Patrice, excellent work in putting this article on Goanet. Anyone who knows Bombay will find it thought-provoking. Daniel Brooke has given all the facts through a very balanced pen.
What is my opinion of Hafeez Contractor ? That he is THE architect for the extremely rich there is no doubt. That he is a master architect and a minor genius there is no doubt also. But when he talks about improving the lives and living conditions of the poor of Bombay, he steps into bullshit territory. There is nothing Hafeez Contractor does for others. That much is clear. Coming to copying the US and the China growth model, the author has finely put the opinions of eminent people who have said why this is not likely to happen. India's current model of development amidst chaos will continue until such time that the have-nots decide they want their share of the pie which translates to means more than 280 sqft to live with half an hour of water flow twice a day while next door there are attached swimming pools to every unit. Even Modi I reckon, ex-chaiwala that he is, cannot within five lifetimes if he is granted it, change the miserable lives of the poor and the middle class on whose backs India progresses. The class and caste system that even the British could not break, and the totally selfish and uncaring nature and attitude of the rich will not allow it. Roland. Sent from Samsung Mobile
