An Israeli doctor says: "In Israel, medicine is so advanced that we cut off a man's liver put them on another man, and in 6 weeks, he is looking for work."

The German doctor says: "That's nothing,
in Germany we take part of a brain, put it in another man, and in 4 weeks he is looking for work."

The Russian doctor says: "Gentlemen, we take half a heart from a man, put it in another's chest, and in 2 weeks he is looking for work."

The American   doctor laughs: "You all are behind us. Two days ago, we took a man with no brains, no heart, and no liver and made him President.

Now, the whole country is looking for work!"

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart - A great customer service

 Recently I went shopping at Wal-Mart with a friend. After we bought a few items we came home only to discover that we got the wrong change back (short). I called the store and spoke to the manager and explained him what happened. He asked me some questions such as what register, what time and the clerk's number which was written on the receipt. I emphasized to him that it may not have been the clerk's fault. He assured me that he would call me back within 1 hour after checking into it. He called with the time he said he would and said, "Sir, I have your money". He added that he checked the cash drawer and found the extra $9.00 that was over. He apologized profusely and said, please come to the store and see him for a refund. We went to the store and collected $9.00 with great appreciation.

Land of contrast

Written by Amar Prakash

Naini lake at Nainital (elev. 6,358 ft.)
Photo by Amar Prakash

I have been in India for almost 15 months; I must admit I learned more about India in these15months than I did in my previous 6 visits.  In spite of what I am going to write in this blog, I still love India and I see great potential for this country.

Qutab Minar photo by Amar Prakash

What’s good about India and the Indians?  India is full of rich culture which is so diversified that it can be compared to the whole of Europe as one country.  Different states speak different languages, have their own festivals (with some exception), and eat different foods and even wear different clothes.  The old system of the joint family still works in many ways.  Weddings are very vibrant and colorful with pomp and circumstance The Indian way of tradition.  Most people don’t smoke, don’t drink

Typical dinner - photo by Amar Prakash

alcohol and are primarily vegetarian.  Eating beef is considered immoral.  Why? Because cows were pet animals of Indian God Lord Krishna; Cows are sacred animals throughout India among the Hindus. Many people have made a small temple at home which they use as alter.  There are many gods in the Hindu religion. India boasts for its tradition of a joint-family system.  The children continue to live with parents and eventually take care of their parents in their old age even after the children are married and have children of their own.  Retirement homes or "old folk’s" homes are practically non-existent. India also produces very rich music and movies from Bollywood that surpasses Hollywood’s production of a number of films.

Mangoes

India offers many fruits and vegetables foreign to other countries outside India. Even though Mango is available in USA, it is not as juicy and sweet as mango from India.  Indians enjoy their mangoes during summer (when its in season).

                                                              

In my opinion, what is going to hold back India to become a civilized, developed nation like Japan, Australia, European countries and the USA alike?  It’s the peoples ‘character and their scruples (or lack of). Let me make my point.

India boasts of cars (in millions), latest gadgets like cell phones perhaps in billions, I-pads, and computers.  They take pride (as they should) in bringing buses and three-wheel autos to use CNG (compressed Natural Gas) to reduce pollution - Kudos to the Indian Govt.

India lacks the basic infrastructure such as good roads, adequate drainage systems, sidewalks, bus systems, Parks, acceptable rail system and electric power.  And most of all the roads are too crowded with vehicles, autos, rickshaws and the population that is second only to China.  I worry what will become of India's roads in 20 years.  The population may reach 2 billion and there is no planning to control the population, not that I know of.  The urban planning authority needs to think of 20 yr plan about the drainage system, steady supply of electricity, roads, and expansion of Metro.  I don't think the current Metro can handle traffic of 2034 as it stands now.  Indian Govt. must and should look into what's coming and not turn a blind eye.

 

What is the single most annoying thing I have encountered?  It's traffic.  People driving as if they are in an Olympic race, complete disregard of others, no sense of yield or stop signs not to mention constant blaring of horns by cars, motorcycles, and even three-wheel Autos.  Pedestrians are treated as the last to be given ‘right of way’.  Young men on motorcycles and even the three-wheel Autos are weaving from lane to lane with complete disregard to their and others' safety.  It gives me a headache watching driving.  To me, it's a self-created problem that can be fixed with little or no money.  I see people driving the wrong way frequently.  Why? Because of U-turn "cut" is too far to drive.  Basically, it's like driving in Manhattan with no street signs or traffic lights.  I often wonder why there are no driver's education classes in high school.  What can be done about this madness?  Driver's Ed and strict rules of the road may be just two answers.  Right now it's, for the most

Crowded part of Gurgaon - photo by Amar Prakash

part, a lawless society.  People speed through crowded residential areas at over 40 mph. Fortunately, it's not in New Delhi and other well-planned cities but it is in the downtown area of Gurgaon (Now called Grugram).  Vehicles cut other vehicles off constantly with complete impunity from the police. I am not trying to scare you off because if you come here as a tourist chance are you will never witness this sort of chaos.  If you have money life can be very pleasant if you can put up with the pollution. I must admit the pollution problem is getting better due to better planning of the Govt. encouraging using CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles.

