The States of India

India has 28 states. One of my US colleagues prepared me not to think about these as similar to US-states; it is more like European Union….28 states with their own languages, cultures, and customs, all COMPLETELY distinct. Adam has joked that they shouldn’t be called “states” at all, they are all SO DIFFERENT…they should be separate continents, separate galaxies…But then he humorously points out the “similarities” (at least, from our goora (= white person’s) perspective…) We are perceived as walking wallets in all of the states we have visited; the taxis refuse to go by the meter in any of them, often claiming the meters don’t work; there are stray animals and debris on the streets, impossible traffic, power outages and undrinkable water…So from Adam’s perspective, and our outsider view, the similarities outweigh the differences…