Emotional Overload

My fascination with India began with my love of their food. Throughout the years I have made friends with many people who call India home. My friend Romila even jokingly refers to me as an "Indian magnet", because wherever I go, I always wind up inadvertently befriending an Indian person.

Prior to my long awaited journey to India, I felt quite prepared. My dear friend Rema had told me so much about the Hindu Gods, the caste system, proper greetings, the rich culture, and she even touched on the fact that there was a lot of poverty here. But nothing she could have told me would have prepared me for what I've seen with my own two eyes. It has been so overwhelming I don't even know where to begin.

With all due respect to everyone with any lineage to India, particularly Delhi, this is the poorest, dirtiest, poverty stricken country that I have ever seen. A bus ride from one place to another consists of men urinating in the streets, children covered in dirt and grime, malnourished animals, sharing the road with pedestrians, horse drawn carriages, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, and garbage as far as the eye could see.

A trip to the market was like no market visit I could imagine. The streets were filled to capacity with people who looked like they just may be desperate enough to do anything, and quite frankly, I just didn't feel safe. I clutched my purse the entire time as I impatiently counted down the time until I'd be safe on the bus again and on my way to my beautiful westernized hotel room.

An early morning stop at the train station included what I would typically view as an invasion of privacy, as the train station appeared to serve as the bedrooms to entire families. Everyone just walked over them as if it were normal. Nothing I've seen here wold meet my criteria for normalcy and it has been extremely difficult for me to process. During my short stay here, I've taken several opportunities to just sit and cry. My emotions are running wild. Partly due to the fact that I am incredibly empathetic in nature, but also because I have a great deal of guilt, as I think about my own life in the U.S. and how I unconsciously take so much for granted on a daily basis.

Overall, I'd say this experience is eye opening and one that everyone should experience, should they be given the opportunity. I've witnessed a lot in a very short period of time, and to think…this is only the beginning.

-Ronda Miles

Our trip to the Taj Mahal was amazing! The journey started early in the morning with a 5am departure from the hotel and an early morning train ride from Delhi to Agra. The trip took about 2 and a half hours but was enjoyable. We saw the sun rise over miles of pristine farmland. When we arrived at Agra we transferred to a bus, which took us to the Taj Mahal. What an amazing place! It’s difficult to describe in words how beautiful the Taj Mahal is. I had such an amazing experience and am thankful that I had the opportunity to visit. After touring the mausoleum we headed back to our bus for a tour of Fort Agra and then to an upscale Indian lunch at a close by restaurant. The trip back to Delhi was by bus and took very long and bumpy. Along the way we passed numerous villages, farms and rest stops. I’m looking forward to our visit to Bangalore and Mumbai later this week.

Panel Discussion

We had a fascinating panel discussion on the Indian Economy and political situation yesterday morning to begin visit. Dr. Bidisha Ganguly, head economist of the Confederation of India Industry gave as a broad overview of the economy, largely painting a very rosy picture. Mr. Ravi Garg, Director of Supply Chain of Coca Cola India, was equally optimistic and described some of Coke's supply chain challenges in India. Professor Babu Mathew of the National Law School ended with a stirring rhetorical presentation that left us all with a lot to think about. Professor Mathew argued that the  new economy is leaving out a significant population in India, and in some ways exacerbating and worsening their situation through seizure of lands, disappearance of traditional livelihoods without providing new opportunities for work, and skewing democratic processes. A very lively discussion ensued.

A trip to the market

This afternoon we took a memorable trip to the market in Delhi. The market was extremely crowded and chaotic but offered something for everyone. We stopped to visit a spice shop and a fabric shop and learned about how they contribute to local economy. The market was not only stimulating for the eyes but the ears and nose as well. We had to compete with honking mopeds and scooters while traveling down the narrow streets. Smells of traditional Indian food and spices filled the air. Walking through the pepper market was nearly unbearable! Everyone was coughing and gasping for fresh air, even the locals. Before our trip came to an end we enjoyed a 15-minute ride on rickshaws back to our tour bus. The trip to the market was an experience I won’t forget.

Delhi Tour

What an interesting day today was! If you've never been to India before, like myself, today's tour would certainly be a bit of a culture shock. Even after having seen India many times on TV and seeing how alive and how busy the streets can be, it is really something else when you experience it first hand. I really enjoyed it and was surprised at how calm and collected the people were, working hard trying to make some money, while in the midst of what I described to be "organized chaos", it was amazing. Although India is a young country, it has history like no other and the people are very very proud of their history and culture as they should be. Looking forward to the Taj Mahal tomorrow.

2011 Course in India Begins

Welcome to our first post of the 2011 class. Most of the students are arriving in New Delhi tonight on a direct 14 hour flight from Newark. I arrived yesterday, but I'll be there to greet them tonight at the airport to begin a very intense 10 days of early mornings and late nights of meetings and activities. In the meantime, two students, Ashley and Robby, came to India a few days early to travel and I ran into them arriving at the hotel today, so I invited them to lunch at a place I had been planning on going to called the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan. It's essentially a canteen for people who work for the Andhra Pradesh government in Delhi, and although the sign out front said MLAs, MPs, and VIPs only, they let us in anyway for a delicious all you can eat Andhra thali. Ashley found it a little too spicy I think, indicated by the bright red glow on her face and the remains of the tasty chicken that she left mostly untouched. But fun was had by all.

Transforming India’s logistics infrastructure

To get the most from massive investments, India must adopt a coordinated approach that aligns the development of each transport mode with the country’s needs.


SEPTEMBER 2010 • Rajat Gupta, Hemang Mehta, and Thomas Netzer
Source: Travel Infrastructure Logistics Practice

Continue @:

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Transforming_Indias_logistics_infrastructure_2670