India as I see it today

Not everything is as it seems in my country.

Hurray for me for I live in a democracy,
Where my vote holds sway to make things go my way.
I have no cause for worry or fear,ifthe ballot I hold dear
Liberty, equality and fraternity - why its all quite clear!

Then why is it I see when I look around me
So much suffering of which no one asked me?
As I look for clues, I find it may be much to do
With me living in a third world country.

¨No!¨ they cry, speaking of tigers and dragons,
All that talk of the Third World is past for us.
This day is ours, as we march on well ahead of that flock
We are headed to the Council, as our economy races the clock.

Well I will not pretend that I am not impressed
With our new-found zeal as we seal these deals.
But what I will dispute, is that we have left the flock
Just look around you having taken a moment to stop.

Much has changed, but even more has not
We are still plagued by poverty and HIV
To say nothing of the blasphemies
Of religious extremities.

Do not mistake me, I don´t wish to spoil the party
I just want to ensure everyone´s invited to the H1Bs.
It is time we took stock, if we are to be judged for the better
when our generation finds itself in history´s dock.
 

Author's Note

�H1B� is a reference to a type of visa to grant entry into the U.S., granted mainly to the recently forming high income class of software engineers. Many Indians seek to obtain such visas in search of good employment opportunities made available due to the outsourcing trend.