What India means to them

A San Francisco newspaper columnist, back from an India trip, raised in his column a cascade of questions he said readers wanted answered - Did I get sick? Did I see God? Can you drink the water? Did I have sex on the beach? Did I find a yoga guru? Have I seen “Slumdog”? Cows in the streets? Would I ever go back? And several other such questions.

Such pieces, apart from their amusement value, gives one an idea of American mindset. I get a sense that some visit places to validate their pre-set notions. More than the columnist, the comments his article evoked made revealing reading.

Excerpts: INDIA stands for “I’ll Never Do It Again” .

India? Good hash but that’s about it.

Admittedly, it’s not for everyone, most Americans truly couldn’t handle it and certainly won’t understand it, but for the few who feel at home there, the place is magical. ..

Such a long way to go for enlightenment….maybe just give the airfare to Unicef so they can provide clean water to those in need…

One of the many beautiful things I got from a month in India was the realization of just how spoiled we Americans are….Most are too focused on the external crap, so to speak, that they miss the real blessings… The fact that even though there are people living under tarps, they smile at you and will offer any food and tea they have without hesitation….