for which I am grateful to have witnessed.The India of today will be but a memory in 20 years – especially in urban areas. For the rural communities it will take at least one or two generations for such change to be witnessed. It is this enormity of extremes that touches every nerve of your body, creating a heightened sense of your surroundings. It’s exciting, fascinating, and yes, overwhelming all at the same time. You can experience the 19th and 21st century in the same instant, and with it, the disparities of health care, education and living conditions. There are no borders, no lines that separate these contrasting lives; they greet your senses together and your emotions reflect what
the mind is trying to comprehend. Sleep was not abundant in the beginning when my rational side was trying to deal with my emotional responses.And that’s the way it should be, wakening to the realities of others should stir the soul and soften one’s heart. It should open one’s mind to new ideas and create an interest that goes beyond the curious to a respect for the culture and all it has to share. It is easy to criticize when the history of a land or its people is not understood. Solutions come only when one understands the complex layers of a society and it can not be accomplished half a world away. I have in 5 short weeks, only begun to understand some of the social fabric that makes this country so rich.
Yes, it is good to be home, but I do miss India. I had the privilege of learning from the frontline – from those who are trying to change lives one at a time. A chance to experience their reality for a brief moment and learn how they creatively address barriers to health care with limited resources, but with great passion. It’s the story of public health professionals all over the world, and learning requires more than a classroom lecture for the conditions they work in is the key to understanding their true success.
Coming home has been like being Alice in her wonderland – returning to cool spring breezes and daffodil’s, being able to
drink the tap water – or better yet, being able to brush your teeth with it, are simple luxuries we take for granted. Warm showers, washing machines and dishwashers all require an infrastructure that others can only dream of. And yet we think we are deprived if we are expected to live without. But being deprived of such luxuries is part of the daily lives of millions in India. And yet there is richness that money can not buy – the closeness of community, the strength of faith and the bond of family. Yes it is a hard life, nothing comes easy. It’s the web of community that keeps this country strong and growing stronger every day.It is this India that I miss and hope to see again soon. A land of contrast and passion, a people of great history and rich culture, and a hope for a future that we can all celebrate – an India of the 21st century where opportunity is available for all.
