Statistics and development

Numbers are amazing beings! yes they have life because they rule us.

Humans devised numbers for their ease to estimate and analyze the proximate world. The comfort

facilitated by the numbers coerced humans to extend their applicability. Sooner the numbers enveloped the human imagination and became the currency of his ambitions, thus preying on his vulnerability to be on the top. Now these numbers govern the people, economy, nations and their development. There is a steeplechase of improving on the survey charts that epitomise the perfect and  conducive life. But are these numbers real paradigm of wellness or is it another marvel of a fabulous text called ‘statistics’?

Numbers known as GDP, inflation, per capita income, the Sensex and many more ascertains the health of a nation. To a commoner, the improvement in the figures of these entities provides a sigh of relief as it nurtures a hope of a better economy and easy life. But what startles me is an improving economy where the lack of accessibility of basic amenities remains same for a large fraction of the population. Inflation rate is lowered, but eatables continue to float at soaring rates. Here comes the role of delicate intricacies of statistics. 

Statistics is a science of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. It is a brilliant technique that helps to enhance the presentability of data. So, the same set of information when applied to different analysis yield antithetical interpretations. This accounts for the incongruities between the facts and the projected data. The statistics contribute an average state to the involved population though the state of the populace is individualistic.

Hence, we must try to scrutinize the illusion sponsored by these numbers and look beneath them, the nonstatistical ground reality.