Letters to the Editor
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Distributed generation
Interesting post, Andrew. I immediately thought of distributed power generation (many small power producing "nodes" versus few large ones) as the leap-frogging equivalent to cell phones as a way to solve (some) of India's power issues. I wonder what's happening there on that front?
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There is also a geographic component
It's simply cheaper to erect cell phone towers than it is to run long lines all over the country. Like in Chile, it's a better solution than trying to deal with the logistics of mountains and such. In India the long distances of a large country I'm sure have something to bear on this. Another fascinating thing you see in some countries, among them, Brazil is the use of cell phone blimps in lieu of towers. It's an even cheaper solution to hoist some airships and tether them over stretches of land that aren't easily accessible for building and maintaining cell towers.
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Alternatively
The absence of an established power infrastructure could allow for the development and implementation of regional, renewable energy production technologies. Just as cell phones are able to spread more-quickly than land-base voice or data lines because they require less (and less-permanent) infrastructure investment, so too can small-scale, individual or community-driven power generation technologies become more appealing than traditional energy networks.
If one were to apply micro-credit funding to the development explosion of new energy-production technologies it could be possible for India to lead the way in sustainable, enviro-friendly, community/small business driven energy markets. India does not have the coal reserves of China and is therefore in a much better position, incentive-wise, to develop alternative methods and technologies. I think it also fits well with Indian cultural heritage, IMHO.
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sometimes a flashlight is just a flashlight
I have no thoughts whatsoever on the status of utilities in India, I have never been there. I do, however, own a cell phone with a built-in flashlight.
The built-in flashlight is a handy little thing that allows me to get around my poorly lit backyard, or pull out and identify my keys late at night. Besides a flashlight, my cell phone includes a calculator, an alarm, stopwatch, still/video camera and MP3/movie player.
I think it's quite a stretch to infer anything from the features of someones cell phone. Besides, most of these "flashlights" function as flashes while taking pictures or videos from the phone.
...Dan
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My cell phone has a flashlight as well
I paid less than $20 for it at Mallwart (it's one of those pre-paid cheapies). I use it as a phone about once a month, but I use the flashlight, the count-down timer, the alarm clock and the "reminder" feature at least once daily.
India is simply following the trend of packing more and more features into our electronic marvels; I ditched my TV when I discovered I could watch movie DVD's on my computer.
If India ever builds a microwave that can function as a sewing machine as well, I'll be first in line to buy it.
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Of course there are power cuts
Maybe I'm overreacting because I see so many far more glaring examples of American (all right: *Western*) myopia in places like Slashdot than this Salon article, but -- really! -- how come it didn't occur to the author that the "ubiquitous power cuts" might be because more than cellphones are spreading rapidly in India: so are every modern electrical convenience you can imagine, starting with air-conditioning! Supply is lagging demand, which is a consequence of what they call "market-driven" economies. The power cuts are mostly (by far) "load-shedding", which even we here in Toronto have been threatened with in the last few years: not enough power available for all the air-conditioners that are being installed so rapidly. It takes many years to build a power-plant. It takes only days between the thought and the act to install an "A/C" (as Indians *always* call it). And an awful lot of Indians have discovered that they could now afford an "A/C" -- and have gone out and bought one. So we have a massive shortfall in power. Who is going to stop the consumer from buying so desirable an appliance?
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Cellphones in India
Anonymous--good point but powercuts have been going on long before the recent "uptick" in high tech gadgetry. It is called inefficiency and corruption. Here are other potential gadgets that should be introduced on an Indian phone:
-button than can provide clean drinking water for poor
-help for farmers who commit suicide because they can't afford to feed their families
-one click will free you from the lifetime bondage of caste
-a button to make that garbage you just threw on the ground disappear
Point being (like Andrew pointed out) that India has advanced in many ways but the reality of day to day life for most people (still mostly rural) is corruption, living on $1 a day, dead disgusting rivers and a staggering amount of garbage on the streets.
Expat living in India (who actually loves India--just a little truth today)