[In]credible India!

Yesterday, I read two opinion articles in the Times of India about why India is unable to get a proper acknowledgement of its standing on the world stage.  As per these articles, India is not far behind the US and China, and seems to be ahead of EU and Japan on the world stage.  Talk about self-confidence.  And one of those articles was written by Chetan Bhagat , the other by some Indian who lives in Washington, DC. As I read those articles, I was reminded of a book I had read long back before I had immigrated to the US.  This book had a remark that Indian intelligentsia love to talk about the problems faced by an average person while drinking Scotch whiskey in five star hotels. Chetan Bhagat did mention a lot of things that are holding India back.  He obviously is not the average person.  He will not have to stand in line in the bank or to pay bills and be dictated by the babu to produce his Aadhaar card for whatever purpose.  These privileged guy...

Today, I visited the local bank of Punjab National Bank to achieve three objectives: withdraw some money, update the passbook, and surrender the safety deposit box.  I entered the bank at 11:21am (just happened to glance at my watch as I entered). My first instinct was to ask the lady at the reception about what I need to do for each of the tasks.  However, she was busy helping two other customers and I had some idea about withdrawing money.  So, I went to one of the three "Customer Relations Executives."  This man pointed me to a different Executive who declared that I cannot withdraw money on the check I presented.  Apparently, this was from an old checkbook and the design had been discontinued.  When I protested about the check being officially supplied by the bank, with the address of the branch printed on it, he asked me to talk to the Senior Manager.  The Senior Manager looked at it and said it looks fine, till someone else pointed out that it...

I guess the traffic in India is legendary.  If you want to drive here with discipline, you can forget about driving. Indians are always in a rush to get somewhere and invariably late.  I have been watching the speed and you are lucky to drive at 25km per hour in the city traffic.  Here, might is right and the two-wheelers will cut through every little nook and cranny. I have actually seen a stop sign but I don't think that any of the drivers will recognize what that means.  Forget about stop sign, they do not seem to know about the traffic lights either.  Nobody seems to even slow down at the red light but then, the traffic hardly moves faster than 25km per hour. An interesting thing is that people boast about driving fast, and by fast, they mean 150km per hour; that is over 90mph. In a Suzuki 800cc car, nevertheless.  When I ask where, they say that the highways between the cities are amazing and you can drive as fast as you want.  As someone who...

There is a menace of stray dogs in Amritsar.  These dogs attack people and may even carry rabies.  They are obviously a public health issue.  Everyone you talk to says that there are too many stray dogs and the "government" should do something about it.   And that is typical of people in India: they want the "government" to do something about their problems. It seems that the municipal corporation did try to neuter the dogs.  However, some people protested in the name of canine rights.  A lady in the neighborhood told me that when the corporate vehicle came in to neuter the dogs, some ladies protested and started crying.  These animal lovers give milk to the stray dogs and provide food for them.  Yet, they will not let these dogs into their own home. Last week, when the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau visited Amritsar, the municipal corporation removed all the stray dogs from the roads his motorcade was to travel.  So, if they reall...

I want to start with something positive. Papa has been undergoing physical therapy and I really like the therapist, Dr. J. S. Randhawa.  He visits at home to stimulate papa's arms and legs, and exercises his hands and feet.  The biggest quality I see in him is his punctuality.  He arrives at home by 12:30pm, give or take five minutes.  He does his job diligently while he is here.  If even half the local population was as efficient and ethical as him, this place can progress.  Unfortunately, I am led to believe that he is an exception to the rule and we just got lucky. The other good part is the social set up.  Yes, people are too much into your business and everyone has advice for you, whether you want it or not.  But more or less, they mean well.  The neighbors are the ones who informed my cousin when papa fell outside home, and helped bring him into the house. Papa is showing good progress today.  He slept well last night and sat ...

I left India 31 years ago to pursue graduate studies in the US.  After earning my Ph.D. there, I started my career in a university where I now work as a professor.  My parents live in Amritsar but in December, my mother passed and my dad was left to live alone.  He fell down in on the road last month and was hospitalized.  So, my wife and I packed our bags and came over to look after him. I have been here for two weeks now and that is the longest I have lived in my parent's home since I left for college after my high school.  Amritsar is a small town that has not changed in ages.  I am going to document my experiences living in Amritsar.  I am mostly critical of what goes on here, having lived in a highly efficient society most of my life. I'll try to be objective but if you are a card-carrying Indian patriot, you will not like what I (branded a "foreigner") perceive of this society and culture. Stay tuned.