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For an interview, I was able to get connected with Professor Paudyal who is a English teacher at Honolulu Community College. Professor Paudyal was born and raised in Nepal which is a landlocked country between India. In my interview with Professor Paudyal, I had asked him a few questions which are: What is your perspective of what the relationship is like between Nepal and India? Do they share some of the same policies and practices around wealth inequality, housing, and poverty? Or do they seem really different?

Professor Paudyal's Response:
"As predominantly Hindu countries, Nepal and India share a worldview that may partly explain wealth inequality, housing, and poverty. The fact that both countries' economies depend a great deal on agriculture also helps explain things a bit.

Religion provides a belief system that is hard to shake off. Hindus believe in karma, the idea that what happens to you in this life is the consequence of what you did in your previous life and what you do in this life will influence your next life. While the majority of people in India and Nepal do not completely believe in it and put in a lot of effort to change the circumstances of their life, the belief persists at the back of the mind and provides a "rationale" for a justification of wealth inequality. If you are poor, it is because of the lack of good deeds in your previous life. Again, this belief is being questioned by educated people as well as the less educated ones these days; nonetheless,  it explains the historical-cultural basis of wealth inequality in Nepal and India.

Housing is not a serious problem everywhere in Nepal and India. By a serious problem, I mean not being able to afford a place to stay. The wealthy and the middle class in the city and the poor in rural areas all have housing. In the worst form, the problem exists at the place where workers supplied by the rural parts of the country are used in urban areas that cannot provide them a decent living arrangement. People displaced from villages—no land to work on or no local employment or conditions of servitude—push the rural labor to urban areas, where they get better wages but those wages are not enough to rent an apartment. As a result, makeshift arrangements or living in the streets become the only option left for these people, whether it is in Kathmandu or in Mumbai. Poverty in Nepal and India both can be explained partly by lack of education and the attitude of fatalism that comes with a belief in karma. Also, because of the caste system, people think that certain kinds of jobs—the manual labor, for example—are beneath them. Therefore, the kind of work they are willing to do in a foreign country—Malaysia or the Gulf countries—they are not willing to do it in their own countries. Another reason for the ongoing poverty is the history of colonialism: while political colonialism is over, the subjugation of the national economies to foreign capital, the multinationals, and the IMF dictates, leaves fewer options, especially for a far smaller country like Nepal."

This interview was based on Professor Paudyal's experience and own opinions and not based on research.

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Due to poverty, many people are not able to have access to proper healthcare, living spaces, employment and even education. The system has failed to give children the opportunity to receive any form of education and knowledge therefore this leads them to an unsuccessful future and limits their opportunity of future careers.

“Though primary school enrollment is exceptionally good, the education students receive in most rural schools is unacceptably bad, and less than 10% among them graduate from high school. While government statistics on national literacy have steadily improved for years, several independent studies have shown that less than 20% of the rural population can read or write beyond their own names, and an even smaller percentage can do simple arithmetic.”

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The main reason for low level of income of the majority of Indian people is unemployment and underemployment and the consequent low productivity of labour. Low labour productivity implies low rate of economic growth which is the main cause of poverty and inequality of the large masses of people. In this idea, the rich gets richer but the poor just gets poorer. This continues to put those who are poor at risk as they continue to be unemployed but if they are employed, their wages are not sustainable to help them meet their needs in terms of living.

"The top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth. 73% of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1%, while 67 million Indians who comprise the poorest half of the population saw only a 1% increase in their wealth. There are 119 billionaires in India."

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The idea of ‘housing poverty’ is analogous in that there is a benchmark in terms of requirements such as assured supply of water and electricity, minimum amount of space, and sanitation and hygiene. These are qualities every housing lacks in India. People who live in rural India do not have adequate water, electric, sleeping rooms, or even an adequate home to live in.

"According to the Indian government and the World Bank, less than 30% of the nation is poor, and 70% of the poor (225 million) live in the villages. These official statistics are based on a per capita consumption expenditure of Rs. 356 ($8.70) per month, or Rs. 11.70 ($0.28) per day. This low yardstick grossly undercounts the number of poor people in rural India, and certainly does not reflect the living conditions for most of them."

