- a French psychologist called Régis Airault, wrote a book about people and tourists traveling in India named The Crazy people of India, explaining how a trip initiated in this very special country triggers either a strong feeling of rejection making people leave one day after they arrive or on the opposite, a complete madness as the shock of the first contact with the country makes people lose their mind. They feel free, invincible, they want to stay in India and spend their lives praying for Shiva and introducing themselves by saying « Namasté »
- Republic of India : It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world, capital : New Delhi, it used to be Calcutta, but the economic centre of gravity of India is definitely Bombay, where I went
With the world's fourth largest economy in purchasing power and the second fastest growing large economy, India has made rapid progress in the last decade, especially in information technology. Although India's standard of living is projected to rise sharply in the next half-century, it currently battles high levels of poverty, illiteracy, persistent malnutrition, and environmental degradation
- Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here
- the flag : India is a union of twenty-eight states and seven federally-governed union territories, traditional spinning wheel, which was associated with Gandhi's crusade to make Indians self-reliant by fabricating their own clothing, red colour for the Muslims, green one for Hinduism ; white stripe in the centre for the other religious communities in India, officially recognized in August 1931 by the Congress party, and nationally at the Independence
The paradox of past and present, the inheritance of diverse cultures for a unique place in the world
1. A country rooted in a very ancient and rich culture and philosophy, contrasting with the general state of its society
- a country of wealth and diversity, that is the most gigantic paradox, there is extreme poverty, slums in Bombay absolutely alarming, people begging for money when cars stop at red lights, children selling English or American best sellers, showing their little brother or sister to move compassionate or bored tourists, families walking along the streets and simply asking if somebody could buy them something to eat because they can’t do it themselves
- another striking fact, noticeable in many metropolises especially in the Thirld-World, is pollution and real concern with waste and the general hygiene of the city and the people living in, and also the fact that Bombay is never quiet, even in the night, there is always noise, it can simply be the rotation of the air conditioned
- but despite this sad but not exaggerated picture, there is much more to say about India, people are nice, nice in a way that they never get mad, always smiling, taking their time, apologizing when they’re wrong or gently screwing you up because clearly, you’re a tourist and they know it
- the example of cars horning at any time shows this ambiguity : there is a kind of madness as the drivers spend their time using their horn, it is noisy but it is never aggressive, and it is almost funny
- there is a link with the religion in India, the quite mystic atmosphere that can be witnessed is easily understood, in Buddhism and surely Hinduism, you are what you are, you get what you get in this life regarding the life you had before, a notion of reincarnation guides every believer
People are not angry because they believe if they are better in this life, the next one will be brighter, that also explains the acceptance of a system that still is strongly existing : the casts, you stick to your own kind because you respect the gods and you know that you deserve what you have
- another proof : yoga is originated from India, it’s a kind of application of the philosophy and general behavior of Indian people
- Gandhi, the Mahatma, is much better apprehended if you consider this philosophy, violence, extremeness are useless to fight something, there is always a part of acceptance, and this man used what we could call the ancestor of « soft power » to fight back the British rule and end it, civil disobedience, pacific resistance, boycott of British goods were all schemes of a same plan, it was however a struggle for independence
- divinities in India : there is a cosmic Trinity composed of Vishnu, Brahman and Shiva which name is by far very often pronounced when it comes to prayers and invocations in India, they form a principle and the diverse forces that move the universe, Shiva has two sons Kumara and Ganesh who is represented as an elephant, very often, animals can be noticed
2. The British traces in India, and the notion of syncretism constantly renewing Indian culture and identity
- the British influence and at a certain point these last decades the general Americanization of the world is also to be seen in India
- first, the Indian English Writing is an important concept revealing the syncretism between times of colonization and the colonized land and culture itself : authors like Vikhram Seth, A suitable boy, Rohinton Mistry, A fine balance, telling stories in English about the Indian life and its inhabitants’ daily experience, Arhundati Roy, The God of small things, also in English
- the most enjoyed sport in India is cricket, and this year is about to begin a world cup in South-East Asia, but the national sport is field hockey, it reveals the traces left by the British era
- the architecture offers the memories of the British moment in the Indian history with numerous monuments in Victorian style and really different from the Islamic architecture that also flourished there, thinking about the Taj Mahal if one thing should be quoted, palace that was also reproduced in Mumbai as a very expensive hotel
- English language to be very simple is spoken by almost every Indian, it is rare not to be able to communicate in this language which shares the designation of official language with the Hindi, although the Indian English shows a very specific accent and is quite basic in his syntax and complexity
- on the opposite, India also influenced back Great Britain one way or another : spices, tea came from this region of the world and is nowadays largely spread, meanwhile it is also very appreciated in India. The same remark applies for food and spices, India is a wonderful country of flavors and of discovery with the extensive use of rice and chicken as a basis of the food
- the cinema is to be spoken about as Mumbai and the term Bollywood was coined to acknowledge the development of a very powerful cinema industry : massively aimed at satisfying the appetite for movies of more than one million and one hundred thousand of people, it has encountered more and more success in Western countries. And the techniques, means and subjects of the movies reveal a blooming potential
- more generally, it is not uncommon to see McDonalds that are called family restaurants, women not wearing a sari, the traditional clothes for ladies, but typical western clothing. And in Goa, which is the Indian French Riviera, getting more and more popular, as in the rest of India, westerners decide to settle there indefinitely and bring a part of their culture and habits, adding to the pre-existent syncretism of the country
- it is also a country remaining very traditional despite modernity and significant trends of influence : values such as family, respect, fear of the gods, beliefs strongly remain in India
J’espère que tout se passe bien pour vous. Pour ma part, il me reste plus que 2 semaines de cours avec son lot de partiels et la soutenance des projets tutorés qui ne font pas défaut… mais la Bulgarie est toute proche http://stagesofia.blogspot.com ça va me changer les idées ! Voilà pour les news ! Tchô ! et Скоро наливам От нови приключения !
Londres parce qu'ils ne voulaient pas de nous pour atterrir >> ça fait pas mal >> avec tout ça on était forcé de louper la correspondance pour Paris à Londres, du coup une petite nuit au Hilton, allez, tant qu'à faire autant retourner au buffet (sympa la couleur des rideaux mdr) ! Et à l'arrivée, après un vol mouvementé et expéditif, 2 bagages en moins : c'est la fête !
On était un bon p'tit groupe et ça fait super plaisir ! J'ai passé pour ma part des supers vacances, j'ai l'impression que ça fait 3 semaines que je suis parti, ça fait terriblement du bien !
