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- Jul 23, 2008
Originally Posted by ComradeSS
You sir are entitled to your opinion, but I care to disagree. Maybe I am biased, I am Indian after all, but can a few pictures from a Chinese forum truly allow one to form a well balanced opinion? I would hope not. That is similar to people from around the world seeing pictures from Katrina of black folks struggling to survive and then assuming that all African-Americans in America are in similar positions. Whereas I feel that both in the United States as well as in India the main factor is socio-economic status, and those on the lower end always get it the worse.Originally Posted by 35KD
disgusting. @%$$ like this makes it seem as if all Indians are filthy.
India is @*$$+@ up
Is the Ganges River dirty? Indeed. I have seen it firsthand, and it definitely does not look that bad everywhere, but it does always look worse in the more heavily populated areas. There are numerous grassroots efforts in India that are attempting to clean up the river such as the Swatcha Ganga, but it is a uphill battle. One must consider that India has well over three times the population of the United States with significantly less land to support such an immense population. Combine that with numerous pilgrimage sites located the length of the Ganges as well as it's historical and religious significance, and then one can begin to fully understand why there is so much pollution in the river itself and yet so many still flock to it. Hindus visiting the Ganges is no different than Catholics going to the Vatican or Muslims going on Hajj. Again, I am not denying that the river itself has very dirty and highly polluted areas, but it's not entirely like that.
I have never bathed in the Ganges, but I have in the Bhagirathi River which is the source river for the Ganges. Would I bathe in the Ganges River? I would indeed, in fact I plan on doing so on my next trip back. Will I do so in parts that look as bad as the ones depicted in the pictures on the first page? Of course not. Fortunately for me I have the financial means to travel to areas of the Ganges that are more pristine. Also I am fortunate that my parents decided to move to the United States before I was born so that I would have more educational and economic opportunities than they had growing up.
It is disheartening to see such, but that is reality over there. There are numerous snapshots of India, and this is merely one of them. Should the pictures in this post lead you to think that all of India looks like that? I would hope not, but you are free to form your own opinions.
This post simply reminds me that there many people who are not as fortunate as me, and I make sure to go back and visit as often as possible to make sure I never forget where I came from, dirty/polluted river and all. The trip back is always one full of awe and enjoyment and never ceases to humble me.
Below are a few pics from one of my past trips to India, and they paint a different picture of India altogether. Imagine if you had not seen the pictures on the first page and only seen these. What would you think then? Again, India has much natural beauty, an immense history, and numerous other things to be proud about, but the country also suffers from rampant disparities in wealth and much of the population is suffering due to such.
Just my $.02, carry on.
son brought the rebuttal to end all rebuttals
