Gift of India is Gift of Gratitude
The gift of India is the gift of gratitude. Living in a country where you are constantly reminded of how many people are less fortunate than you are, the result is, you stay grounded. You know what you have is what you need to be thankful for. If food comes plenty on the table, you still know there are many homes with no tables, worse, no food. If its a car you drive, you know there are places where roads don't exist and feet's all that takes people place to place, via non-existent paths.
These extremes go a long way in making India truly 'real'. What you see around is no illusion, its stark reality. This is one, and I believe the only reason why products and brands in India won't be taken for granted as is common in the west. A bottle of soda doesn't mean much, there. In India, its still a luxury and so is consumed with care, at least by the masses. For many, its even a treat.
This is why people in India spend time fixing the 'real', not fretting 'bout issues that's in vogue with many in the west. For example, Socialism sits pretty with many in Hollywood, because they've no idea what its like to wait in lines for rationed products. I bet they don't even know there's something called kerosene. Which is big in India, among lower classes as the all important fuel that powers their lamps and stoves. Bet Hollywood doesn't know that to get kerosene, many in India line up at government stores where they are rationed.
The misery that the masses live out in India is no fun at all. Yet that very same misery is what forces someone like me to count my blessings. That misery is at heart of my belief that products and brands at Indian home are treats. The knowledge that they don't come easy for multitudes is humbling.
Sure, my prayer for the future is that homes in India are dotted with brands. Though I fervently hope, when that day comes, gratitude won't get the boot.
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