Indians are generally late and sometimes don’t even show up or even bother to call.  It happened to me more than once. If you ask them what happened they either make a stupid excuse or just shrug off.

 

I heard that it is harder to get into the police academy than to get into a university.  It also cost hundreds of thousand dollars to pay for admission.  Why?  It’s because the policemen make a lot of money in bribes after they start their jobs. They also give huge bribes to get into the police academy.

The auto scooters (like mini taxis) over-charge for the fare because there are no meters installed in them.  I don’t know why the city can’t regulate this industry.  After living here for 4 months, I pretty much know what the fare should be to my destination and if they ask for more I start to walk away and 9 out of 10 times, they call me back accepting my offer.

Dishonesty is quite common in every facet of life.  The basic services that Govt. provides such as post offices, electric, water, and garbage are riddled with bureaucracy and red tape.  There are hardly any credit cards or debit cards because no one trusts the bill-paying public.  Everything is done by cash - taking payment or paying a bill or for goods and services.  This affects collecting sales tax.  Part of the tax the Govt. collects is taken in Govt. official’s pockets.

There are a few emergency vehicles; such as fire trucks or ambulances.  If there is a dire need of ambulance they don’t get in time to save lives because of traffic or complacency. I heard of a woman who got shot and the ambulance came after 45 minutes.  Her life could have been saved if the emergency personnel had reached her in time.  She died in the hospital.

I have seen construction workers working on the 37^th floor with no safety harness.  The animals are neglected everywhere with the exception of rich peoples’ pets.  The big malls have huge buildings with complete disregard for parking for shoppers. Sidewalks are twice as high as the US making it difficult to climb and get down for the elderly. The traffic gives the last right of way to the pedestrians. People have to dodge traffic like bullets to cross the road even at striped crossing marked roads.

Gurugram where I live exploded in population because of high tech companies looking for cheap skilled workers.  This migrated millions of people from other states. This unfortunately inflated the real estate prices 20 fold in last 10 years.  Most call-centers’ workers stay with relatives or PG (cheap hotel-style accommodations) because they can’t afford to rent an apartment that goes for 75% of their salaries. Many parts of Gurugram are dirty, dusty and there are trash-filled huge ponds creating stinking smell not to mention the ugly site.

There are hardly any decent public restrooms.  I say, “If you want a great country, have great public restrooms.”  Switzerland perhaps has the cleanest restrooms in the world (seen it myself).

There are places where queue (lines) are essential such as at the bus stand or Metro (subway).  No such lines exist. I have seen with my own eyes that bus stops have hundreds of people waiting to get on the bus.  People rush to the bus, sometimes stampeding like animals to get to the bus.  It is a horrible scene.  Usually, women and children are left out to fend for themselves. The funny part is some of these people are well educated but unfortunately, not civilized.

Majority of people have little or no manners.  They almost never say “Bye” before hanging up the phone, never say “excuse me” when getting off the Metro or sneezing or coughing, always interrupting the conversation, Never say, “excuse me” when leaving the dining room table.  I also noticed that people don’t give way to other people even if the other people are walking on their side of the sidewalk in the park.  They also never say, “Hi” to you first.  Indians are very ego-driven and show off their wealth in terms of jewelry and cars.  They also spend lavishly in their daughter’s wedding to show the relatives how much they spent.  Lastly, Indians always make a point in telling how much they make in salary.  To them, it’s a sign of success.

Indian judiciary system:  It so bogged down for lack of courts and judges that simple inheritance cases can take up 20 years to settle and they usually do.  It is a system Indians inherited from the British.  The British modernized their system and laws but India didn't.  The jury system was abolished in India.

India has the highest degree of corruption.  It seems everywhere you go you are forced to pay money to get anything done especially if it’s the Govt. office.  The police and elected officials seem to be the most corrupted.  I heard the press is equally corrupted.

India is still predominately poor country (if you look at India as a whole) and with the world's 1/6^th population and it is the most densely democratic nation in the world.  It is amazing how the country survives and, in parts continues to thrive.  India’s economy is booming from what I can tell. 

  

In my photos that I have sent, basically, it showed better parts of India.  India trip Yes, there are many poor sections of India I didn't want to show as I wanted the Americans to be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.  India has been depicted in books and documentaries as a very rural country where elephants, cows, monkeys, and pigs are spotted in the villages and sometimes on the streets of Delhi. In some places it’s true.  When I was in the USA people will ask me why so many cows are in the streets of a city.  My only explanation was: cows are considered sacred in India.  Killings animals for human consumption are immoral especially the cows.  India is about 85% Hindus and eats primarily vegetarian food.  However, very few people are what we call "non-veg" eat meat such as chicken and pork but not beef.  The interesting part is that Muslim, which is about 14.4% who eat beef but not pork.

