India's Rising Gap between the Rich and the Poor

One of the main issues India is facing right now is the rising gap between the upper and lower classes. India is not alone in this struggle, however; several other countries are also fighting this same battle. In the past, India has always had its upper/middle classes; however, it has also always housed some of the world’s most poor. Yet today the country is filled with opulent, private gated communities that face the destitute, impoverished slums just across the street. One such gated community in India is called Hamilton Court. So while a child in Hamilton Court could be watching a flat screen television in a large air conditioned apartment, another child in the shantytown just outside the gates may be taking a cold water bucket bath during a long power outage. One Hamilton Court resident described it as “two worlds, just across the street” (Sengupta 2008).

The exclusive community of Hamilton Court contains a private school, private health clinic, clubhouse, well-groomed lawns and paths for leisure activities, and also employs numerous security guards, maids, chauffeurs, plumbers, and electricians.

Hamilton court houses

Court house, Hamilton, Ont., Canada

Mukesh Ambani at the India Economic Summit 2007

It also offers electricity, even during the frequent and long, often twelve hour power outages the rest of the city experiences. While the public water supply may only work for a few hours during the day, someone in Hamilton Court is able to turn on their tap water anytime and receive a strong flow of water. For the prosperous upper class, these gated communities offer “at high prices what the government cannot, at least not to the liking of their residents” (Sengupta 2008). It is a way for citizens to buy an escape from the many hardships that affect much of the country. Additionally, these elite communities reflect the desires of India’s developing affluence, giving them “Western amenities along with Indian...