http://abcnews.go.com/Business/GadgetGuide/story?id=4150486&page=1
This article is about India's richest man, trillionaire Mukesh Ambani, who decided it would be fun to build a 27 story home on the outskirts of New Delhi. Located near a city in which over 6 million impoverished people live in slums, Ambani has received his share of ridicule from worldwide humanitarians protesting his tower-esque home.
The mostly glass home was engineered by a Chicago architect. The high ceilings will make 27 stories seem more like 60, which is needed, of course, for the helicopter landing on the roof. If one has a fear of flying they can always park in one of the 168 parking spots in the built-in parking ramp, and them be escorted inside by one of 600 servants. Along with a health club, the humble abode will contain a full size movie theater and swimming pool - perfect for when his three children want to have sleepovers.
Now, in my opinion, this is completely ridiculous. This man technically only needs a home big enough for the five people in his immediate family, and no, I don't think that him saying he's taking in his mother-in-law is rationale enough to add an extra 25 stories onto a house.
In a country that deals with as much poverty as India, one would think that if he or she had an extra billion dollars or so lying around that there would be better uses for it than making sure you can survey the countryside for miles around by standing on your roof. With a quarter of its people below the poverty level and the 2007 GDP being an average of $2700, it's obvious that the people less fortunate than Ambani could benefit from his pocket change.
Also, if the ridiculously rich decided to donate their extra money (even if they kept enough to proclaim they still had more than everyone else) the population problem in India would be lessened. More income means more education, meaning a better chance for a good job, meaning less time to raise a family, meaning less kids. More money also means better health care, so one can have only one or two kids and not worry about them dying before the age of five. Better education also leads to more knowledge of family planning. If the population decreases, then the current social, economic, and environmental problems won't be as severe. I realize that it's not really this simple, but everything is interconnected, and it all starts with the common impoverished people being able to receive enough money to get an education. If that is allowed, then millions of other problems will naturally solve themselves over time.
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6 comments:
This is one hell of an idea you got brewing in your head joelle. Over the summer during one of my 16 hour shifts, this same thing into my head and swam around like a shark that would die if it stopped swimming. I eventually went to the fact that the rich only have an incentive to be rich so that they have marginal utility from the people around them. People who truly want nothing but to help other are few in the world, I know that 99.8% of the population wants to offer some help, but lower than 1% will because they made the money, why should they give it to someone else? In my eyes, I would build 15 schools and hire teachers to teach in them versus building a 27 story tall house.
But he is providing some serious job work, and he isn't one that will not have the money to pay for it all. The material is going to be domestic and the servants as well so he is pushing a lot of cash into the economy for his own good. I don't know what to think really, to each his own.
Well first off I'd like to say kudos to Tony and that shark analogy up there... hahah I chuckled a little over that one.
But anyway, good article Joelle! I can't even fathom what I would do with 27 rooms in my house, let alone 27 floors! I can't believe this guy isn't thinking about anyone but himself. Honestly, I think the guy can live without a health club, movie theater, etc.
Wow..
I know everyone says this, but I honestly think if I became rich, I'd try to be at least somewhat of a philanthropist. More so than this guy, that's for sure!
who knows joelle, maybe he really doesn't like his mother in law that much.
it is kind of a scary moral situation where this guy is ok with flying over all of his poor neighbors in his personal helicopter, but like tony said, to each his own.
it is sad that this man is ok with the way he has spent his money, but tony's other point is valid too. just building the house would have involved hundreds of carpenters and construction workers. This guy is also has employed most of a small town, and im sure these people appreciate the income.
Maybe he wants to have a great view of the impoverished land that he plans to donate billions to! Or I'm just way too optimistic. This is quite rediculous, however I think him building this useless tower is better for the economy opposed to the money just sitting there. Environmentally though, I'm sure its an atrocity. But at least the guy is making 600 jobs as servants around the tower. I bet the guy pays them somewhat well too, or at least gives them food and shelter so they can stay lookin' good on the job. And the architecht is sure making a shitload off of this too.
blagkjdouec.
although i understand that he had to hire people to build this ridiculous...house(?) i highly doubt that he employed the impoverished citizens. He probably hired some fairly well of carpenters, architects etc., people that have built structures like this before and are well known for their work. So, although I see where that argument is coming from, I'm not so sure it's valid.
maybe he invites all the impoverished citizens of india over for popcorn and a movie.
you know i was right there with you joelle until i read tony's comment. i didn't consider all the work he's creating both through the construction and upkeep of his home. yes, 27 stories is ridiculous, and I definitely would have done something different like buy tons of rice or build schools and get clean water for the people, but perhaps that's not the way to do it. By employing 600 people and thousands through the construction process, he creates a very small ripple in a large pond, by providing them with steady jobs and therefore a better life for their family. that ripple will grow and grow with each generation.
it's like the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Perhaps just aid and charity isn't the only way to grow an economy and society. this just might work...
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