Comments on: Bihar State – A Hell On Earth.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:22:54 +0000

As a passionate fan of Indian culture and frequent visitor to the country I feel the need to leave a comment here. Having been to Uganda I don´t agree that any part of India is as underdeveloped as Africa. (And Uganda is still far better off than Subsaharan Africa!) “I wonder how a country of 1,2 billion cannot have proper services or infrastructure”, well that is actually a strange thing to wonder about. I would rather say it is admirable how a government can handle a country with such a huge and diverse population. As for the cow dung, as an agroecologist interested in sustainability I find the idea of using dung for fuel, power and buildings very intelligent, though it should of course not be a sign of poverty. And I don´t think I need to point out the socio-economic impact of the British Rule on the country here…
I find it pretty unrespectful to claim that eating with hands is primitive, in fact it is one of the things I like very much in India. And obviously I have found that washing one´s hands is considered very important all over the country. Also, I have not been to any country in which modesty played as an important role as in India (and I have been to many!). Maybe it is just a matter of definition, similarly, the Western style of dressing is perceived as immodest in India, and I surely find it less immodest to urinate or defecate in public than to exploit the developing world to fulfill Western consumerist needs. I also hope the author is aware of how animals kept for meat production are being treated in Western countries. This article is full of generalisations and I don´t approve of jumping to that many conclusions from only very few experiences. If he took the time to explore North India properly he would find some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

By: kevin scanlon

kevin scanlon — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 22:37:48 +0000

tony, you are making great progress to the border. it will be very close by monday. well done. kevin

By: Greg Havely

Greg Havely — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 04:24:32 +0000

Tony—ahh lovely Bihar—–what a friggin mess it is—as you say, there are some lovely parts of India, then there are the sewers like Bihar—-never could figure out why people can allow themselves to live in such filth–Anyway, soon to be done with India and on to Iran and then Turkey, the gateway to Europe and home!!!—Enjoy your St Pats wherever you are—I will be waiting to hear more from Iran—there is a LOT of open space there to cross–but it has to be better then the crowded dusty streets of India–
Good (safe) running–Greg

By: Ann

Ann — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:53:16 +0000

Another country almost finished Tony, glad Haryana state is better than the terrible Bihar state. Also you getting a little more peace now. Take care Ann

By: tony

tony — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 21:03:08 +0000

Thanks everyone. Am hoping to finish in about 8 days. I don’t want to spend ST Pats day on these roads! 47,47 and 49km last 3 days. Total 41,192km for 940 days.
Am in Haryana state now,a progressive state with many satlite towns of New Delhi and interestingly not many bicycles in this state. The people are also giving me a little ‘ head break ‘
Tony

By: kevin scanlon

kevin scanlon — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 13:39:18 +0000

great to see the spot on the move again. the border is coming up fast. well done. kevin

By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:19:41 +0000

Sounds like a real Sh…y place. I’m sure you are glad to be finished there. Great blog entry and easy to picture the scenes you were so descriptive. You truly know how to explain clearly so the reader can imagine the full picture. Glad you enjoyed the Taj Mahal. Photos you sent to us are great

By: theworldjog

theworldjog — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:05:53 +0000

Am back in Aligarh now. Will restart in the morning. I got back here at 2pm but as I didn’t sleep last night I didn’t set out. Staying in hotel here.
Yes the Taj Mahal was wonderful.. A true beauty. I have problems putting pictures on the site with this smart phone but will try.

By: Fergus

Fergus — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:58:47 +0000

Good Man Tony, Thanks for telling us of life in Bihar state – warts and all. When you run round the world you encounter many highs and lows – this account has to rank as one of the lows. We are glad you have put it behind you and hope your experiences will improve from here on.

By: kevin scanlon

kevin scanlon — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:35:27 +0000

well done getting the visa tony. the story of bihar state is shocking. you are right that we, in ireland, have a lot to be thankful for!!!! enjoy the taj……Kevin