India: the Good Stuff

Here are some general thoughts on India after my trip:

1. The Grand New Delhi, located on Nelson Mandela Rd, New Delhi, 110070, is an amazing hotel. I've never stayed in a 5 star hotel before, but this had to be a 5 star hotel. The building is beautiful, reasonably near the airport, and customer service is consistently fantastic. Although customer service in India generally leaves much to be desired, The Grand New Delhi delivered perfect service. I highly recommend it for everyone, including disabled travelers--the hotel went out of its way to accommodate my hearing impairment (personal wake up calls, etc.). Thank you to everyone at The Grand New Delhi.

2. At the last minute, I wanted to see a dentist to get a basic checkup. I ended up at Ganga Ram Hospital, where I saw a line of people waiting to see dentists. The dentist spoke perfect English, took a look at me, and was able to answer all of my questions. When I tried to pay him for the short consultation, he refused payment.

Doctors and dentists who work in charitable hospitals are the real heroes, if you ask me. The dentist I saw probably assisted 20 to 35 people that day, either at no charge or low bono. Most dentists in India are also available if you want to hire them for something more than a checkup. Prices are much lower than in the United States, and many dentists are trained in the United States' best schools.

3. If you go to India, remember that elders are respected. I liked how everyone called older people either Auntie, Uncle, Sir, or Madam. Maybe Sidney Poiter visited India before he starred in the excellent film, To Sir, With Love.

4. India's film industry has true diversity. Almost all the Indian movies I've seen include Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, etc. India is very diverse, and one reason the country works is because no one seems marginalized in the media.

Also, although India doesn't get along with Pakistan, its government and media do an excellent job separating Indian Muslims from Pakistani Muslims. America could learn a thing or two about fighting terrorism from India. Despite its own 9/11--the 26/11 Mumbai attacks--India's government and media have steadfastly refused to castigate its own citizens. Perhaps the 2002 Gujarat massacre of Muslims in India may have played a part in India's softer tone--I don't know.

5. India has freedom of speech and freedom of press. Newspapers in India are fantastic. Almost every issue slams government corruption. WikiLeaks was front-page news, and all the articles had substantive analysis. America's founding fathers would be proud of India's media. I am sad to say this, but India's media is clearly better than the pablum America's media passes off as "news."

6. You can feel India's energy everywhere. As Robert Kunzig wrote in National Geographic (Jan 2011), "People, people, people, people--yes. But also an overwhelming sense of energy, of striving, of aspiration."

7. Fareed Zakaria has a brother, Arshad Zakaria. I recently read Gasparino's Sellout, which mentioned Arshad. (Sellout is an excellent book, by the way.) I searched and searched for speeches by Arshad, and finally found an interesting roundtable discussion where Arshad summarizes India very well:

Let me start by giving you some of the three or four interesting things that you will see, which are different from some of the other Asian economies. The first thing you see is that the Indian culture is essentially like an occidental culture. It is a Western culture. So in simple ways, when we have investors over, they feel completely comfortable with the Indian business community and to a smaller extent with the political community, mainly because India has a large agricultural population. But you do have a culture where it's very comfortable for Westerners to fit in on a social basis.

That ties in with what I think is the second point, which is that the language of business in India is English. I think one of the big changes that’s taken place in the world is the language of the global multinational is now English. That interestingly gives India an advantage not just over other emerging markets, but over some of the European countries as well because a lot of people learned it in school to the extent where they’ve not only mastered the language but also the nuances of system and culture — it’s sort of like being in London or the United States. When you travel on roads where you may see a bull or a cow on the side of the road, you’re reminded quickly that you’re not in London, but once you get into a new building, which is being priced at New York or London prices because of this infrastructure issue, you will see from a societal basis that India has quite an advantage.

I think the other thing you focus on is the fact that India, again, is truly a democracy, where you’ve had smooth transitions of power, which allow you to see all the ups and downs of democracy. You have a free press, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. You’ve got TV channels sensationalizing everything, very much like Westerners are used to. There is very much a strong Western influence.

