BBC News Magazine recently published an article
called “10 things you might not know about India,”
which for most Khabar readers could be called “10
things you definitely know about India.” Even so,
writer Rajini Vaidyanathan made some interesting
observations.
On the thriving newspaper industry: “A growing
literacy rate, relatively low internet use, and the large
number of languages in the country, mean more people
want to pick up their daily rag.”
Picking up the daily rag is a habit even internet
users can’t lose—it’s amazing how much dust gathers
on a computer screen.
On the constant honking on Indian roads: “The
average rickshaw horn produces a sound of around 93
decibels (close to that of a pneumatic drill), with the
general sound of traffic equivalent to a jumbo jet taking
off. A deafening sound, quite literally.”
It’s a vicious cycle. The more you honk, the deafer
everyone becomes. The deafer everyone becomes, the
more you have to honk.
On street-side services: “The inventiveness and
resourcefulness of people in the country is like no
other—there are people who will sell or serve you in
all kinds of ways. Broken an umbrella? There’s a man
who’ll fix it. Need your shoes re-heeled? There’s a man
who will come to your house to do it. … Then there’s
the serious stuff—the roadside bone setters, who will
repair fractures, plus the ear cleaners and the corn and
bunion removal men.”
If you think bone-setting on the side of a street is
amazing, you should see the guy in Bangalore who has
a sign that says: “Open heart surgery while you wait.”
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