India: A Century Behind, Stuck in Chaos
As I was dabbling with an AI voice bot late last night, it started hallucinating and going completely haywire. Amid the chaos, I stumbled upon a post on Reddit by a British traveler who has been backpacking across India for the past three years. He unleashed a scathing critique of India’s basic civic sense, crumbling infrastructure, air pollution, unhygienic food, and the exploitation of foreigners. While his observations were biting, what struck me most was an Indian user’s diabolical defense:
"India is a country of cultural and developmental extremes. You'll see an extremely developed nation in Mumbai, but an extremely backward culture in a small village not very far from it."
How disappointing.
India, to me, has become a breeding ground for defending mediocrity. The highest concentration of people willing to ignore or twist the truth is right here. Instead of acknowledging the reality, we deal in whataboutery. It’s almost as if we’ve normalized chaos and dysfunction as part of our identity.
We don’t even have clean air, let alone clean roads. The reality is dust, smog, and garbage-laden streets. It’s ironic how we pay first-world prices for what can only be described as a third-world experience.
Lakhs of people still die from tuberculosis every year in India. This is a disease that should have been eradicated decades ago, yet it thrives here due to poor healthcare access and awareness.
Taking a ride in any city here is another adventure—and not the good kind. Ride-hailing services often leave you wanting a shower afterward. The streets themselves are a gauntlet of honking vehicles, potholes, and reckless driving. Half the population likely obtained their driver’s license without even taking a proper test.
Adulteration and dishonesty are rampant. Small businesses will cut corners, sometimes dangerously, to maximize profits. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to pay bribes to get basic work done. Government jobs have become synonymous with corruption—a system greased by under-the-table transactions.
And then there’s the brain drain. Our brightest minds—those not tethered to this country by necessity—have left, seeking better opportunities elsewhere. Those who stay isolate themselves in gated communities, detached from the harsh realities, while spinning tales of India’s “growth story.”
The denial and false pride is deeply ingrained. Indians try to change your views about India rather than actually change India. Want a real look at India’s development? Take a train ride from Delhi to any Tier-3 city. It’s a sobering journey that reveals how little has changed outside the urban bubbles. We are at least a century behind.
A close friend recently returned from London and shared his thoughts. “Indian cities and infrastructure are a disaster,” he said. “It’s a chaotic, disorganized mess where the urban dream has been hijacked by inefficiency, shortsighted planning, and apathy.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. London, despite its imperfections, offers a sharp contrast. Public transport runs on time. Sidewalks are clear and walkable. Heritage buildings are preserved, not consumed by illegal encroachments. It’s a level of planning and respect for space that’s almost unthinkable here.
Then there’s Vietnam. It’s far ahead of India in terms of hospitality, offering better experiences at far more reasonable prices. Why would anyone visit India unless it’s for religious tourism? And even that is declining as more young people turn atheist.
In India, there seem to be only three ways to live:
Get rich and escape the madness—buy a farm, build a wall, or isolate yourself in luxury.
Accept your fate, complain about it, and eventually die.
Embrace the system—become corrupt, immoral, and willfully blind to reality.
It’s a bitter reality that we have to face. If we keep following this path of denial and dysfunction, the so-called "India growth story" will remain nothing more than an empty illusion.
Next up: The Curse of UPSC—Why India’s obsession with civil services is holding us back.