Incredible !ndia
I have been in India for a few days with my sister, who continues her trip around the world. There is such a strong presence of Indians in Dubai that it seems important to come here to better understand this important part of the Dubai population.
Words can't really describe India. The world's largest democracy, home to over 1 billion inhabitants and about to cross the threshold of a $1 trillion annual GDP, India remains poor and from what we have seen, quite undeveloped. More than anywhere I have visited, India defies expectations about human behavior, living habits, and even animals. People often speak about how scary driving can be in developing countries. In India, drivers rely on the "brake, horn and voice" to negotiate almost everything. Traffic never flows in the same direction; cars frequently use the side or middle lanes of oncoming traffic to arrive at their desired destination.
Animals occupy a unrivaled position of authority on the roads and in households. Cows can be compared to domesticated dogs, lounging in front yards the way a golden retriever might do in suburban America. Animals also constitute about 50% of street traffic, with cows and camels pulling wagons and donkeys resting on median strips. While the incessant beeping from the more modern vehicular elements might aim to overwhelm these more primitive ones, their lack of response and clear comfort on busy roads confirms that animals continue to rule.
Despite the feeling of tension between the old and new, India is clearly on the rise. TV and media in general mirror most aspects of the Western ones: an obsession with celebrity (Liz Hurley's wedding is front page news), engagement with local and international politics, non-stop cricket updates and the constant ticker symbols from the Indian stock exchange. Modern and growing, India seems just too big for growth to occur uniformly or according to any logic that one could easily summarize. And sadly, the poverty here is so extreme and widespread, it feels almost forever removed from the economic growth taking place in other parts of society.
Really, it's Incredible !ndia!!
Words can't really describe India. The world's largest democracy, home to over 1 billion inhabitants and about to cross the threshold of a $1 trillion annual GDP, India remains poor and from what we have seen, quite undeveloped. More than anywhere I have visited, India defies expectations about human behavior, living habits, and even animals. People often speak about how scary driving can be in developing countries. In India, drivers rely on the "brake, horn and voice" to negotiate almost everything. Traffic never flows in the same direction; cars frequently use the side or middle lanes of oncoming traffic to arrive at their desired destination.
Animals occupy a unrivaled position of authority on the roads and in households. Cows can be compared to domesticated dogs, lounging in front yards the way a golden retriever might do in suburban America. Animals also constitute about 50% of street traffic, with cows and camels pulling wagons and donkeys resting on median strips. While the incessant beeping from the more modern vehicular elements might aim to overwhelm these more primitive ones, their lack of response and clear comfort on busy roads confirms that animals continue to rule.
Despite the feeling of tension between the old and new, India is clearly on the rise. TV and media in general mirror most aspects of the Western ones: an obsession with celebrity (Liz Hurley's wedding is front page news), engagement with local and international politics, non-stop cricket updates and the constant ticker symbols from the Indian stock exchange. Modern and growing, India seems just too big for growth to occur uniformly or according to any logic that one could easily summarize. And sadly, the poverty here is so extreme and widespread, it feels almost forever removed from the economic growth taking place in other parts of society.
Really, it's Incredible !ndia!!
posted by Pearl of Dubai at 12:31 PM
4 Comments:
HI Jeremy, your entry reminded me of a documentary that I watched about the immense public health initiative to eradicate smallpox in the 70s and 80s. An international coalition of doctors went to many developing countries and set up small operations trying to get parents to bring their children for the vaccine. The most interesting fact was that in India, at any point in time there are at least 10 million people on trains. This was the most challenging hurdle for the doctors to cross. They ended up setting up clinics on train platforms to make sure that everyone received the vaccine. Apparently they were successful.
I'm so envious of your glamazon travels... this time last year I toyed with India and chose Berlin instead. Everyone is talking about Halliburton. You are a perfect pearl.
Moo,
What a trip we had to INCREDIBLE !NDIA!!! I am still recovering from the chaos!!!! Hong Kong is amazing!!! Miss you already!!! Travelling with you was AMAZING!!!
xoxoxo
Well the problem with countries like Brazil or India is the distribution of wealth being very skewed. Brazil has a higher GNP than Kerala (who has one of the lowest in the world) in India, yet, the life expectancy at birth is higher in Kerala than in Brazil.
There are many factors that play in to why a people is poor. Economic growth doesn't lead to a decrease in poverty per se, it depends on redistribution of wealth, and who actually cashes in on the growth.
Still, it's Incredible India, as you say :)
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