From the Himalayas to the Sierra Madres: Familiarity

Today has been a very relaxing day, although I have to say that it is very sad not to have Zack and Callie in the house. I’ve been listening to lots of music, reading Harry Potter (I never read the whole series as a kid, so yes, I’m just finishing up the 5^th book now), doing laundry, and talking to Mrs. Sethi and her son Sunny. As it is the weekend and I’m the only student here, I’ve gotten a lot more time to talk at length with Sunny. He is very smart and has a keen sense for international relations. He has two graduate degrees, one being in international relations, and is now in the process of applying to universities in Europe in hopes of being hired to do research on the topic of international relations. We have been talking a lot about the rise in power of Asian countries (mostly China and India), and what that means for America and other Western countries. After living in England for 3 ½ years, he said that the work mentality needs to change if England wants to be a world power again. I asked him about the rise of India and China and how he thought they’ve become relevant and powerful at such an incredible rate. He said, “Well, when you have 1.2 billion people in India who work 6 days a week earning relatively small salaries, you’re going to have large advances at a very fast rate. And when you have a much smaller population in England with a much more relaxed work environment, with people living with less of a work hard mentality who expect to be given a lot, you’re not going to have the same power as you once did in the past.” He also mentioned the populations are much different age-wise. Over 60% of India’s population is under the age of 30, whereas, most of Western Europe is aging, and on average much older than the populations in India and China. Naturally, younger people are usually more capable of longer hours.

Religion in India fascinates me because its prevalence and dynamic is so incredibly different than in America. I was asking Sunny about religion and politics, and he simply said, “That is really a non-factor in politics for Indians. In fact, some argue that Indians are more advanced than many Western countries in these respects.” After talking further, he mentioned how young India is. It has only been a country for around 60 years (it has only been independent from British rule since the 40’s), and yet has already had a female president, a Muslim president (remember that India is a secular country with a Hindu majority, only comprising of approximately 20% Muslims, yet has the second largest population of Muslims in the world), and many other presidents of multiple religions. I remember saying, “That is so cool!” Just the fact that they’ve had such a diverse array of leaders shows how open-minded this country is when it comes to religion. I remember when Obama was running for president in 2008, there was a political war surrounding his true religion. Obama had to go to great lengths to assure the people that he wasn’t a Muslim, God forbid.

I have to remember that I have gotten very lucky in that my homestay family is very well educated and cognizant of current events and the world as a whole. Sunny reminded me that India is very diverse. Just when you think you know one part of the country well, don’t jump to the conclusion that you know India well. Some people are more conservative, less educated, and much more traditional in their beliefs and customs than others. So it was good to hear this because I’m only getting an insight into an Indian family from the northwest part of the country in a generally very well educated city. If I went further south to a more rural location, I would feel as if I was in a different country. Sunny told me that India was named the world’s most difficult place to live for a woman. The study was done analyzing 19 of the world’s developing countries, not including India’s neighbor Pakistan. I was in shock after living here for a month. How could this be when women in Saudi Arabia aren’t even allowed to drive? Yes, there is lots of poverty here, sure there are definitely some traditional family customs that are detrimental to females in some cases. But still, if the rest of India is anything like what I’ve seen, there’s no way this could have been a thorough analysis. Sunny didn’t seem as startled as I did, but I guess if it is an accurate claim, I have to remember how diverse India is.

Many Indians love America because of its diversity. I’ve heard many Indians say, “America is my second favorite country (behind India) because it’s diverse like India.” As the world progresses and power shifts to the East, it will be interesting to see how America continues to stretch its arms across the Pacific, and not just across the Atlantic like it has almost solely done in the past. China is buying any real estate for sale (Sunny said that China is investing hugely in Greece), and India is coming up in the world, and it’s coming up fast. India reminds me so much of America in many ways. I have grown very fond of this country partly because of the constant aspects that trigger thoughts of my country and home: the democratic government, the work hard mentality, the strong family values, and many other things I cannot think of now. Many people are calling the 21^st Century “The Asian Century.” As we see other countries join America as major world powers, it will be interesting who remains a power, and in what manner these countries conduct themselves to attain such power. China is very much a capitalistic economy with a Communist government with very little freedom of press and speech. India on the other hand, has chosen to be capitalistic as well, but with a more democratic government. With an American bias and having lived here for a month now, I can’t help but think, “How long can China last with the amount of censorship they place on their people, and the amount of power they hold in their leaders and not in their people? How can their people see the rest of the world and remain content?”

When coming to India, I knew it would be different, but I never thought I would feel the connection and familiarity between America and the country I’m calling home for now. It’s comforting and enlightening all at the same time.

Namaste,

Clayton

Fresh fruit and vegetable stand right near where I was staying in Mussoorie. Not everyone has refrigerators so most people have to get their fruits and veggies everyday.