As we get ready to
leave India and return to Denmark, we begin to consider the numerous differences,
as well as the similarities, between the two countries. We will be comparing
the ways and customs of the two countries, because this matter has had a great
impact on the students who participated in this trip.
Witnesses to Indian life
When travelling around
India, we students had many experiences, both positive and negative, but one of
the things that had the greatest impact on us as foreigners was walking on the
streets and simply witnessing how life is for the locals. A small, homeless
girl of about 10 years carrying her baby sibling while walking from car to car,
lightly tapping on the windows and asking for a couple of rupees for a small
meal, perhaps the only one she will get that day, while wealthy government
officials drive around in their expensive, imported cars, conceivably paid for
by money gained by corruption. This is but one example of the contrast of
overall life quality seen everywhere in India.
Mentality
However, the contrast between
India and Denmark lies not only in huge difference in material wealth, it lies
also in the mentality. In most of the Western world, most people with means and
social standing see it as their duty to help those less fortunate than
themselves, whereas the Indian social elite sees the calamitous situation of
the poor as normal and a standard part of life.
Staying in families
When we were housed
with an Indian family in Jaipur it was also clear to see the differences in how
a home is run in the two countries. In Denmark guests are treated with respect
and courtesy, like most places around the world. However, in India they have a
saying that means ‘the guest is god’. It was almost as if we were in charge, as
if we could have anything we wanted simply by asking. For us Danes, this felt
strange as we are used to equality between host and guest. This shows that,
although the less fortunate are not considered to be of any significance at all
in the eyes of the Indians, when they have a guest, the Indian people are ever
so respectful and gracious, meaning that they are not a heartless people, as it
would seem when considering their view on the poor, they simply have a
different view on the matter than we Westerners do.
Religion and cows
Religion plays a huge
role in the daily life of the Indian society, and determines their self-consciousness.
This can easily be seen by simply strolling down the street. You will almost
certainly notice the billions of religious symbols and signs, like the fact
that they will not disturb the cows at all due to their religious significance.
This can be seen in the way they treat cows, as they are of religious
significance. It is not at all strange if a cow were to cause a traffic jam
simply by laying in the middle of the road, because people do not wish to
disturb the holy animal. Opposite to this is the role religion plays in
Denmark, where almost eighty percent of the population is non-religious.
St. Anselm
On our last day, we visited
a catholic school, St. Anselm, where the principal of the school, who also
happened to be the high priest, gave us his explanation to this cultural
difference. He thought there was a connection between the wealth of the
population and the size of the role religion plays on the population. He
thought that the higher income an individual has, the less interest would the
individual have in religion, and opposite. That explains the difference between
religion’s role in Denmark and India.
This theory seems at
first trustworthy, but why is the upper class in India still as religious as
lowest classes?
