The following content is purely a figment of my observation, and hopefully an unbiased, sort of warfront reporting of what's happening in the homeland. So, if someone is offended, well....don't take it personal, relax, take a chill pill...
On a heavier note.....
- If you love diversity, variety or sugar and spice in your life, this is the place to be. More so, if you choose to stop and savor every minute of it, you start noticing the subtle yet rapid changes that are happening in a dynamically changing society, of today's India.
- The role of media has undergone huge transformation, atleast from what it was a decade back. Open debates and political discussions, exposing scandals and trying to get the truth out of "shady" matters are welcoming changes, but in this process a lot of focus is given on sensationalism and the media getting into a "witch-hunt" mode. My take is, we're in the process of refining the 'fourth estate' and taking our time to get to a more mature and responsible media.
- Movies and movie stars, cricket and cricket players are two powerful groups that rule the roost in India. Everything they do, talk or don't talk make the headlines. This is true be it in villages, cities, metros or amongst educated, working, student groups. Two very influential and never-to-be-underestimated power groups.
- The techincal advancements in our medical system have been super fast and meeting international benchmarks. Hospital care, doctor credentials, access to health care have improved leaps and bounds. But, affordablity is better only when you compare to the West, it's still an expensive option for a developing country like ours.
And, as a huge believer of Alternative medicine, it's wonderful to see Homeopaths and Ayurvedic practioners co-existing under the same roof as Allopathic doctors. I was always pained to see pharma drugs being "shoved down our throats" in the US. I strongly consider it an insult to our intelligence if we can't choose how we want to treat our bodies.Why can't other healthcare options be offered? Where's the freedom when we want it?
- The education system in India is surprisingly not evolved as much as it should have, from what i've seen so far. Sporadic changes have happened, but overall the approach is still the same - learning is still a means to the end, and not a path towards gaining knowledge; school is a place for churning out apprentices for assembly-line jobs, not a powerhouse for creating entrepreneurs or scientists or creative thinkers; and yes, you're still considered a whizkid if you turn out as a "doctor" or "engineer" out of the school system.
- Taking advantage of a modern Indian's eagerness to make quick solutions to everyday problems and a readiness to compromise on any morals and ethical codes of conduct, the breakdown of a joint family system which has created a vaccuum and leaving behind its members isolated, and a confused society at cross-roads between East and the West - new age Gurus and quack Swamis are mushrooming every nook and corner of the country, in alarming numbers. Still maintaining its place as a spiritual capital of the world, India is undergoing a lot of changes in this area.
- Increasingly, travel has become a trendy hobby for many. Weekend getways, holiday destinations local and abroad are more and more popular now than before. The tourism industry is a fast-growing service in India now and the quality is improving vastly, thanks to better roads and flights, online booking, staying facilities etc.
On a personal note -
- Overall, there are clearly two dimensions that emerge - you see an older gen. still reeling under the remnants of the British "Raj" and struggling to run the country in their own way (after all, democratically we're only 63 years old young and learning to govern the hard way), and the current gen Y, who are sounding very confident about themselves in some ways, but also grappling to get an identity of what being an "Indian", or what is "India" is all about, amidst the Western hoopla around them.
- Our 'emotional quotient' seem to be permanently stuck on top gear. It's not surprising that Indian soap operas have very high TV ratings be it North or South. Movies, news channels and comedy shows all seem to be screaming and animated - even on the mute mode. Maybe it's a reflection of our own lives, which are never in shortage of dramatic or exaggerated expressions.
- Families seem to in a transition phase now, with "nuclear units" becoming more and more common, especially in cities. From what I've heard so far, arguments for this seem to be - the prohibitive cost of living, shrinking of living spaces (from houses to apartments), and an urge for parents to focus more on their childrens' education. Arguments against this seem to be - stress on child care with two parents going out to work and no one being home, a pyschological sense of feeling lonely (the social animals that we are) and mainly, parents going into an obsessive, aggressive, and "trying-to-raise-superkids" mode.
Signing off,
A Very, Proud Indian....Jai Ho....
