Unfinished business

I visited India after almost 20 years. As I stated on my way here, over 3 weeks ago, this was a monumental trip for me. Not only was I coming over to visit my parents in their new home after moving back from the US for the first time, but I was also coming to visit--in many ways, for the first time--a land, a people, and a culture to which I claim an identity and which defines me in many ways.

It's been a fantastic trip. On this blog, I have not dwelled on the negative aspects of India, save a few instances. I think there are plenty of sources that capture India's negatives: immense poverty, illiteracy, high infant mortality, low health outcomes, discriminatory caste-ridden values, corruption, filth, unhygienic conditions, along with its fractured or nonexistent infrastructure. Indeed, Wikipedia says: "Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 a day."

It's too easy to stop at these very conspicuous problems. Hence, I have attempted to highlight the positives that bring out the color of what can otherwise be a depressing environment, depending on where you are.

On the contrary, I have had a very warm and pleasant experience in the midst of a culture that endures immense struggles. I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the faces of extreme poverty and marvel at the smiles that emerge from within along with the adaptability and tenacity of the people despite their dire situations. At the same time, I have experienced a truly emerging and growing economic force that is dead set to improve its conditions through hard work and laser-like focus on higher education. I have lived a fine five-star quality life, enjoying the highly diverse ethnic delicacies at the dinner table.

The bottom line, really, is that the past 3.5 weeks have been a marvelous time to see, smell, taste, hear, and live the culture that defines me when I answer "India" to the perennial question regarding my ancestry.

However, I leave with unfinished business. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to travel much outside of Ahmedabad, which means that I was not able to see a lot of my extended family and friends, as well as my great grandfather's land. Perhaps that was fortuitous, granted by the mysticism that guides life here, for it implies another visit sooner rather than later :) Stay tuned for Part II.

I am now off to London to visit with more family (ah, the irony of colonialism).

Thanks for reading.