Society

India is a land of opposites: people traveling to the subcontinent for the first time are often overwhelmed by the diversity of cultures and starkly contrasting traditional and modern lifestyles existing side by side. Holy cows stand with seeming disinterest in the middle of chaotic traffic intersections, pilgrims bathe in the Ganges and merchants offer spices at colorful bazaars. At the same time, India is one of the 21st century’s fastest-advancing high-tech locations – with a prospering IT sector and a huge proportion of students and young professionals who wear western attire and use modern communications technology.


An economy on a growth course

India is one of the fastest-growing emerging markets. Its gross domestic product was up by eight percent in 2006, and experts forecast a dynamic development at about the same level for the next few years. This is benefiting numerous sectors. For example, trade and retail: according to the Global Retail Development Index 2006, compiled by the management consultancy AT Kearney (www.atkearney.com), India is the world’s most attractive country for companies wishing to invest in this sector. Other areas also offer great potential, such as the chemicals and automotive industries. However, economic strength is very unevenly distributed between regions: for instance, the net domestic product in the state of Delhi is 150 percent above the national average, while the quota in Bihar is only 31 percent of the national average.
 
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