Religion
It’s not Elvis. It’s not Pink Floyd. When you don’t have Playstations, your country entertains itself with a bunch of parades and ceremonies. Faith works for them without binding them into life of restraint and hardships. Life is about celebration rather than punishment.
The Caste System and the Way of Life
The remnants of the class system is evident. Much has changed in the name of progress, but old habits die hard. You can’t get rid of it overnight for it had been the foundation of society for millennia.
It does create an interesting diversity among the Indian people; a contrast to a very homogeneous country of Japan. People living in the same cities and sharing the same spaces, yet belong in very different worlds.
Beauty of India
Indian people live side by side with death. Attentiveness and reaction time are vital factors of public safety. They take care of themselves without relying on rules and regulations. Such close proximity to danger entails very different values to ours.
There is no such thing as jaywalking. There is just walking. Passenger limit on a vehicle is determined by its horsepower. Sanitation and safety are regulated by bacterial resistance and common sense. Life is pragmatic. We all want money, but the difference is that Indians are not shy about it. The interaction with the locals is genuine and real without the superficial rituals and restraints.
