Rapid economic growth is changing the face of India and China, mostly for the better but sometimes for the worst.

At the core of this change is the new jobs that are being created for the poor - in IT and outsourced services for India and manufacturing in China.

BusinessWeek is running an engaging slideshow with images reflecting the changes that are happening on the ground, and the people whose lives are getting transformed.

Sujatha Rao had hoped to reach out to corporates attending the conference but those in attendance before her were a handful of journalists, representatives of Non Governmental Organisations and interested individuals.

"We lost 500,000 people to AIDS last year. There are 5.2 million HIV infected people in India," she said.

Rediff gives a profile of the woman with supposedly India's toughest job (a subjective opinion that. I am sure Smt. Rabri Devi would have a distinct other view, what with looking after 9 kids and 47 cows/buffaloes).

During the late 70s and the early 80s, one of the most recurrent themes across the middle class aspiration segment was a home of it's own.

That seemed to long be a thing of the past with the boom in the home-loan segment by the end of 2000. Imperceptibly, this last few years the prices in the real estate segment are increasing to heights that the average lawful hard working indian cannot reach.

Rediff reports on Why real estate prices are so high?

Two issues should get attention. First, it is natural for house prices to climb when the economy is doing well, incomes are rising and interest rates are low. All those factors encourage investment in housing, so demand increases and there is nothing wrong with that. The issue that should get attention is the supply side: What are we doing to ensure that supply grows with demand, so that prices stay reasonable? The answer is: Precious little.

The truth about Indian graduates is what everyone in India knows about and yet no-one refutes when another "Indian millennium is on it's way" headline hits the day. Everyone calmly believes in the classic fashion of the ostrich that if you have your head firmly in the sand, then no-one can see you. Even the few articles that see the day of the truth are just wanting to sound different from the rest of the media.

Like this one.

Estimated at 14 million, India's supply of young professionals is 1.5 times the size of China's, almost twice that of the U.S., and topped up by 2.5 million new graduates every year.But our HR professionals judged that only between 10% and 25% of the country's graduates would be hired by multinationals, with the proportion varying by field of study.

India's capital city isn't in capital conditions. The Supreme Court of India has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to demolish and seal all shops around residential areas.

This is in accordance with the Master Plan 2021 that most of delhi has grossly and illegally ignored till now.

At the moment though, there is a high amount of resistance from the trading community, as understandeably their means of livelihood(albeit illegal for all this while) is suddenly gone. There has been a certain amount of gloom in the air. Angry demonstrations, road jams, and forcible breaking open of the seals despite strict directives to the contrary are the norm. Most consumer companies also closed their financial year on a low note due to these impending clamp-downs.

Madam Tussad's in Baywatch? This is better seen than explained. Oh, and you can theoretically order one of yours here too.

Baywatch has recently added a new attraction -- India's first wax museum of famous people.

A suggestion book is placed prominently at the museum so you can request who you would like to see at the museum when you come next. This is forwarded to an advisory board.

There is only one sculptor who works on these request. His name is Sunil Kandallore and he works in Kayamkulam, located in Alleppey district in Kerala. Thirty-three-year old Sunil's wax statues cost Rs 200,000 to Rs 250,000 and are made completely from wax.

Pics and the whole story here.

Indian fashion is inspiring articles in the gulf! And when newspapers in Dubai run lines like the following, one wonders just which way is the morality lesson going to.

Slipping bustiers and busted zippers on the catwalk are lending spice to a top fashion show in India, a conservative country where the slightest hint of sexuality can titillate.

Clothes coming undone on the ramp are nothing new to the fashion world, but in India the slip-ups have sent newspaper editors and TV producers into a feeding frenzy.

TV channels repeatedly broadcast the footage, blurring out the model’s breasts, while newspapers published reports with photographs of the model during her moment of distress.

Indian art has been so taken for granted and pushed under the carpet all these years that every stir on the hammer creates headlines.

Last year Tayeb Mehta's Mahisasura stunned the art world by becoming the first piece of modern Indian art to be sold for over a million dollars.

At Sotheby's Asia week today two more paintings by Raza and Tayeb Mehta have crossed the million-dollar mark.Falling Figure with Bird by Tyeb Mehta and Tapovan by SH Raza were just two of over 200 pieces of modern Indian art that went under the hammer at the Indian and Southeast Asian Art sale at Sotheby's.

However, a cautionary note is well due. How many indians really do know about art? Most artists are treated more as Page3-or-nowhere rather than professionals.

Read more at DNA India

This is ideal story for indian geeks working for American MNCs. American MNCs use Indian offices to dump maintainance work, low quality work in India. All the low end jobs are being shifted to Indian offices. This should be used by Indian Geeks as learning opportunity. While working for American MNC's they can build side business and start their own venture.

Signal Vs. Noise says

At SxSW a few weeks ago I spoke about starting a side business instead of quitting your job. Build something on the side. Give it a go and see what happens. The constraint of less time will help you focus on what’s important. If there’s something there, then take it the next step.

The world's largest democracy or the world's largest hoax, India means different things to different people.

Shobha warrier gives us a better picture on how are things on the ground:

Now that the assembly election dates for West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu have been announced, I have started visualising the arrogant, supercilious and aloof politicians suddenly transforming themselves into friendly and smiling folk. I see them coming down from their high pedestals with folded hands, walking through dirty lanes, talking to the unkempt people and lifting the unwashed children with running noses.

Read her complete post here.