I'd say the biggest issue other than infrastructure that you'd find when you go there, especially if you go to northern India, is the poverty and the scale of poverty. It is, I think, incredibly telling when you look at it and it’s something that people aren’t used to. I would say that’s why there are a decent number of people who will leave feeling uncomfortable without being able to pinpoint why. It’s unlike a lot of places because the poverty sits right next to the wealth. So you’ll see the best roads in Bombay with slums right next door. The proximity of poverty with incredible wealth is something you see clearly in India, and the scale of it is tremendous. And that’s just something that, no matter what you’re expecting, tends to shock some people.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Bonus: I wrote a five part series about my experiences in India. The first part can be found here.

India, Part 5

I'm now staying at Khandwa Haveli, located in the upper class area of Jaipur. I really like Jaipur so far--it's got a nice mix of young people, students, and middle class residents. When I say Jaipur is upper class, it's upper class for India--lots of privately owned cars, lots of people who speak English, lots of students who can afford to go to universities, and a few nice malls.

We visited two must-see attractions today, the Amber Fort and the Amber Palace. The fort looks similar to China's Great Wall. My sister and I paid 900 rupees total to take a short elephant ride to the top of the fort. The elephant ride itself was underwhelming. Just a bumpy ride, really. I felt sorry for the animals, so it wasn't a fun experience overall. Once we reached the top of the fort, we ran into a bunch of other tourists, including a very beautiful group of mixed race Chinese-Indian women. They are from northeast India and are called Naga. They look like lighter-skinned, taller Nepalese women.

The Amber Palace is beautiful. It looks like a castle combined with the artwork of the Taj Mahal. If you go by yourself, feel free to climb random stairwells like I did. You'll get lost in the maze of different hallways, but it's quite a fun experience (I managed to get back to my tour group in time, but only with the help of another guide). Again, this one's not to be missed.

I've got several thoughts I want to share, but they're all random, so I'm going to issue them in no particular format.

1. Coffee here is cheap. A medium latte at British-owned Costa Coffee is only 80 rupees, or about 2 American dollars.

2. If you visit India, you will, at various points, experience persistent hawkers trying to convince you to buy loads of crap. Before you start whining about the hawkers, think about why India is so cheap. If you want to pay for police to arrest or lock up everyone who is guilty of being poor or idle, or if you want to pay for all children to attend school, things would get awfully expensive quickly. (Here in India, education is free until 5th grade, and there is a nominal fee beyond that level.) In the States, we tend to lock up loads of non-violent criminals, and we have a high taxation system to support that level of enforcement. So please, please don't be an idiot and complain about the hawkers and poor people unless you also want to complain about the low prices in India.

3. I've always wondered what a libertarian-lite society would look like. Delhi might be a good example of a certain type of libertarianism at work. It's basically organized chaos. As expected, there are wide gaps in income and wealth levels. Although Delhi is energetic and safe, few people would argue that Delhi is better than the U.S. in terms of quality of life. Pure libertarians ought to visit Delhi--it would give them something to think about.

My own brand of libertarianism has been a common sense version. I have always supported basic regulation, especially regulation concerning systemic problems (i.e., too big to fail), as well as basic welfare programs; however, I have serious issues with government waste and various groups manipulating the political process to protect themselves at the expense of others. Public sector unions, which seem to control California, and senior citizens, who receive (either directly or indirectly) about 50% of all federal tax revenues (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.), come to mind as two of the worst offenders. [Update: the military obviously captures large federal expenditures, but keep in mind that there is a difference between annual fed expenditures and the annual fed budget--the military appears to have captured an increasing level of fed expenditures via discretionary spending (or via appropriations), but note that about 66% of the fed budget is mandatory spending--i.e., Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid--and cannot be touched absent major reform.]

4. The biggest lesson I've taken from India has to do with the environment. The smog/pollution here is terrible. Combine that with the dust in the air from all the small vehicles, the steady streams of cigarette smoke, and the constant hum of industrial activity, and you have a recipe for long-term environmental disaster. I haven't gotten sick from any food, but I've developed a cough and watery eyes due to the pollution. If you come here, invest in two things: a to-go pack of Charmin toilet paper (some bathrooms don't have enough toilet paper), and a dust/surgical mask. The pollution here is so bad, taking pictures of the Taj Mahal has become difficult--it's hard to see the structure from far away because of all the smog. The locals call it fog, but many visitors know better. If India wants to make it to the 22nd century, it needs to ramp up its investments in green technology.

