INDIA = A WORLD OF CONTRADICTIONS

On the first day of class at the SDM Institute, I was immediately surprised at the administration's hospitality and their overall excitement about us being here in Mysore. We got a beautiful tour of the campus that was followed by a presentation given by Professor Rajesh Haldipur. I was so shocked by the majority of the statistics and video clips that he was showing us; most of my surprise came from the fact that I didn't realize how many contradictions exist within the boarders of India today. In Thomas L. Friedman's book Longitudes and Latitudes, he states that everyone in the world "is directly or indirectly affected by this new [globalization] system, but not everyone benefits from it...which is why the more it becomes diffused, the more it also produces a backlash by people who feel overwhelmed by it, homogenized by it, or unable to keep pace with its demands" (Prologue: The Super-Story). I believe that the backlash and contradictions in India is highlighted by these points from Prof. Haldipur's presentation:

-In Bihar, there is a 94% male literacy rate, but only a 10% female literacy rate (the national average is 65%).
-They have an independent judiciary system, but a very slow and backed-up legal system.
-They have a low per capita income, but at the same time they are creating multiple millionaires everyday.

After only being in Mysore for a couple of days, these contradictions are very apparent in all aspects of Indian living. Even in simply walking down the street, there are blocks of poverty filled with people who don't have the education, or maybe even the motivation or desire, to keep up with the changing times; and, directly adjacent to this, there are blocks of individuals who are capitalizing on new, modern opportunities, and keeping up with the ever-changing world of globalization.

After the presentation, our first sight visit was to the Vikram Hospital, and I can honestly say that I have never felt so uncomfortable and invasive before in my life. Although it is a "visiting hospital" and it is open for tours, I thought our group had no business being there. The patients at this hospital don't come in with the common cold; these people are either terminally ill or have very serious conditions, and we didn't respect the privacy of their treatment, or the privacy of their families who were waiting patiently for updates on their loved ones. Again, I realize that the hospital is open for tours; but, as Americans we DEMAND our privacy and take private matters very seriously (especially when it comes to our own healthcare). There is no justification for us not treating those patients and their families with the same civility and respect that we demand for ourselves. It's ridiculous. What happened to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?

I'm interested to see where the discussion goes after our lecture on ethics.