Why is the South doing well?
This column is at http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/13rajeev.htm
There is no point in my reposting it here (unless rediff had edited something out, which they don't seem to have done.)
I have been intrigued by some of the comments on both parts of this column. Let me say that I was merely celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the southern states. I wasn't looking to put northern India down: if I were, I'd come straight out and say it, I wouldn't beat about the bush and be coy. No, I was just observing that the southern states have managed to blunder along and now seem to have a teeny-weeny advantage in a globalized world.
As for language, I have mellowed a bit in my old age, but I have been quite um... shall we say, forceful, in the past on this topic. You can find four previous columns of mine here, and no, I am not going to rehash those arguments. You can believe whatever you want, and that's fine with me, I am not trying to 'convert' anybody:
http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/sep/13rajeev.htm
http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/oct/05rajeev.htm
A small point of fact: there are nineteen or so national languages in India, every one that is printed on a rupee note. They are *all* defined as national languages in the Constitution.
Two languages get a special mention, as 'official languages'. These are English and Hindi.
Anybody who is not convinced about the economic might of India should really read the voluminous tables in Angus Maddison's book, which is available for free download on the Web.
Anyone who isn't convinced of India's tremendous contributions to intellectual property development should read an old column of mine and follow up on the links: