5 months India: a review: Dirty Bangalore
Today, March, 28, exactly, I have been 5 months to India. What can I say about the country? What can I say about my stay here? What can I say about what impact this stay had on me so far?
I try hard to remain as objective as possible in my descriptions and views. But I must admit, remaining objective when talking about India can be hard, since the country with all its aspects is rather intense, if not to say 'hard-core'.
My first impression was quite the same as I expected. I had not only read a lot on the country in advance but I had also been overwhelmed by descriptions, stories and experiences of all my friends who have been to India, whether due to travelling or working. Thus, initially I did not have this so-called 'culture shock' as many claimed to have had after their first confrontation with an Indian environment: unimaginable poverty, overwhelming dirt, breath-taking colors, unbearable stench and exotic scents side by side; in short, a country of contrasts wherever you look. Well, that's about the way India is. But to be honest, the negative listing above is more overwhelming than the positive, expecially in the beginning. The image of pollution and filth in every corner of the city going along with stench of rot and excrements is definitely more present than seductive odours and beautiful colours.
Bangalore, the merging IT metropole, is said to be the 'Silicon Valley' of India. Considering the remarkable numbers of investment and economic growth during the last 10 years this might be true. But the city is neither 'Silicon' nor 'Valley'. So don't imagine a dynamic, prospering, cosmopolitan city in the middle of Asia like Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Seoul; Bangalore like every other city in India is -as I call it- a million settlement. Apart from the city's disgusting pollution and dirt, the infrastructure is so lousy that any European mediaeval city could compete with it. The roads are in a desasterous condition, proper sidewalks hardly any exist, bunches of rubbish are everywhere, attracting (and feeding) millions of flies, cows, rats and street dogs. There is no sanitary system but only ditches along the shabby roads, sometimes coverd with flagstones, but always filled with rubbish. So, during the monsoon times with its heavy rains, the city is flooded regularly.
Bangalore does not have a real center but only 'main streets' where the main commercial life takes place. These streets (called MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street...) are considered as the 'center' and many Indians claim them to be 'progressive' and 'cosmopolitan'. Most of the western tourist linger around here, but also the new generation of the hip and 'western-trendy' Indians, dressed up in the latest fashion hang out in the most popular Indian cafe chains like 'Coffee Day' and 'Barista'. Well, for an Indian who has never been outside of India (that means almost every Indian!) this might be impressive and cosmopolitan. But for western eyes there are always some essential aspects of the scene which always remind you that you are in a third-world country. Apart from the fact that even these streets can never compete with a regular commercial street in any developed city, the place is always crowded with ragged little kids, shabby teen-age-mothers, old men or women and cribbles begging for money; all in all a contrast, so typical for India as a whole.
For myself I can say; I did not fall in love with the city at all. I can accept a lousy infrastructure but I could not and I still cannot get used to the dirt and the pollution which has - as many naive westerner might think - less to do with the poverty than with the Indian mentality. Considering the billions of dollars invested into the IT sector during the last few years, generating to the city immense amounts of taxes, the poor development of the picture of Bangalore is astonishing. The public transportation system is insufficient and crappy, traffic is chaotic and during rush-hours it can take hours to cover only short distances. One reason for this disasterous condition of the infrastructure might be the corruption of the public authorities (as claimed by most of the locals here) but one further essential reason I can observe is the complete ignorance of the majority of the Indians of their environmental problems. Indians, wherever they go, pollute their environment without respect for nature nor have they any sense for social responsibility. So whether the street in front of their house is washed away, their places are invaded by bugs, their rivers, bonds and lakes are just filthy cloacas, the avarage Indian simply doesn't care; it is the way it is. I must say, the longer I am here, the more I am bothered by this particular aspect of the Indian mentality and hence, makes living here for me less convenient.
Well, this short initial review might be staggering, but don't worry, of course there are many other aspects which make my stay here a great experience. But for this I need some more space and time...
Cheers.
mi-scho.
I try hard to remain as objective as possible in my descriptions and views. But I must admit, remaining objective when talking about India can be hard, since the country with all its aspects is rather intense, if not to say 'hard-core'.
