And they lived happily ever after

The World Bank has reported that India was the 12th richest nation in 2005. Yippy yoo hoo? Reminds me of the suffocating conversations I would have to sit through with my MNC type friends back in Delhi where all they would talk about it is how GREAT our country has become (the icing was, ofcourse, when they would add that it was thanks to Atal BIhari Vajpayee- yep I have colorful friends). One of them, working in a big shit MNC, claimed that EVERYONE is so well off in India nowadays. And how did he reach that smart conclusion? Oh just look at the number of kids who can afford to drink a Rs. 50 coffee at Barista. Ahhh, you have to say at his genius observation.

I get annoyed sitting here when people commodify developing country poverty and all they can see when they visit India are the starving children, limbless beggars and cows on the street. But then are my "born and brought up" friends in India any better? They HAVE NO DAMN EXCUSE to ignore what they see every day on their face. Yet they do. And better still they do it without one bit of guilt.

So here's it for you. In pics.
Sure, this is India.















But so is this.