The one about India

First there was nothing.

Then a sound.
A whisper from halfway across the world.
Reminding me of something.
Long lost dreams. Hidden somewhere deep, deep in my heart.

A golden spark.
Silk, waving against a clear blue sky, all the colours of the rainbow.
A distant drumming on the ground. Elephants.
Spices flowing in the air.
My favourite childhood fairytales.
India, glowing in orange. My favourite colour.

Population of India was estimated to be 1 276 267 000 last year. Over 200 times as many people as in Finland. In Delhi, the capital city, there are twice as many people as in all Finland. The second-most populous country in the world. Fact.

India is the seventh-largest country by area. Cultural, religious, linguistic, geographic division. Finland is 64th by square miles. Forest and lakes. Finnish, ice hockey, winter, alcohol, silence. Fact.

The nominal GDP per capita places India 141th worldwide and 25% of the population live below the international poverty line of 1,25USD per day. In Finland the GDP is 40 times as much and 11% of the people make less than 1080€ per month, the Finnish poverty line. Fact.

Conservative, traditional society. Inequality. Gang rapes. Arranged marriages. Religions. Racism. Nuclear weapons. Corruption. Wastelands. Heat. Malnutrition. Beggers. Scammers. Thieves. Fact. Fact. Fact.

There are so many things seriously wrong in India, they tell me with a judging tone in their voice everytime I tell them I'm heading to India.
I know. There are many things wrong in India. There are many things wrong in Finland. In the world.
I can see it, but I also see a place, where I think the world's change for the better will start.

Next time next month I will make it my home again for a while and work in an animal shelter and indulge myself with all the chicken biryani and coconut chutney I can get my hands to. Though I have yet to learn how to eat rice with just my hands.

And while I learn how to do that, I want to share all my stories about this amazing country with you, so we can all come to understand how in the end we aren't that different after all.

Photos by me
Location: India