Going back to India – Ramblings!

Note I wrote this in my journal ages ago on our first trip back to India in 2012 after having lived in the US for 3 years. Posting it here because I feel it’s still relevant.

Things have changed over the last decade or so in India. There has been development although a little skewed. The situation for people like me has gotten better. Unfortunately, people like me make a very small part of this very large country. I saw some changes on our first trip back to India after moving to the United States 3 years ago. There were better roads, better airports, and better malls. And then some things remained the same.

The New Mall Culture

Stock photo courtesy Unsplash (by @ashenkris)

I am not sure how important are improved shopping complexes for the general well-being of the population, but there seems to be a lot of them. They are quite popular as hang-out and eating destinations, more than shopping. I assume that they contribute to the economy but to the common man, they seem to contribute to traffic congestion in cities.

One can argue that these temples to capitalism create jobs for people but job creation is such a slippery statistic. What about the jobs that could have been created if the money had gone, let’s say, in the development of public parks or an inter-city transport system? What about the jobs were taken from people whose land was acquired to build the malls? What about the reduced footfall to the local, colorful markets that support the livelihoods of thousands of people.
I guess these are questions for another day.

The Revamped Airports

Stock photo courtesy Unsplash.com (@vivekdoshi)

The countrywide GMR revamping of the airports has been quite remarkable. When we landed at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, we were definitely impressed with the general look and feel. The immigration process was smooth and we were out of the airport fairly quickly.

Well developed airports could provide a hassle-free travel experience to tourists. I personally believe that tourism in India can be an inclusive growth industry that boosts the economy at the grass-roots level. Making India accessible to the world abroad is a step in that direction.

New Roads, Same Traffic

Picture courtesy Unsplash (@athurva_tulsi)

The roads were better than I remembered. Traveling in North India, we spent quite some time traversing The Grand Trunk Road (NH1) and was happy to see our driver average at 100 KM/H for most of the way.
As part of a major roadworks initiative, NH1 is going through a serious renovation, which also meant we often had to take detours but even then we made good time.

To avoid the traffic and the dust on NH1, our driver opted to take us via the state highway. State highways in India typically don’t have road dividers so overtaking is quite a life-threatening task. One always runs the risk of being hit by an oncoming truck.

Of course, millions of people drive and survive every day so it’s a question of practice. Even then every time we successfully bypassed an oncoming vehicle, I sent up a little prayer of thanks!

Bureaucracy Still Rules

Photo courtesy Upslash (@iammrcup)

Getting “Sarkari” work done is still a pain in India. Ever since I was a kid, I have had this urge to take a mop and broom and sweep the government offices clean. Allegorically and literally. I don’t know why they are so dirty. It doesn’t matter if it’s a post office, or a registrar’s office or the RTO – the office space is covered in dust, grime and brown files. It’s filled with cheap but durable steel furniture that has been greased and re-greased over the years.

Kapil and I had to register our Hindu Wedding and even though we are way over 18 years old (the legal age for marriage in India), the law requires that our parents be present for the registration! Seriously!

The entire registration took 2-3 hrs during which we filled multiple forms and it got over ‘so soon’ because we knew someone at the registrar’s office. The whole attitude of folks in GOI offices is as if they are doing us a favor and not their jobs. Why is it this way? Why does such little power go to their heads so soon? Don’t they want to get rid of the clutter on their desk and move work efficiently and smoothly? Why would you want to do a job badly on purpose?

People have argued that these jobs are not well paid and folks are not motivated enough – but this is not exactly minimum wage. Government jobs are quite coveted as they come with decent benefits. Why would you covet a job and then do so badly at it? I mean it’s not as if they are even trying.

I do hate making these generalist statements but you step into a government office and the sense of lethargy hits you. If there is even one hard-working guy he is not going to get noticed in all the rot.

So some things change, and some remain the same.

I was afraid that India was going to disappoint me. That I was going to all go “NRI” on it and hop around drinking mineral water and act shocked on how horrible everything is – as if I am seeing it for the first time. I am glad to discover that I had not forgotten anything. I was neither more or less forgiving of the situation in India. It is what it is.

For more musings and travel diaries, go  here.