My first impression was quite the same as I expected. I had not only read a lot on the country in advance but I had also been overwhelmed by descriptions, stories and experiences of all my friends who have been to India, whether due to travelling or working. Thus, initially I did not have this so-called 'culture shock' as many claimed to have had after their first confrontation with an Indian environment: unimaginable poverty, overwhelming dirt, breath-taking colors, unbearable stench and exotic scents side by side; in short, a country of contrasts wherever you look. Well, that's about the way India is. But to be honest, the negative listing above is more overwhelming than the positive, expecially in the beginning. The image of pollution and filth in every corner of the city going along with stench of rot and excrements is definitely more present than seductive odours and beautiful colours.
Bangalore, the merging IT metropole, is said to be the 'Silicon Valley' of India. Considering the remarkable numbers of investment and economic growth during the last 10 years this might be true. But the city is neither 'Silicon' nor 'Valley'. So don't imagine a dynamic, prospering, cosmopolitan city in the middle of Asia like Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Seoul; Bangalore like every other city in India is -as I call it- a million settlement. Apart from the city's disgusting pollution and dirt, the infrastructure is so lousy that any European mediaeval city could compete with it. The roads are in a desasterous condition, proper sidewalks hardly any exist, bunches of rubbish are everywhere, attracting (and feeding) millions of flies, cows, rats and street dogs. There is no sanitary system but only ditches along the shabby roads, sometimes coverd with flagstones, but always filled with rubbish. So, during the monsoon times with its heavy rains, the city is flooded regularly.
Bangalore does not have a real center but only 'main streets' where the main commercial life takes place. These streets (called MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street...) are considered as the 'center' and many Indians claim them to be 'progressive' and 'cosmopolitan'. Most of the western tourist linger around here, but also the new generation of the hip and 'western-trendy' Indians, dressed up in the latest fashion hang out in the most popular Indian cafe chains like 'Coffee Day' and 'Barista'. Well, for an Indian who has never been outside of India (that means almost every Indian!) this might be impressive and cosmopolitan. But for western eyes there are always some essential aspects of the scene which always remind you that you are in a third-world country. Apart from the fact that even these streets can never compete with a regular commercial street in any developed city, the place is always crowded with ragged little kids, shabby teen-age-mothers, old men or women and cribbles begging for money; all in all a contrast, so typical for India as a whole.
For myself I can say; I did not fall in love with the city at all. I can accept a lousy infrastructure but I could not and I still cannot get used to the dirt and the pollution which has - as many naive westerner might think - less to do with the poverty than with the Indian mentality. Considering the billions of dollars invested into the IT sector during the last few years, generating to the city immense amounts of taxes, the poor development of the picture of Bangalore is astonishing. The public transportation system is insufficient and crappy, traffic is chaotic and during rush-hours it can take hours to cover only short distances. One reason for this disasterous condition of the infrastructure might be the corruption of the public authorities (as claimed by most of the locals here) but one further essential reason I can observe is the complete ignorance of the majority of the Indians of their environmental problems. Indians, wherever they go, pollute their environment without respect for nature nor have they any sense for social responsibility. So whether the street in front of their house is washed away, their places are invaded by bugs, their rivers, bonds and lakes are just filthy cloacas, the avarage Indian simply doesn't care; it is the way it is. I must say, the longer I am here, the more I am bothered by this particular aspect of the Indian mentality and hence, makes living here for me less convenient.
Well, this short initial review might be staggering, but don't worry, of course there are many other aspects which make my stay here a great experience. But for this I need some more space and time...
Cheers.
mi-scho.
posted by mischo@asia at 3:28 PM
1 Comments:
Coucou Mischo, j'ai vu le documentaire et en effet, ils ont coupe toute ton interveiew. Je trouve que tu as une facon clair de voir l'Inde comme elle est et je reconnais aussi ce que j'ai vu. J'espere que tu tiens le coup la bas. Gros bisous, magali
Post a Comment
<< Home