What is the message of the poem?
A Poem on Development
As we look at the roads, schools, hospitals, wells, tractors,
that are appearing here and there
and all the fuss made about them, we may wonder,
IS THIS DEVELOPMENT?
If this is not, then what is?
A village gets a tractor or builds a well.
Many people rejoice, here comes development,
the productive forces are expanding!
But someone says,
development of people, not of things!
Ten years of well digging,
road building, tractor importing
give no guarantee against ten following years of indolence, corruption, injustice and
stagnation.
Development, if any is to be found behind the well;
the way it was decided and built,
how credit was fought for,
in the discussions that went on
during its construction.
The tractor, behind its shiny exterior,
surrounded by smiling villagers and illustrious potentates.
Does it represent growing indigenous capacity
for production and organization
or growing desire and ability to get what one needs
from the Government or other agencies
with the least possible effort and at the
sacrifice of independent thought?
The tractor could represent many lies told
and as many truths withheld.
To judge how much development a thing represents,
we have to look at the people
who brought the thing about, and how and why…
Answer the question:
What is the message of the poem?
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