A website is as mute as a tree falling in a forest if neither is heard.

Look at Gates, look at Buffette, two richest persons on the planet, donated most of their earnings to charity. a whopping $80 billion dollars. If it is some Murthy or some Gupta (no offense, just threw some names), the kids will inherit all the wealth, and make sure family last name will be more puplar, will try to double or triple or whatever best they can do in their lifetime and then pass it onto their children.

I am not blaming/supporting any body. There is so much gap between rich and poor in India that something has to be done.The rich should actively invlove in helping the needy.My complain is that philonthrophy is not in the rich’culture.It is always about me, my family,my relations, and sometimes my cast.

With all the IT boom, lot of new riches came in.Gap between rich and poor is widening even more.Millionares became billionares.Middle class bacme upper class.But poor are ven more poor now. People just dont give damn to the issue of poverty.We have grown up ignoring poverty.Come on, people committing suicide for not able to pay dept of 1000 rupees (~$50), come on that is insanity, nobody does anything to solve it becuase it is not them.

Things should change.Wealth is always relative but you dont need 1000 crores to live happily, there is nothing wrong helping the community and the poor, espcially where people loose lives for mere peanuts.I hope the new techie riches will get this concept.

phew,,,sorry Om for making this chat room’sh. just had to vent it out.

I see some real benefits if many villages have websites and they coordinate their activities like this. The primiary benefit must be that they form a group and think and act like a group. The public persona must be supported by day-to-day activities and interactions; this should lead a more harmonious group. And so on. I see only positives.

You have to look at underminig problem.There are number of villages in India and there are all sorts of problems starting from no proper drinking water,no roads, no work etc., What is the solution?

Let’s say this concept of having website clicks and every village has website, how is it going to solve the problem? One should look at the roots of the problem. Government does not have that much money, can not produce that many number of jobs.

At abstract level, I think it is good start.Something has to be done and this is something.

However as others have mentioned as this is in English it is not useful. You can not always get the best method on day one.

One problem I see is rich Indians do not care about the needy.Rich keep on multiplying money and give it to kids but philonthrophic activity is almost nil.Dad builds a palace with 20 servants and son inherits and builds multiples with 100 servants, there is no concept of really helping the poor.

Let’s say this concept of having website clicks and every village has website, how is it going to solve the problem? One should look at the roots of the problem. Government does not have that much money, can not produce that many number of jobs.

I think

At abstract level, I think it is good start.Something has to be done and this is something.

However as others have mentioned as this is in English it is not useful. You can not always get the best method on day one.

Sure, when pushed, the people involved come up with reasons – the government will take notice, etc. etc.

But this site has uploaded details on every single resident in the village. It is self expression for the sake of self expression.

Non-rational endeavour has driven most of the world’s technological progress over the last 500 years. That is why people took note.

And then Ed K says:

“I find this post arrogant.

The fact that you and others are writing about “this” village may be proof enough that a web site will have value for them. The website puts them on a map where others may find then and perhaps want to learn more.”

The fact is each of you have totally different perspective. Shailaja has seen these kind of villages all her life (in fact almost everyone in India has) and she is closer to the ground reality and know the problems facing these and other villages first hand. That knowledge helps her to realize that this website is not the solution but a misguided effort because it pretends to be a solution.

On the other hand I doubt if Mr Edward K. has lived closer to the ground reality of India like Shailaja has , so for him having a website like this is interesting because it is a window to the other side.But Mr Edward, please note Shailaja is not arrogant , she is simply worried about the general despair that hangs around in the rural heartland. Looking at her article through the prism of the “burden of the white man” only points to your own internal arrogance.

But I think this article is less about the failure of development efforts in India, and more about the failure of modern journalism. Why does Rueters tout a village website as a major success story? Because many Rueters writers come from a tradition of little to know real research. This is why I like GigaOm.com. I feel like you guys dig a little deeper and think through some of the issues you address. Thanks for the article!

The website of this village has become a laughing stock atleast from my perspective. What’s really hilarious is that the site is in English and is meant for people who don’t understand “E” of English! What a waste of resources. My first impression was that the site was meant for Reuters and the likes just to gain some popularity which might later be used to extract grants and all. What a pity!

Content in English is like, kala akshar bhains barabar to people in villages. Content made only in local language can be effective.

These senseless people have a false illusion of converting every Indian as Englishman, a task which even British could not accomplish even in 200 years. Really weird!

The fact that you and others are writing about “this” village may be proof enough that a web site will have value for them. The website puts them on a map where others may find then and perhaps want to learn more.

I have been surprised by the way technology such as mobile telephones are used in small villages in Africa. It seems every adult has access to a phone which is a shock in itself given the cost. Most people in the villages are not educated but have found novel ways to use the phones. An example that is frequently thrown about is farmers getting/sharing price information for cotton or coffee. Text messaging has become the primary way of reaching relatives and friends during emergencies (in the past this was done via announcements on the main radio stations.)

A computer in a small village may not see the uses that “you” value. But I am certain that the villages will find ways to benefit from it. We should all be prepared for surprises as more computers find their way into such communities.