Delhi
Trip Start
Dec 27, 2005
1
9
20
Trip End
Jan 15, 2006
Delhi,
India
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Delhi
-----
We hit the hotel and it's off and running. The tour guide shows up and we travel around the city to see some sites. Delhi has some amazing land marks. We saw the Persian influenced tombs of former kinds and the Hindu/Jain/Persian influenced ruins in old Delhi. We also got a chance to see Gandhi's memorial.
Traffic Jams
-----
Driving in India is a complete nightmare. Nobody follows any rules. 3-lane highways have 4 cars, numerous rickshaws, scooters, and people driving side-by-side. Nobody lets anybody pass so you have to stick you vehicle in front of the others. Nobody follows the traffic lights or signs. The traffic cops are completely ignored. In the poorer neighborhoods there are cows, goats, and dogs running around the streets. You also see people loitering around, peeing, or sleeping in any open space they can find
Delhi 01
. We got stuck in an insane traffic jam on the way back. The streets of Delhi were completely in chaos and gridlocked due to the birthday of some Sikh guru. It took us 3 hours to travel 3-km. It would have been 4-5 hours but we walked the last 1/2 km. It took our poor driver another 2 hours to get out of the mess. The pure insanity of traffic made it on some level entertaining. Samir & I were cracking jokes for 2 hours but at the 3rd hour it was no longer funny. I do have to say that it was a unique experience...Dinner
-----
Samir's friend Vineeta took us out for dinner. She was an Indian expat from the Bay Area teaching English in Delhi. We went to some upscale bar hidden away. Excellent Indian food. We had some sort of tandoori Fish and some smoked chicken. We had some drinks afterwards as well. It was interesting to talk to Vineeta about her experience as an expat. What I noticed about her is that she's somebody you'd expect to meet in NYC. Strong-willed, independent girl with a dominant personality. It was interesting to hear about the "dating life" and what its like to date the locals in Delhi. Sounded like Delhi was like any Asian city. Expats mix with rich locals and that's pretty much the circle. It's interesting to hear that the rich here (like everywhere else) have nothing to say other than they are rich, from a good, and finally did I mention that they were rich? Vineeta said that the mentality was a turn-off and consequently she doesn't date much
Delhi 02
. I can see a huge cultural clash here.Anyways she was very entertaining and hospitable. She was also very open with Sam and thus me as well. Seems like we were a breath of fresh air for her because we all had similar upbringings in the bay area. I can also tell she was attracted to Samir but that's a different story.
The People
-----
One of the conversations we had was the question of why India and China had such different trajectories. Both were similar in size and dirt poor only 30-40 years ago. Why was it that Shanghai/Beijing are now ultra modern cities whereas Delhi (while much improved) was falling behind?
This really got me thinking. The Indian and Chinese cultures are one of the oldest. Both have highly educated people. Both stress family, duty and education. Both are similar in geographic and population sizes. Why is it that China is ahead of India?
My theory is the difference in governments. China has an extremely strong, authoritarian government bent on modernization. India has a democratic coalition government. When there is a need for massive revolutionary change in the government policy, it is much easier for the authoritarian government to force the people to change. Consensus is slow, especially if there is no homogeneity in thought, philosophy or ideas. Consequently India seems to more slightly slower than China. Moreover the Indian government unlike China does not throw people out in the name of change and modernization
Delhi 03
. Chan has 5-year plans set from the top. Once these are set, the political structures work hard to achieve these goals (especially since nobody wants to lose face by not being able to deliver). If the Indian people can have a strong focused government, it can achieve similar momentum as China (that's a big if at this point). Currently the government is mired in bureaucracy. For example I read in the India paper that India is finding that importing drugs from China is more cost effective than buying local medicine. The government regulates and sets prices on medicine produced in India and hence the issue. Imagine that! Both countries have cheap labor, smart businessmen, and great scientist. Yet the government bureaucracy in India makes India less competitive. Another issue is the lack of infrastructure. The Delhi airport needs modernization yet the government blocks privatization/investors because of bureaucratic inquiries on the role of privatization etc.This is not to say that the Chinese system is perfect. The Chinese system sacrificies groups for the sake of advancements. This is great for the people who are on the "right" side but what happens to the "others"? What happens to the 40-50 somethings who don't exactly fit in anymore?
