Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of people here. When I have infrequently visited America, it has looked like a film set: brightly lighted, unnaturally clean, and empty. Where is everybody?
It has come in the news recently that more than half of India's more than one billion people are under the age of 25. That kind of statistic calls up in my mind a frightening image: a photograph of dead-eyed child soldiers from one of Africa's war-torn countries. Then I realise that it's not the same at all. In those countries, so many adults have been killed that there aren't enough to teach the children how to be human in society, whereas here traditional values and structures are still very strong.
Edward Hugh, in Living In India, has written an economist's take on this statistic, An Area of Darkness, Part III. (The piece also reminded me again that I'm living in one of India's model states: Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala are lowest in birth-rate, as well as highest in literacy, so the demographics are less skewed here.)
(Via Mirabilis) a parody of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky using Indian food names: Chapatiwocky.
This reminds me of a Tamil parody of the Indian national anthem that someone taught me many years ago. I've forgotten the middle part. Can any Tamil speaker help me out?
Janangalin manangalil pasi pini pattini(Please don't shout at me if it seems disrespectful! Think of it as historical research.)
Paarungal ithuthaan India....
(many names of Tamil foods)....
Kaapi! Kaapi! Kaapi!
Suda suda suda kaapi!
1 comment:
Farmers are not respected in india specially in tamil nadu.
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