Here is nice piece of write up on India, I was shared by my friend. Hence the text is not mine. I duly acknowledge that 'anonymous' who has penned it so wonderfully -
To the outsider India is one of two things, suffocating crowded, fast tempoed and mind numbingly chaotic. Or its a land of a billion thriving entrepreneurs, the cradle of civilization and the hub of some of the worlds most famous art, music, cultures and traditions.
If India were an astrological star sign, it would be a Libra, always in perfect balance. But balance requires extremes and India is tipping both sides of the scales.
Nowhere else in the world can ones senses experience the richness of life, like in India. At any given time, at any given location, your olfactory system can be bombarded by the rather jarring but perfect medley of sweet musky temple incense, pungent drying cow dung, flavorful street food and suffocating exhaust fumes.
The dull, dusty, often garbage strewn streets are filled with a visual feast with bright flashes of multicolored saris and fabrics, that even the poorest of Indian women wear with such pride and grace. Drably clad hawkers push beaten carts laden with the most beautifully stacked fresh produce in eye popping colors, while screaming their presence at the top of their over worked lungs, for you to consider as they pass through the neighborhood.
The tastes of India have no competitors. The rich spice infused dhaba foods are just cheap everyday meals to its inhabitants, who taste buds have been spoiled for choice. Even with over a billion mouths to feed, many of whose goes hungry, Indians take great pride in the meals preparation and presentation. Most road side stalls have garlands of fresh flowers or a glass with mint leaves proudly placed for decoration. And in India you never eat alone, whether its an affluent family that gathers in their white washed bungalow at meal times or the strangers crowded around a road side stall, eating in India is a communal experience.
Walk down any street in India and like your nose, your ears, will be bombarded with an orchestra of sounds. From the honking of car horns to the Bhangra music basting out of their stereos, to the street hawkers selling anything and everything that can fit on a cart or in their hands. The perfect Bohemian Rhapsody is yours for the listening. You would be hard pressed to find a moment of silence outside of your own head but also foolish if you didnt appreciate the intricately laced composition of Indian life.
Like all things Indian, yoga, the architectural monuments of days gone by and the simple complexity of chaat, everything is about finding balance, poise and fiery independence. Nothing in India is done lightly. When I moved back to India with much resistance and in trepidation, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. If you can look past the noise, the smells and the crowds, what you will find is a country of the most enterprising, talented entrepreneurs the world over.
From the self-taught street urchins who perform gymnastic feats at traffic junctions, to the cops who laze on the same corners, hustling drivers for bribes, to the subzee-walla whos perfectly presented stall could teach western grocers a thing or two. These people do what they have to do to survive and they do it with gusto. Nowhere else does Darwins theory of Survival of the Fittest, fit more aptly.
Maybe its this stringent driving force of survival that inhibits our ability to work together on a grander scale. Who can blame us though? In a do or die situation, you do what you have to do to feed and clothe your family. Even with the breakneck crawl at which India moves there is no doubt that it is a powerful force and its been on the verge of greatness for decades, if not centuries. For such a big nation with so many languages, religions, sects, traditions, superstitions, and cultures, India has done an amazing job of banding together and marching forward. And it will continue to do so, even as other nations peak, flourish and fade from the limelight, India will still be poised for greatness. For here greatness is not the goal, its the experience of the journey.
This is not a patriotic declaration of my re-found love for my country. This is a testament to the awe striking, breath taking brilliance of a system I fail to be able to map, but that functions like a well oiled machine oblivious, to my educated ignorance.
Ya India! You truly are INCREDIBLE!
... but India hardly has any from us. We have many ideologies taken from the Vedas, such as Karma and Reincarnation, but not the other way around?
