I am back in India now, and its going to be fun here. But before the fun begins, I will need to adapt once again to the way of life here.
10 things about India that I noticed in the last few weeks that I deeply regret:
1. Hospitals do not treat accident victims with compassion and urgency, they first want a police case before they admit or begin treatment.
2. Hit and Run happens a lot, and police does not do much about it. Neither are ads or campaigns to discipline and educate drivers
3. Black money does exists, I was looking for a new home and two buys were looking for cash and not money transfer or checks. Even the property would be undervalued, I turned away from them since a friend of mine had already warned me about such things.
4. Every one and every transport is late, appointments are difficult to honor since traffic is always slow, 10 kms could take 45 minutes to cover at times.
5. Hugh wait time to buy automobiles or scooters or motor cycles. Dealers always give anything between 30 days to 3 mos for models that sell well.
6. You can get visitors unannounced.
7. Doctors don't give appointments here, well you can get one, but don't expect for them to be there or you be called on time. Patients would need to wait for at least an hour despite appointments. But every one gets to consult with a doctor.
8. People are absent minded and not customer focussed, if you go to a store and you are in line for billing, you can see associates chit-chatting or doing this in slow-motion, like barcode scans, entering data, bagging, etc...
9. Pathetic road sense, no lanes are marked on roads, but that does not make a difference since no one follows it, Bikers cut lanes all of a sudden as if they don't care about their safety, some bikers drive on pavements if the road is backed by traffic.
10. People want to get away by breaking rules, some even brag about it. One acquaintance brags about driving without helmet (new rule enforced in TN), He says he has always got out of it by paying 2-3 times to cops before and he will do so again. Well he is not one, there are many like him all around me.
Well there could be exceptions to this.
There are things I like about India:
1. Back with family
2. Temples and festivals
3. Civil society trying to fight against corruption and lack of Government's efforts in this area
4. Small shop keepers help by delivering at old people's houses.
5. Democracy that allows to select the next Government every 5 years.
6. Freedom of press
7. Work from culture is even more acceptable compared to previous visits.
8. Cell phone bills, Cable/Satellite TV costs less than US
9. Neighbors are helpful and support in times of troubled times
10. Real estate prices are still good.
10 things about India that I noticed in the last few weeks that I deeply regret:
1. Hospitals do not treat accident victims with compassion and urgency, they first want a police case before they admit or begin treatment.
2. Hit and Run happens a lot, and police does not do much about it. Neither are ads or campaigns to discipline and educate drivers
3. Black money does exists, I was looking for a new home and two buys were looking for cash and not money transfer or checks. Even the property would be undervalued, I turned away from them since a friend of mine had already warned me about such things.
4. Every one and every transport is late, appointments are difficult to honor since traffic is always slow, 10 kms could take 45 minutes to cover at times.
5. Hugh wait time to buy automobiles or scooters or motor cycles. Dealers always give anything between 30 days to 3 mos for models that sell well.
6. You can get visitors unannounced.
7. Doctors don't give appointments here, well you can get one, but don't expect for them to be there or you be called on time. Patients would need to wait for at least an hour despite appointments. But every one gets to consult with a doctor.
8. People are absent minded and not customer focussed, if you go to a store and you are in line for billing, you can see associates chit-chatting or doing this in slow-motion, like barcode scans, entering data, bagging, etc...
9. Pathetic road sense, no lanes are marked on roads, but that does not make a difference since no one follows it, Bikers cut lanes all of a sudden as if they don't care about their safety, some bikers drive on pavements if the road is backed by traffic.
10. People want to get away by breaking rules, some even brag about it. One acquaintance brags about driving without helmet (new rule enforced in TN), He says he has always got out of it by paying 2-3 times to cops before and he will do so again. Well he is not one, there are many like him all around me.
Well there could be exceptions to this.
There are things I like about India:
1. Back with family
2. Temples and festivals
3. Civil society trying to fight against corruption and lack of Government's efforts in this area
4. Small shop keepers help by delivering at old people's houses.
5. Democracy that allows to select the next Government every 5 years.
6. Freedom of press
7. Work from culture is even more acceptable compared to previous visits.
8. Cell phone bills, Cable/Satellite TV costs less than US
9. Neighbors are helpful and support in times of troubled times
10. Real estate prices are still good.
