India: Dynamic Overpopulation

­India (as of a 2012 census) has an estimated billion people within its 25 states.  350 million of those people survive on less than 1 US dollar per day.  Even after gaining it’s independency over 50 years ago, the majority of the Indian population is illiterate, half is malnourished, lacks sanitation and access to clean water. (overpopulation.org) But because India has 19 major languages, six religious subdivisions and over 100 dialects, it is difficult to speak of India as a problem altogether.

The reason for choosing India for this particular discussion is due to the fact that India is considered a powerful regional, of not a world power. India has an extensive military, has tested nuclear weapons, has sophisticated medicine practices, has some of the world boldest scientists, and is fully capable of sufficiently providing for the entirety of its population with what is grown on it’s lands.

So why such a drastic contrast? Why is India, a powerhouse of science, technology and economic stronghold, lacks an appropriate population policy?

A million reasons, actually.

For one, the primary religious subdivision in India is Hindu, which seeks to preserve sacred lands, waters and animals. Because of the power that the caste system illustrates, the major bodies of water within the confines of India are infused with ashes, dirty clothes, and bodies—all results of poor moral behavior, the lack of hygienic institutions and careless burial grounds.  The Ganga River in India was the main provider of water, transportation and thus, employment 30-40 years ago. Today, the sanitation levels are far below safe, and is the cause of known diseases in rural areas.  The stronghold of India’s religions continues to impoverish the country.

Another tie is India’s ignorance of contraceptives.  Due to its long, strict traditions of arranged marriages, there are pressures in breeding a son, rather than a daughter to offer for marriage. Most couples are even aborting female fetuses, which skews the sex ratio.  Within the recent years, in more urban cities, the notion is almost absent, but has thus resulted in a population explosion of a young demographic. All these eager workers are leaving rural life and traveling to big cities to acquire a job (IT, probably). In New Delhi, approx. 15 million young people sleep on the streets.  Those who get tired of a not being able to find work recklessly riot and drive away tourism in the nations capitol.

Another reason is food inflation.  India’s farmers are facing falling water levels, over stimulated lands and climate change. The majority of support for farming families depends on the welfare from the women in the family, further bridging the gap of poor families. Although women are encouraged to remain in school and learn about appropriate family planning, instead they are forced to help out mom and pops on the farm. 

On top of this, India’s corrupt bureaucracy often overlooks the need for child hunger.  Malnutrition persists in rural areas, raising underweight mother who are then expected to bear and feed their young.  Child marriages are the most promising, guaranteeing a birth from a barely fertile womb. 

So many factors create a population taboo. Riots, activists, rebels—India is changing in the hand of a young demographic, smart enough to want better, but too weak to appeal to the government. 

If you guys are interested, below is a link to one of my favorite documentaries. It’s a light-hearted look on the people of India, how they live and transpire in barely suitable conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCp_uztlrKs