What a big and sprawling and warm and friendly and interesting and diverse and dirty and polluted and tasty and flavorful and religious and devout and tolerant and intolerant and loud and noisy place: India.

It’s all of these things and more, because, quite simply, it’s a Confounding place.

Before departing for good, a British colonialist observed that India is more a Continent than a Country.

A large majority Hindu population is firmly in control, living more or less peacefully with Sikhs, Jaines, Muslims, Buddhists, it’s a very long list. And yet the current federal government leadership’s focus is on promoting a nationalistic Hindutva, or Hinduness, as the glue of the future, ignoring the irony that India’s signature architectural gem, the Taj Mahal, was built as an Islamic temple.

The world’s largest country with 1.5 Billion people, about 80% of whom continue to live in poverty, in no small part due to the deeply embedded continuation of the caste system.

The world’s largest democracy modeled on the British parliamentary system, which serves as a permanent reminder, along with roundabouts, school uniforms, and afternoon tea, of what is referred to as the British Hangover.

A land of peaceful worshippers prone to quiet and contemplative meditation, but the same people who are incapable of driving their motorcycle or tok tok or car or truck more than 15 seconds without laying on the horn.

Over a Billion people whose very survival relies on living off the land, a life of subsistence, a life centered on agriculture to support a mostly vegetarian diet, but who don’t think twice about just throwing trash on the ground. It’s everywhere. And in the cities, millions and millions who must deal with the plethora of health issues that come with having 83 of the 100 cities in the world with the worst air quality.

A culture that places an extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary, emphasis on weddings, some arranged, others organic. And yet, the vast majority of men and women will live their entire remaining lives hanging out in small groups of, yes, men and women. Occasionally one will see a couple together in public, but rarely will one observe any form or expression of affection.

It was said that Indians do not play Soccer, because a soccer field has four corners and whenever an Indian sees a corner he opens a shop. Reality is not far away, entrepreneurism and self reliance are innate to Indians – their economy seems to revolve around small, individually owned shops, Everywhere!

Religion, whichever it might be, that seems to guide nearly all of daily life. So much so that 90 million Hindu pilgrims will not think twice about journeying across the vast countryside to pray and worship and bathe and eat and sleep on the banks of the Ganges River. And quite literally everything has a meaning, is a symbol, the oral history that is the Hindu belief system is really quite extraordinary and something to be in awe of.

And of course Family. More than country or religion or business, Family is the glue that holds this entire confounding place called India together. Family is quite simply Everything, in all facets and in all respects, of everyday life.

We travel, we listen, we observe, we learn, but we know enough to not judge, for with knowledge comes understanding. And so we are reminded of the universal nature of life: people everywhere, wherever they might live, all seek the most basic things, to live a life with dignity and respect, to spend time with their family and their God, and to hope for a better life for their children.

Thank you India for your friendliness, your kindness and your warmth – it will forever be held close. Namaste 🙏