Kolkata's Metro showed it could be done and was, for a long time, the pinnacle of advanced mass rapid transport in the country. Then Delhi Metro did what seemed impossible: It turned that commuter-hostile city into a veritable paradise, covering vast distances in miraculously short times. Even more amazing was the lack of disruption to the city life while it was (and continues to be) built.
2.Mobile Telephony :
At some point last year, we earned the distinction of having more mobile phone connections than toothbrushes. While some may find that dubious, we say it is probably one of the biggest achievements of a modern, market-driven India and our gift to the world (which has now co-opted our model). Putting a phone (or many) in the hands of three out of every four Indians was made possible by the coming together of rare sanguinity from regulators, radical innovation by private companies and mass-scale adoption by consumers: An event so rare that it ought to be the equivalent of our Halley comet.
At some point last year, we earned the distinction of having more mobile phone connections than toothbrushes. While some may find that dubious, we say it is probably one of the biggest achievements of a modern, market-driven India and our gift to the world (which has now co-opted our model). Putting a phone (or many) in the hands of three out of every four Indians was made possible by the coming together of rare sanguinity from regulators, radical innovation by private companies and mass-scale adoption by consumers: An event so rare that it ought to be the equivalent of our Halley comet.
Our press is still free. It is increasingly more commercial and advertising-dependent and therefore eyeballs-oriented and breaking-news-fixated but, on the whole, it still questions what needs to be questioned and speaks truth to power. The social revolution on the Internet doesnt just keep mainstream media on its toes; it has become a raucously free media on its own.
4.Zohra Sehgal : She toured the world with Uday Shankar troupe, travelled India with Prithviraj Kapoors Prithvi Theatre and made films (incidentally, she is older than the Indian film industry). Her wit, her verve, her joy for life are undimmed, still larger than life.
6.Low-cost healthcare : Moses for Forbes India
Much has been written about India as a medical tourism destination: fly in, get top class treatment at an expensive hospital at a fraction of the overseas cost, and fly back. Hidden behind the cost arbitrage, a real revolution has been spearheaded by hospitals such as Arvind Eye Hospital and Narayana Hrudayalaya. In these hospitals, the doctors industrialised complex processes to bring down the costs to a fraction, and benefited a large number of the poor. A whole range of other organisations from behemoth GE to Embrace, a small social enterprise, have followed that tradition to make healthcare affordable.
Much has been written about India as a medical tourism destination: fly in, get top class treatment at an expensive hospital at a fraction of the overseas cost, and fly back. Hidden behind the cost arbitrage, a real revolution has been spearheaded by hospitals such as Arvind Eye Hospital and Narayana Hrudayalaya. In these hospitals, the doctors industrialised complex processes to bring down the costs to a fraction, and benefited a large number of the poor. A whole range of other organisations from behemoth GE to Embrace, a small social enterprise, have followed that tradition to make healthcare affordable.
Eternal love. Enough said.
8.Abhinav Bindra : Never mind what happened in London; he had already proven that one could transcend Indian sports vicious politicking and corruption when he won the countrys first individual Olympic gold medal in the 10 metre air rifle event at Beijing 2008. He inspired self-belief in hundreds of athletes. Its no surprise that India sent its largest ever Olympic contingent to London 2012. They owe a lot to Bindra.
9.Auli :
When the Kashmir troubles started, we needed another place to hold our winter sports meets (did you know we have had a National Winter Games since 1996?). They have been held on the slopes above Joshimath (on the pilgrim trail to Badrinath), at a facility run by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam. It has decent slopes, ski lifts, and it still offers what are probably the worlds cheapest skiing lessons. The accommodations and food aren't spectacular, but if you want the high life, further upslope and upscale is the Cliff Top Club resort.
10.Buddhism :
How many religious philosophies can you sum up in a tweet? Try Buddhism. Life is suffering. Desire is its cause. Extinguishing desire ends suffering. Right action, speech and livelihood is the way to live life. So compact was this way of life that we shipped it all across Asia, perhaps our biggest cultural export to the asean.
11.Monsoons :
Western clichs about rain being a downer just dont work for us; we love our wet season. Its annual miracle rejuvenates a parched land, turning brown into countless shades of iridescent green, sending spirits soaring, provoking purple prose Well stop now.12.Biodiversity :
13.Western Ghats :
The Himalayas get all the good press. But the Western Ghats arent exactly inconsequential. Aside from providing a number of cool (as in weather, not wannabeness) getaways for city-dwellers, and snagging the monsoon clouds so that the West coast gets irrigated, they are one of the worlds top 10 biodiversity hotspots and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are home to thousands of plant species, and hundreds of animal species, including many threatened ones. Even now, new species are being found, and more will surely be discovered.
14.Indian writing in English :
Macaulay wouldnt believe what he started. There is now a vast body of writers who are Indian in blood and colour and in taste, opinions, morals and intellect, who have gone beyond explaining India to the West, to finding fulfilment (and audiences) within the country even though they write in English.
15.Street food : IndiaPicture
From pav-bhaji in Mumbai to phuchka in Kolkata and from chaat in Delhi to chai in Hyerabad, street food gets us all salivating. Inexpensive, varied, quick and accessible, street food fills the four oclock hole in the tummy like no cold coffee-shop sandwich can. For the best choice, head to any city CBD bylanes on a working day and be prepared to have your taste buds set on fire. And we mean that in a nice way.[The list: 1-15 | 16-30 | 31-45 | 46-65]