"It is estimated that the housing shortage is currently around 73.6 million units, of which 26.3 million is urban. In addition, over 93 million people live in urban slums without adequate access to clean water, sanitation and security of tenure."

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India ia one of the fastest growing economies but has the poorest living qualities that put the citizens of India in suffer. The system has failed the people because although there is great economic growth, there is a badly neglected downfall of inequality and adequate human rights to living conditions, healthcare, food, and water. Through this padlet, there are statistics and resources that support the factors of poor housing, poverty, and wealth inequality that Indians live in.

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Central Intelligence Agency. “South Asia :: India — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency.” Cia.Gov, 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html.

“Global Inequality - Inequality.org.” Inequality.org, 2019, inequality.org/facts/global-inequality/.

“Income Inequality in India Continues to Rise: Report.” The Wire, thewire.in/economy/income-inequality-india-china-report. Accessed 16 Dec. 2020.

“Poverty in India: Causes, Effects, Injustice & Exclusion.” Poverties.org, 2013, www.poverties.org/blog/poverty-in-india.

“U.S. GDP Per Capita 1960-2020.” Macrotrends.net, 2020, www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/gdp-per-capita.

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University of Pennsylvania, W. (2007, August 23). India's Rural Poor: Why Housing Isn't Enough to Create Sustainable Communities. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/indias-rural-poor-why-housing-isnt-enough-to-create-sustainable-communities/

Arora, M. (n.d.). Salvaging the Indian Healthcare System. Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.guindiaink.org/india-healthcare

D’souza, R. (2020, January 08). Housing poverty in urban India: The failures of past and current strategies and the need for a new blueprint. Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.orfonline.org/research/housing-poverty-in-urban-india-the-failures-of-past-and-current-strategies-and-the-need-for-a-new-blueprint-48665/

“India: Extreme Inequality in Numbers.” Oxfam International, 19 Oct. 2019, www.oxfam.org/en/india-extreme-inequality-numbers.

Housing Poverty in India: Tacklings Slums &amp; Inequalities. (2019, August 01). Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/country/india/

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Nepal is a small mountainous state that borders India to the north. Geopolitically, it is similar to Bhutan and the former independent state of Tibet.

Nepal was once united with India under the Mughal empire until the British came to occupy the region.

India and Nepal share a similar culture, and have a history of cooperation, namely the 1950 Friendship Treaty. This treaty was in part created to provide Nepal an ally against China following the communist invasion of Tibet.

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Some 70% of Indians live in rural zones, which happen to be the least developed and the poorest of the entire nation. Some 50% of Indians lack shelter, 70% lack proper restrooms, and nearly half of all rural communities lack proper infrastructure.

Despite this, India proudly boasts its growing housing market and construction industry. This may be true, though only for urban communities.

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Due to high poverty rates in India, there are many people who do not have access to life necessities but importantly, they do not have access to healthcare. India has both public and private health insurance, but private insurance is largely restricted to the rich urban strata of society :

“More than half of all children in the country under the age of four suffer from malnutrition; this statistic is far higher for rural children. The government has built a vast system of more than 170,000 primary health centers and sub-centers throughout the country, and more are added each year, yet most of them are either dysfunctional or do not regularly provide even the minimal level of basic health care.”

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The Indian people are subject to immense poverty in some regions, or vast wealth in others. A vast majority of India's economy and population are concentrated in rural areas. It happens to be that these areas exhibit the highest poverty rates in the nation.

Indian GDP per capita is a mere 7.2k, whereas America's is 65k. Despite great increases in India's national GDP, the poverty rates have increased.

Despite government claims, the poverty rate in India remains inaccurately reported. Due to the ancient caste social system, large amounts of dalit/untouchables remain in abject poverty, ignored by politicians.

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India is one of the oldest nations, home to one of the first civilizations. It is bordered by China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Burma/Myanmar. Its capital region is New Delhi, and the nation's population is approximately 1.4 billion. It is home to multiple ethnic groups like the Dravidians and Indo-Aryans, as well as numerous religions, such as Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism.

