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Reflections of India India. In the eyes of several foreigners has been a land in the mystical Orient whose peace and serenity remain unspoiled by the outside world. Then they land in Mumbai. Finally, a foreigner realizes that peace and serenity are going to be scarce in this country, and that chaos is going to be the descriptive word through most of this trip. That is how India is now. However, remnants of the serene nation that India once was still exist. Landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, etc. are indicative of the once great nation that existed upon this land. If a nation has a rich history that has left behind stunning sites, tourism is an extremely profitable industry. India has the potential to lead the world in tourism because it has places and things prominent in both of those categories. In the duration of this trip, I saw more foreigners than I had ever seen before in India. It is finally a sign that the tourism industry in India is looking healthier. Providing more money for the development of tourism in India would be a profitable venture. This would provide boosts in hotel industries, restaurants, novelty shops and would also help the hawkers that occupy as much space as possible outside any tourist attraction. Overpopulation has completely ruined this country. The sheer number of people has made it impossible for any type of law & order to be enforced. The police officer to person ratio is dramatic and several cops have all but given up the impossible task of keeping order present in the country. You can find cars turning left and right, almost as if in a contest to break the most rules. There is no right and wrong side of the road. People fill half the streets, as sidewalks are a rare commodity. Not only that, the people cross these roads where and when they please. Furthermore, there is no space left in the major cities to build anything, so any new plans proclaimed to solve all problems go "kaput" even before they start. All these factors combine to form an environment where any hope of law & order is useless. Overpopulation has also led to the depreciation of living conditions in India. With so many people, the demands for shelter, food, etc. are extremely high but many people don’t have the money to afford even these basic needs. The number of people has also led to the feeling of apathy in the public as well, leaving them with a feeling that someone else is going to litter and spit here sooner or later, why not me. People litter as if all of India is a trash can and think that every road and street is built to spit tobacco. People who did care even a little now seem to have given in to the saying, "If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em." Such problems have become all too common in India and they continue to grow. It seems that overpopulation has started to take its toll. As if these problems are not enough, the tension between India and Pakistan continues to grow. These tensions have been on a steady rise since the two countries became nuclear powers and reached a high at the conflict in Kargil. The intense hatred that these two countries have for each other is truly alarming. These feelings of hostility must be overcome if we can even hope to attain any peace. We must try to remember the saying, "An argument always has two or more sides," and try not to be caught in this urge to display violent nationality. India seems to be a country that is caught up in "Westernizing" itself, while several western countries want to "Easternize" themselves. Westerners are trying to adopt some of the family values that we have and other such things that help build a healthy life. While we are obsessed with pop culture and are trying to conform to it as much as possible. This is something we must stop if we want to preserve the rich and fabulous culture of India for all the future generations. India was always a country with a lot of potential, but now, a lot of that potential has been squandered. The reasons behind this are innumerable. In order to overcome the perils of overpopulation and political instability, India is a country that now has to make a 110% of every chance that it gets. It is a mountain that India will have to climb in order to reclaim some of the lost peace and serenity of the mystic land of the Orient. Date posted: August 29, 1999. What do you think
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