A Passage Through India

I read E.M. Forster's A Passage Through India more than 10 years ago, and was deeply impressed by it. I was very curious (and a bit scared) about a place that could change and confuse a person so much. As the years have gone by, I have become more and more interested in India, its history and culture.

Now, in the summer between the 2 years of my Master's program in Public Administration in international Development (MPA/ID), I have the opportunity not only to visit India but to do development work here. India is one of the most vibrant and exciting places to work in development given the quality of the people involved and the sheer number of projects in place. I hope to learn more about microfinance and health insurance schemes for the poor.

The book was written in 1924 and it's about an English woman who travels to India and is overwhelmed by everything she sees and experiences. It portrays the relationship between East and West in the later days of the British Raj. In the book E.M. Forster frequently refers to India as a "muddle" because the logical Western mind cannot accept the extreme diversity of Indian religion, society, wildlife, and even architecture. For him, Westerners are always trying to categorize and label things, but India defies labeling; it has to be accepted and not explained in terms of reason.

I don't know if I'll be as shocked as Adela Quested (and I hope not to have her problems!), but I expect to be very impressed and changed after my time here. We'll see.

(For a more comprehensive review: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Passage_to_India; there is also a movie on the book that is very good. Watch it if you can).