Here lies a land with a rich mix of languages, colors and religions, woven into one fabric of respect for the past and hope for the future. No visitor who takes India seriously can return unchanged. With 1 billion people, this nation forces us to think of the world's burgeoning population and its demand for resources. India redefines our concepts of beauty, with its opulent monuments of marble and sandstone, precise linear paintings, massive sculpture and rich jeweled fabrics of its imaginative dress. Experiencing India must make us question how we treat one another, and may teach us some lessons in living with diversity.
Nothing can prepare the American traveler for the huge population and resulting poverty of India.
As we approached Delhi, a city of 10 million, I could not see the night lights of the city. Most cities must conserve their scant electrical power sources. Nightly power failures are common. Vision in Delhi is difficult through the blanket of smog, which is aggravated by older-model car exhaust and the cooking fires of the poor who live on the street corners and roadways. Outside the brick walls of wealthy homes and historical monuments, every available space on the tired, worn earth is covered with people.