After finally meeting up with Nick at the Delhi Airport around 6 AM (his flight was delayed by 2 hours on his way out from Dubai), we hopped on a Metro to reach our hotel. Emerging from the metro station, I was quickly overwhelmed by the site that greeted us. It can best be summed up in one word: Chaos.
India is the most populous democracy in the world, with a staggering 1.2 billion citizens. However, despite being the world’s 10th largest economy by GDP, and the 3rd largest by PPP, this nation struggles to align its modern ambitions with its financial limitations.
After securing its independence from British rule in 1947, a period during which Mahatma Gandhi yielded significant influence, India continues to face the shackles of corruption of corruption and poverty. It is home to the largest concentration of people living below the World Bank’s poverty line of $1.25 a day.
Chronic malnutrition of children is rampant across the nation, and the socio-economic disparity between this nation’s states has only continued to grow. India can only tax about 0.1% of its population, and then these funds are directly used to feed its poor, leaving little flexibility for the money to be allocated elsewhere. It is a sobering reality to see all the day-to-day battles these individuals have to endure.
The street clamours for attention with the loud yells of the rigshaw drivers bantering for business and the constant beeping of horns as cars dodge each other, and people, as they drive the street.
We decided to take a rigshaw to our hotel, since we were a little disoriented after our tedious travel. I’d describe riding in a rigshaw as a harrowing experience, filled both with excitement, adrenaline, and an ounce of fear. There is little regard for right of way, and the drivers bravely weave their cars in and out of traffic. We like to laugh and call it taking a gamble on life, akin to playing a round of Mario Cart.
CestLaJu 