Cab Driver Baldev Sharma on Cell Phones, Internet and the New India
By kamla bhatt • Mar 26th, 2009Category: Featured, India, Internet & Telecom, Life, New Delhi
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Baldev Raj Sharma is one of the countless faces of the new India, where every month 4.5 million new cell phone users are added, and where Internet connectivity is becoming a reality for many people.
I met Mr. Sharma, 72 years old, a couple of months ago when I was visiting New Delhi, and he drove me around the city. The first thing he did when I got into his cab was give me his business card. I also spotted a familiar looking black mobile phone peeping from his shirt pocket. I struck up a conversation with him and listened to him talk about the new and changing India, how he uses his cell phone, and how his children send emails on his behalf, and how he is very happy with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government.
Mr. Sharma migrated to India in 1947 after the partition of the country and says he has seen New Delhi grow into a sprawling metropolis. He lives with his four children and his grand-children. He owns a cell phone that he uses to keep in touch with his clients. He confessed that he hits the green button to talk and other than that has no idea how to use the phone.
The only regret that he has is that he does not own a home. However, he is confident that one of his children will end up buying a home.
This interview was originally published in 2006.
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
It is a good story.
Even after 60+ years of independence the biggest dream for millions is still owning a small home!! And we all know it will only get worse for the lower middle class.