Intimations of India

An American professor visiting India observes that despite the exotic Western association with India, there are a lot of similarities between the US and India. The Western image of India is that of a country full of pearls, elephants and evokes memories of the Raj. Most visitors reach India with preconceived notions but some of these notions are disproved. One such image is of India being a country of beggars. India is very stratified society and has to deal with differences in religion, caste, language and wealth. The differences between the West and India are vanishing and the similarities that are growing are fearful.