At a recent trip to Uzbekistan, I was expecting to be treated as a visitor from the country that we have been regularly informed during last 10 years, is the “vishwaguru”.
Sanjiv Krishan Sood (Retired Additional Director General, BSF)
Caveat: I risk confirming the status of an ‘anti-national’, given to me by many of my friends and relatives, after this piece sees light of the day.
My recent sojourn as a tourist to Uzbekistan recently made me realise that we Indians are like frogs in the well confined to a cocoon created for us by the totally controlled media spreading government-sponsored propaganda.
We Indians are happy with whatever life presents us because we have no one else except Pakistan and Bangladesh to compare with. Most of us (at least 1.35 billion out of an estimated 1.40 billion Indians) do not have means to travel and get a first-hand feel or knowledge of how much the other countries of the world have progressed leaving us way behind in almost all spheres of activity.
Having travelled abroad earlier too, I have experienced the much better level of infrastructure, systems, discipline, cleanliness and behaviour of people in those countries. However, I was particularly conscious to take note of these aspects during my latest visit abroad. I was particularly conscious and anticipating that I will come across the “danka of India and Modi” (danka is a ceremonial drum) that is supposed to be playing in the world. I was expecting to be treated as a visitor from the country that we have been regularly informed during last 10 years, is the “vishwaguru” or at least is fast on its way to become one.
However, I found that the country just about one-eighth of India in geographical area and having a population of only 38 million is way better in all the aspects mentioned above. The country which is ranked 67th or so in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product, leads the world’s fifth largest economy by far in infrastructure and functional systems.
The well-maintained roads ensured that the traffic was always smooth both within the cities and the highways. We did not encounter any “toll booths” anywhere on our journey on the highways, unlike in India where we find toll booths at short distances, in spite of which the highways are good only in patches. Even the single road to Chimgan mountains, two hours’ drive away from Tashkent, was without all pervasive potholes or speed breakers that we find in India. Suffice to say that in India the roads, especially, beyond the highway, are in despicable condition.
The only police presence that I saw was that of “tourist police” at places of touristic importance. The traffic was smooth because everyone followed traffic rules. No one overshot traffic light, nor did they drive on the wrong side. Even the pedestrian traffic followed discipline, stepping out to cross the road only upon green light for them to walk. This was in spite of the fact that there was hardly if any presence of police on the roads. Technology, obviously, is the deterrent besides the pressure of societal norms.
A lot of touring by us was by train. The distance of about 525 kilometre from Tashkent to Bukhara took just over four hours to cover, in spite of two halts en route. We on the other hand are still in the process of grandiosely flagging off “Vande Bharat” which can at best be termed as medium fast, hardly covering 300 kms in three hours or more. Unlike in India, the train staff was courteous and stood outside the bogey at the door to guide the passengers to their respective seats. Heaps of garbage along the railway line – a common sight in India – was nowhere to be seen. The trains were punctual to the last minute….
https://thewire.in/travel/uzbekistan-india-frogs-in-a-well
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The sinking of Joshimath and the commercialisation of sacredness
Rahul Pandita: What I learned from G. N. Saibaba
Professor’s Harassment by ABVP Shows Near-Complete Takeover of Universities by RSS-BJP
After the truth-shower 