Originally posted by Indigo_Child
[...It has a $3.3 trillion economy, it's nearly the 3rd largest in the world(will overtake Japan in a few years)... technocrats of 200 million and a
lot of software development and infotech is outsourced to it and it's own software industry is a multi-billion dollar powerhouse.
It boasts of the finest universities, institutes and colleges in Asia. Including a research lab recently established by MIT. Most of the fortune 500
companies are operating in India....
and is also the spiritual capitol of the world. So it makes a lot of sense for aliens to engage India
www.talkingpointsmemo.com... 
Indigo Child,
Just to keep it real:
Actually, India has the world's 12th largest economy (not "nearly the third"), with a GDP of nearly a half-trillion dollars and I will bet ANYONE
$1,000 USD it does not break into the top five within the next five years (India's economy would have to triple for this to happen). With the
re-election of the Congress Party, I'm afraid the days of fostering rapid growth in the IT sector may be over (while it will continue to grow, it
will never reach the levels of growth encountered in the late 90's).
While the IIT is an incredibly difficult school to get in to (in India), nearly every educated Indian will tell you they would rather see their
children go to MIT than IIT...

Not that their top schools are not good (or very good), but more often than not western universities are preferred
over their Asian regional counterparts.
Also, while nearly every Fortune 500 company has either dedicated staff or dedicated development centers now located in India, it is worth noting that
a) this is because this India is where all the engineers are, and b) this model itself is dynamic and in the process of shifting. Indian larbor
inflation is little-by-little pricing (even off-site) labor out of the market. Infrastructure problems force companies to look elsewhere. Tax
breaks, such as in the state of Karnataka, are about to expire, which will inevitably force a lot of these companies to look elsewhere. And lastly, a
disproportionate amount of India's recent growth in the IT sector has been in the "drive-through" segment, i.e., call centers, BOP centers, etc.
Lastly, I will give big props to Hinduism, as it is far less dogmatic than Christianity or Islam. That being said, it to has become bastardized to a
lessor degree than the aforementioned other religions... it gets treated like a business by too many of its practitioners, and it seems just as common
for a Hindu as it is for a Christian or Muslim to get lost staring at the finger (instead of looking where it's pointing).
Now, having said all that, if you'll scroll up a 'lil, you'll see I came down on blackSt for the same ignorant comment as did you.
***Edited note: I re-read (and confirmed) a Washington Times referrence regarding
adjusted GDP figures where India would rank as the 4th
largest economy in the world. This number is adjusted based on the national debt carried by each respective nation, and essentially, India is debt
free, but in and of itself, the numbers are *very* misleading. Read on:
-To keep this in perspective, it is worth noting that *just* General Electric has a greater combined capitalization than the entire Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE Sensex).
-Lastly, here's a link to the International Monetary Fund, which lists India as accounting for only 1.6% of the world's GDP (and only .94% of world
trade) in 2003.
www.imf.org...
[edit on 11-1-2005 by sdrumrunner]