They [climate change activists] talk about something that happens 10 years from now, they talk about what happens 20 years from now and the sea levels rising 50 years from now. The human mind is not equipped to think [about] what happens down the line. They want to know what’s happening today, what’s happening right now. What’s happening right now is disastrous because pollution--and that’s what environmentalists should be talking about--pollution is killing 7 million people a year. -- Arnold Schwarzenegger (2018) 

5. I think I avoided getting sick by sticking to vegetarian food. India is a majority Hindu society, and Hindus tend to eat vegetarian food. If you want meat, you might want to try a Muslim-owned establishment, as they might have better experience with preparing meat dishes. Overall, though, I recommend sticking to vegetarian food. Even McDonald's has a tasty sandwich called the McVeggie, which is a potato cutlet in between two bread buns.

6. For people who like beer, Kingfisher seems to be the beer of choice here. Believe it or not, Kingfisher also has an airline.

7. From an economic standpoint, it's hard to see any major company gaining a foothold here. India is so big and diverse, it will always be a challenge for any company to assert pricing power. There will always be lots of competition due to the small businesses located everywhere. India confirmed for me something I've known intuitively, i.e., that laws and regulations tend to help larger businesses rather than provide leverage to smaller businesses. It seems that the usual American business cycle involves a company entering the marketplace with a disruptive product, creating cheaper or more efficient products for consumers, and then using their heft to lobby for legal protections for their business model. In India, the seeming lack of regulations--the ones enforced, anyway--have allowed numerous small businesses and one-person shops to flourish.

8. I went shopping today at a posh mall. One of the stores had bags with the picture of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast in Tiffany's. I was quite happy to get the bag until I realized that not a single person in the store I spoke to--and I spoke with at least 15 store employees--recognized the picture. They did know about Marilyn Monroe, though.

Let this be a lesson to anyone seeking immortality--if the great Audrey Hepburn can't achieve it, almost none of us have a chance. If you want to maximize your odds, I suppose you need to date a famous President.

9. Speaking of women, I had a bit of an epiphany about relationships. In many major American and European cities, women have to work outside the home to support a middle class lifestyle. However, women tend to place a higher importance than men on domestic chores, such as cleanliness and beautification of the home. The problem is that when women work outside the home and continue to do a disproportionate share of work at home, they can feel overwhelmed as well as underappreciated. In the past, when most women didn't work outside the home, they may have felt underappreciated, but that isn't usually enough to cause someone to walk away from a marriage or deep bond. However, when we throw in feelings of being overwhelmed and underappreciated, it's easier to understand why modern marriage seems so risky.

Of course, the fact that women do more work at home than men is nothing new. Look up Duck vs. Collier, etc. Although we recognize a disparity in domestic duties, most domestic work isn't viewed as necessary by men. In contrast, women see such domestic activities as "taking care of men," but most men surely don't see it that way--they'd rather not have anyone do the small details of maintaining a home unless something is falling apart or broken. As long as that kind of laissez-faire attitude is uncommon in the fairer sex, I don't see this problem getting resolved anytime soon.

We leave for Delhi tomorrow morning, and then it's back to London and then the States for me. It's been a good trip so far, especially because of our tour guide, Luv Jawad. If you're looking for a foreign correspondent in Delhi, you might want to snap him up before someone else does. Seven days in Delhi was enough for me, and I am looking forward to returning to the States.

Your humble traveler,
Matthew

Update: this is my last night. We are staying at Hotel Shanti Place in West Patel Nagar. If you're going to stay in Delhi and want mid-level accommodations, you might want to consider this particular hotel. It's been an interesting trip. Although I've always recognized America's exceptionalism, it's easier to appreciate how lucky I am after this trip. 

