What is ‘The Real India?’

I have been reading so many articles lately on ‘The Real India’ and there is an ongoing debate about how you haven’t experienced the ‘real’ India until you have visited the villages and seen the undeveloped parts – the true reality.

Many have grown up believing that India is inherent in its villages; a place which completely lacks infrastructure, power, water, transport, communication, decent education facilities and healthcare.

I get really frustrated when people say that "in order to experience real India, you need to go to the villages". I do agree to a point – as a tourist, it is another experience when you visit such places and capture the extreme extent of the suffering rather than just focusing on the well developed, richer areas in terms of tourism. I can understand that foreigners say that they want to see the real India (being a NRI myself), and that they want to go to villages.  India is often stereotyped because a certain image of India has been created.

I have a lot of family in India and we therefore visit quite regularly. I have seen many underdeveloped areas and I am constantly aware of the difficulties and struggles of many out there. India never fails to surprise me in that sense and I have always wanted to be able to do more. Seeing is definitely believing and I think over the years visiting has really opened my eyes to this.

Something I feel strongly about is the fact that because of this, India is seen in the same way it has always been seen. There is very much a sense of inequality, but where does this aspect not exist? I do agree that things need to change and a great deal needs to be done to overcome some of the issues faced but urban India, the new, developing India should also be classified as the real India. Should it not?

Like I said, India never fails to surprise me – the constant growth of the economy and how quickly it is developing amazes me. Isn't it remarkable that even though 70% of the people in India reside in rural areas, it is still one of the fastest growing economies in the world? We should be proud, (I certainly am), of such cities and the country that it is, instead of counting them as an alien in the name of "real India".

I don't believe that we are still the same old undeveloped third world nation.
Yes, we have thousands of problems, but every developing country or countries which are developed have faced problems like these, and they have all come out of this successfully - not because their municipal corporations had excellent urban planning, but because the citizens were responsible and determined to develop and progress.

Once that happens with our country, I truly believe that the majority of our problems will be solved.

Let us see India for what it is, India.

If anyone has any thoughts, agreeing or even disagreeing with me – feel free to comment!

Much love,

Anokhi