India's history is rich with highs and lows, the lowest point perhaps being the many years of subservience to the British East India Company. India is a rather recently-emancipated nation, gaining independence in 1947, but it is a nation with extensive history and culture. Despite India's rich history and culture, it remains a nation plagued by economic, social, and political injustices and corruption.

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Nepal is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south, and west and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north. As close neighbors, India and Nepal share unique ties of friendship and cooperation characterized by an open border and deep-rooted people-to- people contacts of kinship and culture. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 formed the special relationship that now exist between India and Nepal. About nearly 8 million Nepalese citizens live and work in India.

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It is no secret that global income inequality is rising. Multi-national corporations have reaped vast profits, and benefited few other than their own employees and shareholders. Half of the world's wealth is held by a fraction of a percentage of the world's population.

India is no exception.  Indian economic inequality has risen by 15% in the past 20 years, with the top 10% of citizens going from possessing 40% of economic capital to 55% (inequality).

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Capital State: New Delhi

Total Population: 1,380,004,385

Official Language: Hindi

Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)

Bordering Countries: Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar

India is the world's oldest, largest and continuous civilization. The name 'India'  was derived from the river Indus. The country has a total of 3,287,263 sq km. India is a land where people from different cultures and religious backgrounds live together as a nation. When it comes to its history, India is filled with many interesting facts especially when it comes to topics such as housing, poverty, and wealth inequality.

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Affordable housing in India has been one of major concerns in India today. According to Census 2001, the housing shortage was 18.5 million dwelling units, which 13.7 million were for rural areas and 4.8 million were for urban areas. About 80% of houses in rural areas do not have basic amenities like safe drinking water, bathroom, toilets, and ect.

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Compared to most countries that have a nation-wide minimum wage, India has no mandatory minimum rate of pay for workers. Pay rates are agreed upon directly with the employer through collective bargaining or other means of negotiating. About 60% of India's 1.3 billion people live on less than $3.10 a day, the World Bank's median poverty and 21% or more than 250 million people, survive on less than $2 a day.

Statistics:

50% of Indians don’t have proper shelter. In this instance, the definition of "proper" is defined as a component architectural structure within a total system consisting of various settlement variables. In India, 80% of houses in rural areas do not have basic amenities like safe drinking water, bathrooms, and toilets.

70% don’t have access to decent toilets (which inspires a multitude of bacteria to host their own disease party)

35% of households don’t have a nearby water source

85% of villages don’t have a secondary school.

Over 40% of these same villages don’t have proper roads connecting them. In this instance, "proper" is defined as a roadway without any hazards such as pot holes, unfinished pavements, or any other damages. In rural areas, roadways are built poorly with bad riding quality, poor geometrics, and insufficient pavement thickness, not allowing people to have all weather roads making it a tough time during monsoons. Before roads were created, Indian transportation was conducted by water.

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While India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is also one of the most unequal countries. Inequality has been on the rise for the last 3 decades. In India, the wealthy have cornered a huge part of the wealth created in the country through capitalism and inheritance.

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“India: Extreme Inequality in Numbers.” Oxfam International, 19 Oct. 2019, www.oxfam.org/en/india-extreme-inequality-numbers.

“India Minimum Wage Rate 2020.” Federal and State Minimum Wage Rates for 2020, www.minimum-wage.org/international/india#:~:text=While India has no national minimum wage,minimum wages,set a separate minimum wage for agricultural workers.

Orgi. “Housing.” Census of India: Housing, censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/housing.aspx.

Staff, Editorial, et al. “89 Interesting Facts About India.” The Fact File, 28 Oct. 2020, thefactfile.org/india-facts/#:~:text=Human with most teeth in the world. 1,the world despite having budget constraints. More items.

“भारतीय राजदूतावास काठमांडू, नेपाल Embassy of India Kathmandu, Nepal.” Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Nepal : About India-Nepal Relations, www.indembkathmandu.gov.in/page/about-india-nepal-relations/.