Update, June 2020: in 2010, USA was pumping trillions of dollars into its economy to cope with the 2008-09 worldwide financial crisis. Such economic shocks caused the rest of the world to begin to decouple from USA and to diversify trading partners as much as possible. Additionally, USA missed an opportunity to substantively reform financial excesses and consumer debt. In 2020, much of the world has caught up to USA in many ways, and the challenge for countries "in between" USA and China is maintaining economic diversity while balancing inordinate superpower influence. 

Update: this was a 5 part series.  Part 1 is HERE.  Part 2 is HERE.  Part 3 is HERE.  Part 4 is HERE. Another post, titled, "India: the Good Stuff" is HERE.  

India, Part 4: Woozy Edition

I've got about five minutes before hopping on the bus. Yesterday was a bit of a doozy--literally. We went to Sikri, which had an interesting fusion of architecture from Asia and the Middle East. (Think Muslim arches within pagodas.) Sikri was okay, but unless you're really into Asian fusion architecture, it's not a must-see. On the other hand, the Stepwells structure in Abhaneri was interesting--it looks like an M.C. Escher picture, the one with all the interlocking steps. Not a must-see, but still quite interesting.

After checking into the hotel (Hotel Udai Villas Palace, Bharatpur--looks nice, but it's in the middle of nowhere), I wandered a bit and saw a few agricultural workers sitting around drinking chai. I can't resist chai, so I sat down and ordered some. In the meantime, one of the workers offered me a small, 1x1 white packet with a brand name, "Amber" on it. I thought to myself, "All of these guys are using it, and it's got a brand name on it, so it can't possibly be illegal--after all, no one, not even an idiot, would create so much evidence linking him back to a potential crime." It turns out I was right--it wasn't illegal, but it was chewing tobacco, something I've never had before. I think you're supposed to chew the small, crunchy balls slowly, but I popped the whole packet in my mouth. In no time, my eyes teared up, and I spit out the rest of the seeds, acting as casually as I could. My head got a bit light, and I started feeling woozy. I calmly finished my chai and got up to leave, but my balance wasn't the best. I still managed to right myself and walk back to the hotel. I can't believe this stuff is legal, but there you go. I'll update you later in more detail.

Your humble traveler,

Matthew

Bonus: Part 5 is HERE.  

Update: this became a 5 part series.  Part 1 is HERE.  Part 2 is HERE.  Part 3 is HERE. 

India, Part 2

After a five hour private bus ride, I am in Agra. Prior to coming here, our group visited the Spice Market in Delhi. What I will remember most about India will be its varied smells. Everywhere we went today, I smelled some kind of incense. At the Spice Market, I sneezed many times, my nose unsure how to digest all the spices in its midst. The Market is a site of frenzied activity--many men walk swiftly with large bags on their backs, yelling to highlight their presence. Unfortunately, the Market doesn't seem very large, and the items all seem similar after a short stroll.

We also visited the Friday Mosque in Delhi. Inside and outside, a few small monkeys wandered around, unmolested by anyone. The Mosque was large--apparently, it can hold up to 25,000 worshippers--but a bit too commercial for my taste. It is owned by or leased to the Indian government, and one must pass through a metal detector as a bored-looking military guard sits near. (What did he do to deserve this particular assignment, I wondered.) To take pictures, you have to pay 200 rupees, which isn't much, but several people who didn't pay and receive a ticket tried to use their camera phones and were immediately asked to pay the charge.

Several teenagers beckon you to take pictures and then ask for money afterwards. One of them asked me where I was from. I said, "California." He replied, "Do you have California money?" with a wide, friendly smile on his face. Some schoolgirls talked with my sister, asking only for her name. They were happy to say hello and continue along. Overall, my experience at the mosque didn't strike me as particularly religious. Perhaps tomorrow, when I visit a famous symbol of Islamic architecture, the Taj Mahal, I will have a different experience. So far, however, I've seen nothing here that exceeds the impressiveness of the holy places in Iran.

After the mosque, we visited a Sikh temple, where we were required to wear a head covering. We were able to attend and bring our cameras without charge. The Sikhs serve thousands of small food portions to the public each day--a noteworthy accomplishment in a country that has many impoverished residents--and even we were beckoned in to have some food (which we politely declined).

