Should professors be preaching from old movies?

"Urban India is the site of the most dramatic changes in human life," wrote Prof S Srivastava. "The romanticised village of post-independence cinema holds little interest for young people in particular, as they seek new futures within possibilities offered by the inexorable expansion of urban agglomerations." This has resulted in uncontrolled migration into our cities, resulting in a quiet counter revolution as the middle class looks to protect its interests. "This new aspect of the urban can be most frequently witnessed in the manner in which Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) are able to galvanise members to act on an issue that affects their perceived interests." "This is a new form of activism, enacted through lycra clad bicycle enthusiasts, leisure activists, environmentalists, bird watchers and 'ordinary mums and dads' who want a better life in the city'." Why is it alright for the rural poor to seek a better life in cities but so contemptible for the middle class? Although scornful of "post-independence cinema" Srivastava is repeating the sentiments of those iconic movies, such as Deewar, in which the baddie says he is incredibly wealthy with house, car, money, while the goodie glorifies his poverty by retorting that he has his mother, or the poor tramp in Awaara who wins the heart of a rich girl. While the rich are benefiting from the rapid growth of the Indian economy, the resulting pollution is affecting both rich and poor, wrote Prof R Prasad. The poor are benefiting more from economic growth, so that "44 Indians come out of extreme poverty every minute, one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in the world". The rich have no option but to flee. "The destinations of choice are Goa, neighbouring hill stations, and of course, Western shores. Even if the rich are not migrating themselves, their children surely are." Others "are moving further into their air-purified spaces and their high-walled apartment complexes where the movement of people is controlled". Around 23,000 millionaires have left India since 2014. The rich are few while the poor are many, and increasing. "By 2020, the median age in India will be just 28, compared to 37 in China and the US, 45 in Western Europe, and 49 in Japan," wrote E Ghani. Obviously, this growth in population is not because of the 263,000 dollar millionaires we have. Ghani's solution is jobs in the service sector. That is what is happening already with most recruitment in temporary jobs. Gig economy jobs are insecure with no safety nets, but "Heavy-handed regulation that puts gig workers fully on par with employees will be counterproductive, undercutting platform business models and leading to gigs drying up." Large numbers of poor suits politicians so that "the politics of welfare is inevitably reduced to a political competition for populist handouts and cash," wrote Y Aiyar. As long as professors are influenced by old movies politicians will oblige with handouts. After all, it is taxpayer money.