April 22, 2007
I was doing some work late one evening with the lights turned down low in the room and I happened to glance outside of the window and fixated upon a strange, dark object. It was a bat —- at the same height as the floor I was on! I quickly grabbed my camera and sprang into action.
It eventually flew away. I suppose it was annoyed with the flash from my camera, but it was a little crazy to see one so close up.
Then the next morning, in the same exact set of trees, I see a wild parrot staring back at me much like the bat was. I have only seen the bat once, but the parrots can be seen regularly.
I often find myself trying to explain things about India — to myself even. Similar metaphors associated with bats and parrots can be found amongst many other contrasting aspects of life here. India seems a little like a mashup —– different parts fused together or placed side-by-side.
But one of the most obvious disparities is between India’s rich and poor. And it’s a gulf that only seems to be getting worse — at least in the short term. But my fear is that India’s extremely poor will get left behind in the current technology boom. But that’s what happens in democratic societies with free markets —– things aren’t necessarily fair. And they’re certainly not balanced.