From Amsterdam to Paris to Zurich, which started as a vacation quickly turned on awakening. In an article Candide Reddit which sparked an online animated debate, the traveler thought about how India feels comfort and basic values that he witnessed abroad. “No lack of respect for our country, I like everything about India,” he wrote. “But when I went there, I felt envious of everything they had.”
Its reflections cover everything, from the air breathing to public transport and, most painfully, the culture around work. One of the biggest shocks came during a meeting with the founder of his business in Denmark. “He talked about work culture, flexibility during working hours and, more importantly, mental health,” he noted.
The contrast with the Indian offices felt discordant. “Our founders talk about 12-hour work days and other BS things,” he wrote, frustrated by the way the hours are still glorified through the company India.
A remark of a friend in Europe remained with him: “Yeh Log Life Jee Rhe Hai, Aur Hm Kaat Rhe Hai” (they live, we survive). He captured, he said, the silent burden that many Indians wear-by crushing broken systems and one overwork just to get out.
Public services also stood out. He admired the punctuality and the European transport order, far from the chaotic systems of India. In Switzerland, a seller helped him to understand the exchange of currencies without invoicing conversion costs – a moment which underlined the fundamental decency of governance and public interaction.
The return home was not edifying. “I always think that we, the citizens of India, have the right to basic human needs, food security and free education. What prevents us from making such a radical change? ” He asked.
The post has drawn net reactions. “Each Indian should visit a developed country,” a commentator wrote. “Otherwise, things will continue as they are – with praise and delusions.”
Another has been more resigned: “Hungry, gourmet and illiterate politicians will never let it happen. We deserve better. But we will never get that here in India. ”
