These were the words of the security guard outside the Delhi International Airport. When taken out of context, they prove quite frightening! As is customary at the Delhi airport, one must show a receipt upon entering the airport as only passengers are allowed to enter. Our receipts weren't quite up to par with the expectations of the guard at the airport, and his primary complaint was, "Where is Delhi?" Such a question made me think, "We have a lot bigger problems than getting into this airport."
Nevertheless, this post is being written somewhere over the Atlantic, so you can read peacefully knowing we made our way home. Our last day in India was a full one, complete with a lunch at the US Embassy. It reminded me of an Admirals Club at an airport, an enclave of tranquility and amenities surrounded by a bustling overcrowded abyss (much like an airport).
Lunch at the US Embassy with Chief of Technology, Science and Environment
Today was spent largely with people of affluence. We heard talks from two people in energy in India, and their foci were largely on national numbers or city numbers, and had little/nothing to do with positively impacting the poor. After these talks we went to the US Embassy, another place unassociated with the have-nots in India. We visited a "green building", it was the office space of a hotel chain called ITC which is across India. All of their hotels are "green buildings" and have LEED Platinum ratings. And they'll be sure to let you know! All of their hotels are luxury hotels. We finished the day at a shopping mall clearly for India's affluent. We went bowling and had a wonderful good-bye dinner with some of our hosts. Our trip to India was a great one! The mindsets were reset, our perceptions forever changed, and our ability to discuss social impact and entrepreneurship in a developing realm has forever been improved. Good Bye!
Walking through the fields to Kachhpura village in Agra (Credit: Alex Diemer)
Experiencing transportation in Delhi, auto rickshaw style (Credit: Alex Diemer)
The group in rural village near Agra (Credit: Alex Diemer)
