In de yeah!

Let's stroll through a few cities - it's hub, the by-lanes, talk to people there. Let's do the same in a few villages. Take your pick - East, West, North, South. Better if it is a combination of any two or three or all four directions. And what does one see, hear, sense and glean?

A land steeped in juxtaposition of opposites. Didn't get it? Allow me!

Source: Google Images

We see a curious mix of spirituality and materialism, of worshipping Goddesses and rape & female foeticide, of abject poverty and vulgar affluence, of modernity and tradition, of extensive usage of English and strong vernacular languages, of uneducated masses and many scholars, of industrialisation and traditional methods, of ancient traditions and westernisation, of non-violence and violence, of scams and honest living, of desert and one of the wettest place of Earth, of mountains and plains, of rivers and dry land. 

Source : Google Images

It is also a land of  hunger and rotting crops, of traditional food and world cuisines, of invasions and peace, of aromatic spices and malodour of clogged drains, of kindness and apathy, of corruption and integrity, of mellifluous music and cacophony, of literature and illiteracy, of many roomed mansions and homeless, of intricate architecture and eyesores, of great art and vandals, of the longest rail routes and potholed roads, of IT revolution and powerless villages, of thick jungles and deforestation, of poaching and amazing wildlife, of dense population and few in sight when help is required, of unemployment and street-smarts, of joint families and nuclear families, of successful women and dominated women, of increased lifespans and several diseases, of it being a land of plenty and a land of scarcity and so on.

One of the world's oldest civilisations, it has borne the onslaught from outside and inside, with a dignity that has spanned centuries; Every single time internalizing the changes brought about, and at the same time keeping a myriad of the land's uniqueness in its original (almost!) form.

What is in this land's DNA, more importantly, what is in her people's DNA that keeps them going that keeps it going despite all odds stacked against them for centuries? 

If you want to see the sheer ingenuity and survival spirit of  the people of this land, don't go for the big guns. Take a closer look at your neighbourhood little shops that repair electrical, mechanical & electronic gadgets like tablets, smartphones, watches at a fraction of the fee charged by the brand's authorised service centres. What a pleasure it is to watch them come up with quick, innovative and simple solutions.

An Indian woman entrepreneur
Source: Google Images

Similarly, with vegetable vendors or waste paper collector or ear cleaners or rickshaw pullers or shoes repairers or umbrella repairers or the amazing dabbawallahs of Mumbai. They identify a need or an irritant, however small it is and make solving that as their profession. No fancy degrees. No need to be a big business house to solve little persistent everyday irritants. They form the important albeit small cogs, without which life would very nearly grind to a halt. They all use their brains & brawn big time. They need to. To even survive. And their entrepreneurship is to be lauded.

But then it's not surprising. They are all fighters who survive & thrive against all odds just like the land they were born in. Hope springs eternally here.

You see, they all with the never-say-die attitude belong to one of the vibrant and long lasting civilzations, the land of colour  ........India!

Oh yeah! Truly Incredible India!

   

Source : Google Images

Source : Google Images

For A-Z Challenge 2014

Some of my fellow challengers can be found @:

http://jaibalarao.com/2014/04/09/a-z-challenge-how-to-save-a-life/ - Jaibala

http://shailsnest.com/2014/04/08/guest-posts/ - Shail

http://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.in/ - Sundari

http://foundinfolsom.blogspot.sg/ - Prudhvi

http://andiwrite.com/2014/04/08/hola-for-some-yummy-mexican-food/ - Hrishikesh