TEXT 13: Indo-Asian News Service: ”Work-from-home becomes popular in India” (2013)
Questions for analysis
- 1) What are the advantages of working from home (WFH), according to Mondeep Dutta?
- 2) Explain the benefits of this option, as seen from the employers’ point of view.
- 3) “The work from home option is not feasible for all sectors” (p. 146). Why not?
- 4) Why has Yahoo decided to pull back its WFH option?
- 5) What does the fact that WFH has become popular in India tell us about the change in working conditions?
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Find examples of other Indian industries in which the WFH option is not feasible. Who are the main benefactors of this option?
- 2) Explain the term “floating population” in the light of the Indian labour market.
- 3) Relate this article to “Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (text 14) in terms of Bangalore as an IT centre and the consequences of this development.
Language and structure
- Comment on the structure of the article. How does the article present its views?
Written exercise
- Write a brief note (i.e. memorandum) in which you argue for or against WFH from an IT company employer’s point of view. You may include arguments from the text.
Social science
- Characterise the IT industry in e.g. Bangalore and Mumbai, and explain why employees within IT companies are often offered better working conditions than people in other sectors in India (see chapter 3.3).
- Discuss the role of the IT industry in relation to India’s economy as a whole (see chapter 3.3).
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TEXT 14: Rama Lakshmi: ”Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (2013)
Questions for analysis
- 1) Describe Bangalore’s reputation, i.e. “Brand Bangalore”, for the past two decades.
- 2) What is the main problem in Bangalore today, according to the article?
- 3) Characterise the “Bangalore Political Action Committee” in terms of the people involved and its purpose. Why was it formed?
- 4) Describe the so-called “construction frenzy” (p. 148) as a result of Bangalore’s population growth.
- 5) How has India’s Silicon Valley widely been perceived with respect to prosperity and corruption?
- 6) What has happened to Bangalore’s image as “India’s pub capital” (p. 149)?
- 7) Explain the last line: “People are used to picking from rotten apples. This time, there is also an orange available” (p. 150). What does this tell us about politics in India?
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Relate the article to “Work-from-home becomes popular in India” (text 13) and “Fast-growing India facing unemployment ‘bomb’” (text 18).
- 2) Compare the development of Bangalore to that of other Indian cities, ex. Mumbai.
- 3) Compare the Bangalore Political Action Committee to other emerging political movements in India such as Anna Hazare.
Language and structure
- Establish the level of formality in the text and look at sentence structure in particular.
Written exercise
- Comment on the quotation below:
- "The escalating cost of living is one of the fallouts of urbanization. In Bangalore, it is largely due to the boom in the software sector, professionals of which are highly paid. It is therefore becoming difficult for the middle income group, a sizeable number of which resides in Bangalore, to match up to the manifold shoot in the cost of living."
- (KG Gayathri, Associate professor, economics, ISEC. Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-20/bangalore/30537548_1_bangalore-income-gap-middle-income-group)
Social science
- Account for the various infrastructural problems in Bangalore (see chapter 3.3).
- Why is India’s poor infrastructure not only a major problem for the IT sector, but also for other sectors such as the coal industry and transport (see chapter 3.3)?
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TEXT 15: Palash Ghosh: ”India Losing 2,000 Farmers Every Single Day: A Tale of A Rapidly Changing Society” (2013)
Questions for analysis
- 1) Account for the decline in the population of Indian farmers, according to census data.
- 2) What has happened to the number of agricultural labourers? How would you explain this development?
- 3) Indian rural affairs expert P. Sainath refers to the decline of farmers as a “national tragedy” (p. 152). How does he argue and which reason does he give?
- 4) According to some experts, why might the number of farmer suicides be much higher than official data suggests (p. 152)?
- 5) Why are Indian cotton farmers particularly affected by this development?
- 6) According to the text, a more fundamental reason for the decline of farmers is “India’s gradual transformation from a rural economy to an urban-based manufacturing and technology behemoth” (p. 153). Explain.
- 7) Still today, which role does mother nature play in Indian agriculture?
- 8) According to Professor Jha, to what extent is suicide among farmers part of a more general phenomenon in Indian society?
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Make a list of suggestions to bring down the large number of suicides among Indian farmers. Also, consider whether the suggestions are feasible in modern-day India.
- 2) Urbanisation: Relate this article to “Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (text 14) and “Fast-growing India facing unemployment ‘bomb’” (text 18) with regard to urbanisation and the consequences of this development.
- 3) Relate this article to the TV series "India Reborn" (CBC-TV, 2009), chapter 3 "India on the move: The Have Nots and the Haves" at: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/indiareborn (both extensive slideshow and film).
Language and structure
- Based on a rhetorical analysis of the article, which mode of appeal (logos, ethos and pathos) is most widely used and why?
Written exercise
- Write an essay on the causes of the suicide epidemic among Indian farmers, using one of the above-mentioned modes of appeal.
Social science
- Refer to table 3.2 in chapter 3.3 and compare the agricultural structure in India with that of Denmark by using the internet.
- Why is the Indian agricultural sector particularly under pressure today (see chapter 3.3)?
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TEXT 16: Rajini Vaidyanathan: ”India’s call centre growth stalls” (2011)
Download glossary to text 16
Questions for analysis
- 1) Which service does “Let’s Talk academy” provide and why is this relevant?