India is about 1/3 in size of USA but has about 4 times the population.  Unlike China, Hindu’s customs frown upon any use of birth control, therefore, the elected official never even mention of taking any action of birth control.

Qutab Minar - photo by Amar Prakash

Some pictures were taken at my visit of Qutab Minar, a world’s wonder unto itself; It is was built in 1193 and stands at 237’, an equivalent of two Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other in that era’s technology.  There was not even pulley invented then.  It was all human power and hard work by the most excellent craftsmen in their fields.  I was very impressed with this Minar.  I think it should be classified in the same category as the Taj Mahal and Pyramids of Giza. 

India is a land of great contrast.  You see many poor people; like domestic help, rickshwalas (drivers), street vendors shop helpers and hotel help, etc.  There are also beggars but I have noticed less and fewer of them compare to 5 years ago.  Then, there are businessmen, professional people such as engineers, doctors, attorneys, and accountants.  These people are

A young girl I encountered
at a shopping center- photo by Amar Prakash

well off with several automobiles, latest electronics and cell phones and lots of money in the bank.  Some of my relatives fall into this category.  But that's a very small percentage. Poor class and rich class are increasing and the middle class remains the same but has more money than before, if it makes sense.

History of India.  India has been a victim of several invasions of occupations by foreign dynasties.  Then the British came who occupied and ruled India for almost 200 years. It was Mahatma Gandhi who, with his passive movement, mobilized the masses and almost brought Indian British Raj to stand still. The British chose to leave India.  The Muslims (at that time were 6% of India’s population) demanded their own country from British fearing that the Hindus would not be fair to them politically or economically.  The British agreed and against numerous protests and uprisings, the British approached the India’s leadership namely Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.  Gandhi and Nehru after several meetings with other leaders, against popular voices, agreed to Muslim country which came to be Pakistan.  On August 15, 1947, India gained Independence from the British and after the constitution was created on January 26, 1950, Nehru was sworn in as India’s 1^st Prime Minister.

India still practices arranged marriages and women, surprisingly enough, are very active politically and thrive economically even hold high corporate positions. India’s famous Prime Minister was Indira Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi).

Indians are second to none when it comes to hospitality.  Offering chai (Indian tea) and snacks is so popular that even visiting someone for 10 minutes, the host will have the chai prepared before the host even asks you if you would like to have chai.  Inviting friends for dinner is a second nature for all Indians.

When someone gets married, invitations are hand-delivered not mailed. The bride wears a colorful sari and the groom wears a tradition Indian coat and sometimes a decorated turban designed for this occasion. 

See picture on right ---->

India learned two main things from the British - the joy of drinking chai (tea) and love of the game of Cricket.  India as a whole is crazy about Cricket.  As a matter of fact, India was the world’s champion in cricket and won the gold cup in 2011. I was here then and watched it live on TV.  India beat Pakistan in the final.  A rivalry that started since the partition, still stands.

India has some awesome sights that the foreigners have come to love.  The most popular is, of course, Taj Mahal (below). 

Taj Mahal, photo by Amar Prakash

Sightseeing in India can be found on the Internet or in many tour brochures.

I recently visited a park called Leisure Valley Park.  I was so impressed that I wouldn't hesitate to compare it to Central Park in New York (a smaller version perhaps).

Gurgaon Central department store - photo by Amar Prakash

Best spices in the world come from India.  One of the big exports of India is spices around the world.

Yes, there are new beautiful buildings built by high tech companies from USA such as HP, IBM, Dell
Computers, and Microsoft alike and there are lots of 5-star hotels such as Marriott and Westin with a beautiful landscape all around.  Gurgaon has beautiful malls just like the USA.  The new Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport is a world class airport. 

New IGI airport

The new Metro that runs throughout Gurgaon and Delhi carries millions of commuters every day.  I rode on the Metro a few times and I was impressed

Delhi Metro

with the cleanliness and it's on-time schedule.

In conclusion, India is on its way to having high quality Metro, airport, posh buildings, and malls.  But it still lacks clean roads, better buses, and rail systems. Basic daily necessities of uninterrupted electricity, patient and polite people who should want to keep India modern and clean.  There is trash on almost every corner and the traffic gives you a headache.  Traffic continues daily without any YIELD or STOP SIGNS not to mention the lack of adequate traffic lights and yet people keep tolerating the system and come home exhausted from the daily commute.  Life goes on. 

END

Credits

Photos not credited are courtesy of Google Images unless credited