An NRI’s prospective on the not-so-changing aspect of Indian life

Bigger houses, better cars, western food, newer mobiles….there are so much new in India; there have been so many changes over the last 10-15 years. India, along with very few other countries, is economically growing at a pace that rest of the world can only talk about. The changes are everywhere.

And then, there are many more things that are about the same, same as the old days. If you look closer, the stuff that has not changed much is in fact much more profound and much more important than the economic progress made since early 90s.
The key aspects of Indian way of life that have not changed much include:

1. The overall mentality is still the same. The way society interacts and overall thinking has not changed very much.
2. The political power, the corruption and the mussel flexing to get the work done is same old. If you have money, you can bypass the due process and the waiting lines.
3. The outdoor cleanliness is no where to be found. The trash and garbage is all over the streets, just like before.
4. The laziness and lack of punctuality is no better than before, especially in the public sector.
5. The gap between rich and poor is more noticeable, if not the same. The rich is getting richer – nothing new.
6. The roadside manners are worse than ever. Traffic is crazy. The funny thing is, in spite of all the aggressive driving, everybody seems to be still running late.
7. The public teasing of the passing-by girls, the lewd remarks are still equally common and nobody seems to think anything wrong with the behavior.
8. The noise, the honking and loud music in public is about the same, if not worse.
9. In spite of extreme weather and diminishing tree lines, nobody is paying special attention to the environment protection. To say the least, this is a very alarming, and could become quite dangerous for the generations to come.

There are many more, but these are the main ones that stand out – the things or ways of life that have not changed much over the years. Feel free to comment if you think otherwise, or if you have your own observation to share.

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