach India's highly unreached high caste Hindus, the very ones who are making the economic changes. For decades, we have heard of efforts to reach lower caste rural peoples in India, but few would try to reach the high caste Hindus. Now the opportunity for Western Christians to reach the high castes has arrived. Those who do business with Indian corporations, be it in India or elsewhere, can have contact with the new globalized high tech gurus.

Pray that Christians will rise to the task of reaching India's high caste Hindus in India and beyond.