I had only two sweet lassis today, but plenty of naan. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a wide variety of dishes before coming to the hotel. Tomorrow we visit the Taj Mahal. Until then,

Your humble traveler,

Matthew

Bonus: Part 3 is  HERE.   

India: Days 1 and 2

I am in New Delhi, India, and it is December 13, 2010. Before coming here, I stayed overnight in London, and I enjoyed it--I got to see a dear friend, and it was the first time I'd been in the U.K. and avoided its usual rain. It was interesting seeing the cigarette boxes in the duty-free shops at Heathrow, which have the following 24-point font label: "Smoking Kills." (In case you didn't know.) After an 8 hour flight from London to Delhi yesterday, and another 30 minutes drive to my hotel, I've arrived mentally and physically.

The weather in India is delightful--California weather, really. Everyone told me I'd be in for "culture shock," but I've experienced no such thing so far. I wonder if people who talk about culture shock don't understand that poor people really do exist outside of television commercials. (Or perhaps some people view any place with weak commercial zoning laws and a removal of their ethnic majority status as sufficient to cause shock.) Certainly, I've seen poor people, including the so-called "slumdogs" (from the excellent film, Slumdog Millionaire). On the way to my hostel/hotel, several children came up to my taxicar, motioning for money. I did the Thai/Indian palms-together motion, saying "Namaste," and they left me alone. The salesmen on the street are far more persistent. Already, I've been propositioned to buy sunglasses and 32 gig memory cards for ten minutes straight. These sellers walk alongside you, sometimes tugging your sleeve gently, thinking that if they follow you for at least 10 minutes, you'll give in and buy their goods. Sometimes, and far less often, a poor woman will tag alongside you, asking for money or food, but they are comparatively less persistent. If you're not inclined to buy something or provide charity, just keep walking, be polite, and after some time, they will move on to the next tourist.

I'm staying at TJS Grand, which is located in a lower middle-class section of Delhi. Everyone here has been very nice, and many people speak at least basic English. The highlight thus far has been getting fresh chai on the street. For just 22 rupees, a hard-working man boils the milk, crushes the cardamom, cuts the ginger, dishes out the sugar, and prepares a wonderful cup of tea just for you. Overall, the food has been quite good. There's a small restaurant near my hotel called "Raffles," which has excellent food. I suggest ordering the combo, otherwise known as "thali" (pronounced "tal-ee"). I had already had some street food, so I ordered naan and sweet lassi, and I think I've found my own personal food combo. I could drink about ten sweet lassis a day and still not have my fill. I also enjoyed having cold coffee in McDonald's, which is a sweet coffee drink.

I am now waiting to have breakfast in the hostel/hotel, and then we will be going to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, for two days. We've got an excellent tour guide from Gap Adventures who calls himself "Luv." The name actually suits him. He speaks perfect English, is in great shape, and very sociable. He lives an hour and half away from this hostel and had to leave early to get back to his place. That reminds me: traffic. The small cars here compete with tuk-tuks, small motorbikes, and various other methods of transport. At first, the honking seems incessant, but once you realize drivers are honking not out of anger, but to advertise their location, it all makes sense. I have walked through dense traffic and not been scared, but my sister took half a day to adapt. She seems fine now. Walking with me, we received a few stares, as we're obviously out of place with our non-Indian features, but we've never felt unsafe. Some dogs roam the streets, but they all seem docile. Bottles of water are about 15 to 20 rupees, and I recommend picking one up for your hostel/hotel room, as tap water isn't known to be completely safe. If you go into some restaurants, they will serve you a large soda in a cup for just 20 rupees. The exchange rate is about 45 rupees to one American dollar, so while it's possible to spend loads of money on nice lodgings and fancy food, it's also possible to live quite cheaply here.

Breakfast will be served soon, and I don't know if I will have access to a computer at my next stop, but I will try to post again if I can. To more chai, naan, and the simple things in life,

Your humble traveler,

Matthew

Update: this became a 5 part series.  Part 2 is HERE.