(via nytimes) Anand Giridharadas after a four and a half year assignment in India heads back to the U.S. He writes two articles which are well articulated and overlap with my experiences here. I also returned 5 years ago but am not going anywhere for now.
But India is a place for seeking, not concluding, and here the chasm between what I wonder and know has widened with time. So I decided instead to write down the questions that still haunt me after 2,000 days here, about justice, love, culture, power, freedom — questions I hope someone abler will answer someday. Once Clear Thoughts are Clouded >>>
Indians don’t crave our mayonnaise and khakis anymore. They no longer angrily berate America, because they are too busy building their own country. Indian accents are now cooler than British ones. No one asks if I feel Indian or American. How delicious to see that unconcern. How fortunate to live in a land you needn’t leave to become your fullest possible self.And how wondrous, in this time of revolutions, to have had my own here. I grew up in America defining myself by the soil under my feet, not by the blood in my veins. The soil I shared with everyone else; the blood made me unbearably different. Before I loved India, I loathed it. But that feeling seems now like a relic from a buried past. I leave now on the journey’s next stretch, with sadness and with joy, humbled by India, grateful to have been at the revolution and to have known the revolutions within. Farewell to an India I hardly knew >>>
Shrikant's Blog 
the articles by Anand are well written. however one fails to get a true picture of india based on the experiences of a “guest”.
have u thought of summarizing your experiences in india thus far? would be nice to hear your thoughts and what u see India’s future to be – both for the current generation and for the future ones.
I have basically lost hope as far as India is concerned. More than poverty it is the degradation of character. Where I relate to Anand’s article is that when I came to India my thoughts were clear and my values had sharp corners. My thoughts are now clouded and values corners blunted. More when I pen down my thoughts.
sigh… not encouraging for someone thinking of r2i…
anyway, will wait for you to pen down your thoughts…
Will wait to read more on “degradation of India’s character”. Sounds interesting.
Its so strange to see the outsiders bullish on India, while those on the inside generally feel hopeless.