On Finding It Akward to Speak About India

Everyone I meet seems to want to hear about Delhi and India. Not surprising I guess; India is in the news a lot, being a kind of topical and fashionable place and choosing to live there is unusual, to say the least.

But, I’m finding it a tough subject to broach, especially with people I’ve just met. It’s easy to rattle off the hardships, but that is only part of the picture. It’s even easier to spin the exotiphilic-travel magazine style stories, but that is disingenous. India doesn’t fit simple descriptions. For me, that is in part because living there was such a mixed experience. It’s hard to know where to start.

Moreover, I’m aware that India has changed me, but I’m not sure of the depth and breadth of that change. Living there has touched my understanding of faith, human nature, politics and globalisation, not really the stuff of amusing anecdotes.

[tags] India [/tags]