For Santram, 40, and other villagers, the economic boom stops at the boundary of towns and cities, robbing them of jobs.
Government aid doesn't seem to reach them, either.
"None of that reaches us because the politicians and the bureaucrats eat up the money that is supposedly for us," he said as he and about a dozen other villagers sheltered from the scorching afternoon sun under a tree.
For many in the cities, it is a very different story.
In Gurgaon, a booming satellite city south of Delhi, high-rise apartment complexes, glass office towers and glitzy shopping malls epitomize new wealth.
In the Metropolitan Mall, one of the largest in the area, shoppers flock to a newly opened Tommy Hilfiger store, the country's first.
"In every way life has changed," said Sharmila Bakshi, 39, a smartly dressed teacher, as she shopped for a pair of sunglasses.
"Access to consumer goods has revolutionized people's lives," said her husband, Akhil.
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