Hello.

I have been to America and am back in Mumbai now.

I have always been apolitical, but this Student Exchange Program has put me in a position to take a stand. Generally I refuse to do so. My American friends, who are honorable in every way, often ask me what I, and my fellow countrymen, think about Pakistan, China, Muslims, America and french fries.. As always, I keep my mouth shut, just letting out "I have no idea"..

After coming back, many of my Indian friends are now talking about India and America like never before. The major opinions can be summed up as 'hopelessness for India' and 'gross optimism for America'. A few of my friends say that China or America should invade India and dominate us. They think that foreigners are better suited to run this nation than ourselves!

In the classroom too, my fellow students talk about how Iceland has using geothermal energy - how Canada is preventing deforestation - how Tokyo is building sky cities - how American police tackles crime - how good the Chinese are nation building - how the British are clean - etc, etc. But I guarantee that not one of them knows about the increase of mangroves in Gorai - no one thinks twice before employing a 12 year old in their kirana shop - no one thinks twice when they promote someone of their same caste - etc, etc..

Almost half of my friend circle can teach you about Watergate but cannot say a single line about 1961. They go crazy over MagLev trains that are still insanely expensive, but are completely unaware of the functioning of the Mumbai trains. The Konkan Railways are possibly the most advanced mountain trains in the whole of Asia.

Why this distinction?

Now, even after what I wrote above, I still believe myself as a believer in universal love. And for love to be universal, I am prepared to dissolve boundaries.

But I still dont get it.

I will begin putting material from the web right here at the end of this post. Let everyone see what everyoneelse thinks of us Indians..

Jason Mar 13 2007
Manhattan, United States
[Member]
I have worked in the IT industry for around 18 years. I have worked with a wide variety of Indians in the US and on offshored projects, for companies such as Anthem Blue Cross, HP, etc. etc. My professional opinion of them as a group is that I have never seen a more uniform bunch of lazy, work-shirking idiots in my life. In every case, these mush-mouthed morons do not want to work, want to do as little work as possible, with the worst possible quality imaginable. I have striven in vain to find a single iota of creativity in them. They are worthless and I would never hire an Indian to do anything. Set aside their alleged ability to speak English. Set aside their laziness. Set aside their stupid coding practices. They are rude and every one of them thinks they are brilliant. Puh-lease. If I never have to work with another Indian developer or spend an evening rewriting the total crap an Indian developer wrote, I will die a happy man.
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If u go across India you will find more interesting Loo-Istic behavior. While for most Indians having a private bathroom itself might be a distant dream with most of them making do with standing in long lines with mugs of water in hand or quietly going outside to the nearest isolated place with sufficient bushes and trees to give the necessary cover though they won’t necessarily hesitate even if its in open view. The sitting arrangement is to sit on ur haunches (probably the most authentically human way of excreting ). And infact this is also the arrangement that is used in a lot of Indian houses with the western pot as they call it probably less preferred to the tiled hole with slabs on the side.

A more recent innovation it seems in India is where the need for a mug full of water is obliviated and the water comes in from a pipe fitted into the pot to aim at ur crack.

People (Indians) who are getting the direct financial benefit from these powers do not hesitate to sacrifice not only their own honor, but that of India's. Their point of view is like this: "What has India given to us? India could not even give us jobs matching our qualifications -- that's why we are on foreign masters' payroll, Romilla Thapar being the latest success amongst us. And why not India be invaded by the USA? They will probably manage the country better..... "so on and so forth. The example of Romolla Thapar getting a good US position as a reward for hating India will make many other India haters even more vicious against India. They will now try to beat Romilla Thapar in how better they are in denouncing anything Indian.

It therefore comes as no surprise that ‘hate India’ lessons form an essential part of the British Madrassa curriculum. Pictures from Kashmir with provocative captions adorn the walls. The ‘serene surroundings’ of the Dal Lake are shown as being surrounded by ‘600,000’ Indian soldiers, a patent Pakistani propaganda. Gun-totting Indian troops are depicted as harassing ordinary Kashmiris by stopping and searching them in bazaars. A Kashmiri youth’s funeral is shown with a perversity that is common in the Pakistani media: ‘one more added to the genocide,’

http://www.gatewayforindia.com/articles/cool_to_hate_india.htm

http://rupeenews.com/2008/11/28/mumbai-intoxicated-india-deaf-blind-to-internal-terror-unable-to-introspect-resolve-its-huge-race-caste-religious-problems/

Keep checking back.. I will be updating this post with many more..

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Though a better understanding of the history of the subcontinent could be one of the keys to disentangle difficult problems such as the Kashmir issue, today nobody can access primary sources. They are locked away in the vaults of the Nehru Memorial Library or the almirahs of South Block.

All those who have tried to access historical documents since India's independence will tell you that till the end of babudom, one bureaucrat or another will ensure that you do not access the dusty files. Without fail, you will be courteously informed that India's security and integrity will be endangered if these precious documents are opened to the public. It is sad that Indians are not entitled to study their past (though they can always visit archives in the West to know more about India!)

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The vast literature, the magnificent, opulence, the majestic sciences, the great realized should, the soul touching music, the awe inspiring gods. It is already becoming clearer that a chapter which has a western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in history the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way.

--Arnold Toynbee

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Generally people are not obsessed with their work. Be it school work or office work, many do it because there is no other way round..

This thought post is not about them. It is not about the people who do just because they have to do, but about the people who love what they do and often go the extra mile to do some more...

Entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, mothers, fathers, generals and directors.. all of these people have to love what they do.. otherwise they wont survive for long.. Almost everyone from the above category often works harder than required because their delight knows no bounds when they are engrossed in their rituals..

However, the main question comes here - How do you balance between the details and the larger view ?

Almost any project has innumerable details to attend to and over-optimistic expectations to overcome.. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quotes (German born American Architect. 1886-1969) that "God is in the details". And someone else with as much authority proclaims that the real leader is the one who climbs the trees and cries out "Wrong jungle!!"..

Who do you pay attention to the most? The trivialities..? Or the major regions of concern ?

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I will be back in Mumbai in the next 40 hours. I am going to love it.

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