For Mixed 'Masala' Part I, please go to
http://www.jaya-randommusings.blogspot.com/2010/02/mixed-masalapart-i.html
On a heavier note.....
- If you love diversity, variety or sugar and spice in your life, this is the place to be. More so, if you choose to stop and savor every minute of it, you start noticing the subtle yet rapid changes that are happening in a dynamically changing society, of today's India.
- The role of media has undergone huge transformation, atleast from what it was a decade back. Open debates and political discussions, exposing scandals and trying to get the truth out of "shady" matters are welcoming changes, but in this process a lot of focus is given on sensationalism and the media getting into a "witch-hunt" mode. My take is, we're in the process of refining the 'fourth estate' and taking our time to get to a more mature and responsible media.
- Movies and movie stars, cricket and cricket players are two powerful groups that rule the roost in India. Everything they do, talk or don't talk make the headlines. This is true be it in villages, cities, metros or amongst educated, working, student groups. Two very influential and never-to-be-underestimated power groups.
- The techincal advancements in our medical system have been super fast and meeting international benchmarks. Hospital care, doctor credentials, access to health care have improved leaps and bounds. But, affordablity is better only when you compare to the West, it's still an expensive option for a developing country like ours.
And, as a huge believer of Alternative medicine, it's wonderful to see Homeopaths and Ayurvedic practioners co-existing under the same roof as Allopathic doctors. I was always pained to see pharma drugs being "shoved down our throats" in the US. I strongly consider it an insult to our intelligence if we can't choose how we want to treat our bodies.Why can't other healthcare options be offered? Where's the freedom when we want it?
- The education system in India is surprisingly not evolved as much as it should have, from what i've seen so far. Sporadic changes have happened, but overall the approach is still the same - learning is still a means to the end, and not a path towards gaining knowledge; school is a place for churning out apprentices for assembly-line jobs, not a powerhouse for creating entrepreneurs or scientists or creative thinkers; and yes, you're still considered a whizkid if you turn out as a "doctor" or "engineer" out of the school system.
- Taking advantage of a modern Indian's eagerness to make quick solutions to everyday problems and a readiness to compromise on any morals and ethical codes of conduct, the breakdown of a joint family system which has created a vaccuum and leaving behind its members isolated, and a confused society at cross-roads between East and the West - new age Gurus and quack Swamis are mushrooming every nook and corner of the country, in alarming numbers. Still maintaining its place as a spiritual capital of the world, India is undergoing a lot of changes in this area.
- Increasingly, travel has become a trendy hobby for many. Weekend getways, holiday destinations local and abroad are more and more popular now than before. The tourism industry is a fast-growing service in India now and the quality is improving vastly, thanks to better roads and flights, online booking, staying facilities etc.
On a personal note -
- Overall, there are clearly two dimensions that emerge - you see an older gen. still reeling under the remnants of the British "Raj" and struggling to run the country in their own way (after all, democratically we're only 63 years old young and learning to govern the hard way), and the current gen Y, who are sounding very confident about themselves in some ways, but also grappling to get an identity of what being an "Indian", or what is "India" is all about, amidst the Western hoopla around them.
- Our 'emotional quotient' seem to be permanently stuck on top gear. It's not surprising that Indian soap operas have very high TV ratings be it North or South. Movies, news channels and comedy shows all seem to be screaming and animated - even on the mute mode. Maybe it's a reflection of our own lives, which are never in shortage of dramatic or exaggerated expressions.
- Families seem to in a transition phase now, with "nuclear units" becoming more and more common, especially in cities. From what I've heard so far, arguments for this seem to be - the prohibitive cost of living, shrinking of living spaces (from houses to apartments), and an urge for parents to focus more on their childrens' education. Arguments against this seem to be - stress on child care with two parents going out to work and no one being home, a pyschological sense of feeling lonely (the social animals that we are) and mainly, parents going into an obsessive, aggressive, and "trying-to-raise-superkids" mode.
Signing off,
A Very, Proud Indian....Jai Ho....
For Mixed 'Masala' Part I, please go to
http://www.jaya-randommusings.blogspot.com/2010/02/mixed-masalapart-i.html