- 2) Why have some British and American companies decided to move their English-language call centres out of India and back home?
- 3) Explain why “some Indians are hurt by what they interpret as disdain for their accents.”
- 4) According to Aakash Kadim, the owner of “Let’s Talk academy”, why are call centres no longer a prestigious job in India? You may want to refer to the working conditions mentioned in the article “Work-from-home becomes popular in India” (text 13).
- 5) Why are Indian call centres now increasingly facing competition from South East Asian countries such as the Philippines?
- 6) How could India’s growing economy help call centre operations domestically?
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Discuss why many western companies use call centres in India. What are the main reasons for moving operations back home again?
- 2) After Empire: Trace the origins of the English language in India in chapter 1. To what extent can it be said to be a legacy of the British Empire? Also, refer to chapter 5 on language, literature and popular culture.
- 3) Urbanisation: Relate this article to “Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (text 14) and “Fast-growing India facing unemployment ‘bomb’” (text 18) with regard to urbanisation and globalisation.
Language and structure
- Define the term ‘accent’ and discuss the advantages of using a local vs. a more neutral accent when working in a call centre.
Written exercise
- Go to the website below and account for the various reasons why a company should outsource call centre services to India, according to “Outsource2India”: http://www.outsource2india.com/why_india/articles/call_centers_india.asp
Social science
- Explain why India has often been referred to as the “world’s best back office” (see link below) and give examples of other successful industries within the service sector (see chapter 3.3):
- Discuss possible reasons for the stall in India’s call centre industry (see chapter 3.3).
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TEXT 17: Krista Mahr: ”India’s Air Pollution: Is It Worse than China’s?” (2012)
Questions for analysis
- 1) Account for the findings of the Tel Aviv University report on pollution with respect to China and India (p. 155).
- 2) According to the journalist, what are the signs that the smog in Delhi is getting worse?
- 3) Which measures has New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit proposed to fight smog, and whom has she tried to blame?
- 4) Why does India have particularly high levels of “high-particulate matter” (p. 156), and what are the effects on human health, according to Dr. S.K. Chhabra?
- 5) Account for the various steps that the New Delhi government has taken in the past to fight pollution. Which other measures have been proposed recently?
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Compare India’s EPI ranking to that of Denmark and discuss the differences, both in terms of ranking and view on pollution.
- 2) Urbanisation: Relate this article to “Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (text 14) with regard to urbanisation and globalisation.
- 3) Discuss the following response by D. Saha, a scientist at India’s Central Pollution Control Board, when asked about the EPI study’s findings:
- “We should not compare our country with others,” Dr. Saha said. “India has a different terrain.” He cited seasonal rainfall, deserts and dusty conditions as being responsible for the particulate matter. “Can we put water sprinklers across the country?,” he asked.
- Particulate matter comes from boilers, thermal power plants and cars, as well, he said, but India would not have development if these activities were curbed, he said. “The diseases mentioned in the report are caused by many factors not just particulate matter, we are raising undue alarm,” Mr. Saha said. His advice? “It is a non-issue, we have other pressing problems like poverty, focus on them.” Source:india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/indias-air-the-worlds-unhealthiest-study-says/
Language and structure
- Establish how the journalist uses personal experiences in the article and to what effect.
- Also, comment on the use of logos as a mode of appeal. Give examples.
Written exercise
- Write an answer to D. Saha’s response to India’s EPI rank in exercise 3 in the post-reading and perspectives section.
Social science
- Discuss the correlation between economic growth (figure 3.4) and pollution, as described in chapter 3.4. Why are the two factors inextricably linked?
- Find out about India’s performance in the remaining nine environmental EPI categories by using the internet (also, see chapter 3.4).
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TEXT 18: Adam Plowright: ”Fast-growing India facing unemployment ‘bomb’” (2011)
Questions for analysis
- 1) Describe the circumstances of the tragedy at the recruitment fair in Bareilly. Who was blamed for the accident?
- 2) Explain why the tragedy sends “deeper signals about the Indian economy, social change and poverty” (p. 158). What sets the jobseekers apart from traditional farm workers?
- 3) According to J. Manohar Rao, professor of economics, which factors have contributed to the current problem of unemployment?
- 4) Which industries have contributed to India’s impressive economic boom, and what does the country need now, according to experts?
- 5) Explain why underemployment is distinctive for rural areas in particular.
- 6) In many ways, the Bareilly employment fair can also be seen as an example of how modern India has changed (p. 159). Elaborate and discuss.
Post-reading and perspectives
- 1) Explain the inherent paradox in the title – how can a country like India both be “fast-growing” and “facing unemployment”?
- 2) Relate the article to the pre-reading exercise in the text box and discuss the long-term consequences of youth unemployment in India.
- 3) Urbanisation: Relate this article to “Bangalore’s reality lags behind image” (text 14) with regard to urbanisation and globalisation.
Language and structure
- Comment on the beginning of the article and explain the use of rhetorical devices.
- Divide the article into sections and give each a headline.
Written exercise
- Write a letter to the editor on youth unemployment in India, taking the comment below as your point of departure:
Social science
- Why are workers from the Indian agricultural sector especially affected by unemployment in India (see chapter 3.3 and chapter 3.4)?
- Discuss why the main part of rural workers in India are women (see chapter 3.3).
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