The Country of the No

I picked up Suketu Mehta’s “Maximum City” yesterday because I figured when I read I should read India-related stuff.  The book is phenomenal and I’d whole-heartedly recommend it to any of you. 

There is a quote in the first chapter that I thought really encapsulates what I’m up against here.

"‘Can I get a gas connection?’

‘No.’

‘Can I get a phone?’

‘No.’

‘Can I get a school for my child?’

‘I’m afraid it is not possible.’

‘Have my parcels arrived from America?’

‘I don’t know'.’

‘Can you find out?"’

‘No.’

‘Can I get a railway reservation?’

‘No.’

India is a Country of the No.  That ‘no’ is your test.  You have to get past it.  It is India’s Great Wall; it keeps out foreign invaders…I

…India is not a tourist-friendly country.  It will reveal itself to you only if you stay on, against all odds.  The ‘no’ might never become a ‘yes’.  But you will stop asking questions.”