India... The Bad, The Good, and The Great

So I just got back from my 3 week trip to India a few days ago… probably my nicest trip of the year… Just a few thoughts, of the bad, the good, and the great of what I saw…

Lets start with the bad. And I hope no one takes offence to these comments… remember… ‘Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota hai… perfect banane parta hai…’

The Bad

There is absolutely no question that India has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years, and has modernized itself phenomenally. But I wonder, what is the best definition of modernization? Is it westernization, or something else? The reason that I ask, is that while I feel Indians have gone out of their way to emulate the negative aspects of western culture, they haven’t been so forthcoming in emulating the positive aspects. Everyone wants to eat, walk, shop and talk like westerners… everyone wants to date and party, and essentially do all the fun things that we corrupt westerners do… but where is the emulation of the good practices? What about punctuality? Everyone still shows up late to everything… What about professionalism and courtesy? No one has the patience to wait in a lineup… everyone just pushes and shoves their way to the front of a line (which makes sense since everyone is late to begin with)… What about civic sense? It is shameful how people still just throw their rubbish, or spit on the road, rather than having the common sense to find a trash bin.

A funny example I can think of is the construction of pedestrian overpasses in Kolkata… no doubt, a very good idea… the idea is to provide these overhead walkways so that people aren’t running across the street, risking their lives and clogging up traffic… a very good idea… at least in theory, anyway. In fact, what I observed was that people would still rather risk their lives and scamper across 4 lanes of traffic rather than simply climb up a flight of stairs and easily walk across… is it stupidity, laziness, or just a lack of sense… I wasn’t quite able to figure it out… however, what made the situation even more hilarious, is that these newly constructed structures turned out to be very good spots for guys to take their girlfriends up for a bit of privacy… after all, they were essentially deserted, I guess the view was better than that at street level, and was the perfect spot to share a bit of intimacy I suppose… now there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do so, but it just seemed like a total waste of resources. My point is, if people have decided that they are modern enough to follow the essentially western traditions of dating, then they should also figure out that a overpass is to be used for walking first, and PDA later…

The Good

I happened to be in Kolkata on the anniversary of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. While I have noticed that in the past, in the aftermath of such terrorist attacks, there will be a bit of an outcry, over time, general public apathy returns, and all is forgotten. Such was not the case after 26/11. There is a genuine sense of outrage, anger, and disgust over such a shameful act, and I felt that everyone was united, regardless of age, religion, and language in condemnation. Contrary to what the terrorists hoped to achieve, I really felt there was a sense of unity and solidarity amongst the people. It is really a wonderful display of strength, and was very much heartening to see.

The Great

I also had the good fortune of being able to travel to Southern India this time. What outsiders don’t realize about India is that travelling to a different region of the country not only feels like you are travelling to a different country itself, but in some cases, feels like you are travelling to a different planet! Mannerisms, dress, language, religious practise, everything changes. And yet, there is unity. It is still one country, and to me that is absolutely amazing.

Europe may pride itself on its culture… but the fact is, despite essentially being of the same ethnicity, the continent was, and continues to fracture itself along the slightest difference in religion or language (think Yugoslavia, or to a smaller extent even the current situation in Belgium). What culture is there, when immigrants are expected to assimilate, and you can’t coexist with anyone who is even slightly different from you? North America may pride itself on its high standard of living… but I wonder if some of the ethnic minorities in the USA feel the same way, having spent their lives growing up in a Ghetto?

Despite the tremendous differences, and difficult situations Indians have had to face, in the past 62 years, democracy has triumphed, and the country has remained united… this is something absolutely unique, and something every Indian should take pride in.

I have done a lot of travelling this year, and have logged a lot of miles. I have travelled extensively on 3 different continents within the same year, and not many people can say that. After all these travels, I can say that without a doubt, that although there may be umpteen problems with the country of India, there is still something magical about it, and I am really privileged that my roots were based from such an amazing place.