India’s uneven prosperity

Regarding “A divide in the E.U. of the East” by Manu Joseph (Letter from India, Nov. 24): the author makes an astute, often overlooked point, namely that the productive regions of India are subsidizing the vast under-producing regions.

His examples of Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh can be expanded to include, for example, the South and West of India, which have comparatively better governance but have been held back by the more corrupt and inept Hindi belt, and the East. The latter region is a byword for mass illiteracy and malnourishment. This after 64 years of “independence.”

I’m not sure about Mr. Joseph’s assertion of middle-class patriotism. I doubt that any Tamil parent would want their sons to die defending Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh. I suspect that they wonder if they wouldn’t be better off on their own.

S.A. Krishnan, Dallas, Texas