Visiting as if never left

The photographs - Qutab looked more fantastic in sight than in photographs. The photographs couldn't recreate the effect they usually do with other places I go to. The immediate effect of the Qutab on a sunny day - the red-ness in Islamic architecture was very unusual.

The train gives the perspective of the poor, undeveloped India. The kind of India that is in a time-warp where nothing has changed and where people are completely insulated from the rest of the world. Sometimes, I think the country shouldn't have been free and people should've just been exposed to all the problems. But nobody is going to invade India now - there is nothing left.

But despite its abject poverty and its miserable lack of hygiene, there is something still appealing about it. The fact that it has survived all that and people are still willing to live. There is that which makes this country appealing. There is very little other than that, but this enough is a compelling reason to be in India. India has been disconnected from the Western world and hasn't received much of what was good about the Western culture. The time rest of Asian world spent improving their institutions based on learnings from West India was reinvigorating its ancient institutions and helping them survive. It has only partially succeeded; it has given its people the taste of modern world but hasn't really forged the path to economic development.

Whatever is wrong with India, is not in its tradition or its religion. It is indeed in the weakness of its institutions, the lack of practical wisdom and (prominence- Adhikya) of self-centredness in its people. It lacks the communication among its people - a kind of communication that sets West apart. Where media tells people about themselves and where governments help people what they aspire and where the individual is strong to accomplish what he aspires.

The Eastern philosophy nevers lets the strong individual come forward and take charge of himself. The taste of development India has seen requires her to do so. India hasn't been able to build its own path to economic success - one where it doesn't have to compromise her self-respect for economic development. That is apparently why the development resides and is localized to the cities that were settled by British. No other (except Ahmedabad, may be) city has been able to provide the locals the path to success.

The south is different, but then we don't see the typical adherence to Indian tradition in South - except the ritual connections. It can be argued that South has been more successful because of its adaptability to English ways ( that is only partly true - expertise in English is more of an effect rather than cause of economic development)

What India needs, I think is a greater exposure to the West, probably a better one so that people can look at themselves.