Twilight of the Taj Mahal
&quot;Incredible India&quot;, as the country&#x27;s tourism slogan claims, is fast disappearing. I know this may get downvoted by fans of India, but I&#x27;m just saying it as I see it. If it matters, I&#x27;m of Indian origin too.<p>First of all, India has everything it needs to be amazing. A young workforce, driven, technical people, a nice selection of flourishing industries, bucket loads of natural resources and abundant sources of renewable energy. Yet it seems to make use of those things poorly.<p>Whenever I step into Delhi, or any major Indian city, I feel like I&#x27;m stepping into chaos. The buildings are blackened and poorly planned. The sky, perpetually grey with pollution. The traffic is idiotic. I&#x27;m convinced the volume of cars is not the problem, but instead lack of road etiquette is to blame. Every car, whether it be a cheap Honda or an expensive S-class has a dent or two in it. Everyone&#x27;s beeping horns for no apparent reason, and crawling forward at ten meters a minute. It&#x27;s a great metaphor for the country as a whole - it appears loud and active, but the actual activity is somewhat unsubstantial.<p>While I was in Delhi about 2 weeks ago, my father asked me to advise the 17 year old son of one of his employees. I met the guy - a studious, fiercly competitive lad, but pleasant nonetheless. He wanted to become a doctor; I asked him &quot;why a doctor?&quot;.  His response was that he could make a lot of money in that field, specifically because people come to you when they&#x27;re in need and in trouble. I then asked him &quot;What about helping people? Interest in the subject itself? Passion?&quot;. He fobbed those questions off like they simply didn&#x27;t matter. (Aside: the medical system in India is ruthless - if you&#x27;re ill, you will likely be taken advantage of, and it can bring you and your family to your knees very, very quickly. Even my own grandfather&#x27;s gold rings and dental filings mysteriously disappeared when he passed away in the most reputable hospital in Delhi).<p>Why am I telling you the above story? Well, because I see this mindset almost everywhere in India. Cold hearted profiteering is killing passion and genuine interest amongst vast swathes of society. It&#x27;s horribly unpleasant, and it doesn&#x27;t surprise me that things of cultural importance are taking such a back seat. In the case of the Taj, I bet the money was available, but improperly used or swindled away (adminstrative government officials in India are known for their corruption - it&#x27;s one of the perks of the job apparently). Anyway, the crumbling Taj is simply another metaphor for the crumbling culture of India, and it really does make me rather sad.