ITALY TO INDIA

So here we are about to celebrate the Ganesha Festival - it begins on Sunday and lasts for 10 days when the Ganesha God is immersed in water. I saw a troop carrier yesterday tearing down the road at high speed with 8 life size plaster Ganesha statues in the back, facing each other and looking just like a small platoon of troops being re-located.

So what are the similarities between Italy and India ? Actually there are many - far more than you would imagine. For instance, in both, the family plays an important role in the social structure. The citizens of both countries are traders with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Both have a strong visual culture and musical tradition. In terms of character, both are emotional, extrovert in their feelings. Although informalities exist, both place an importance on ritual, both have a very highly developed hierarchical social structure. Bureaucracy is an aspect of both cultures.  BUT, Italy has the smallest birthrate in Europe and it's falling, leaving an aging population, whilst India with 1.2 billion people will soon overtake China with the biggest population in the world, with a huge proportion being young people.

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AUGUST 2009

This blog has been created to celebrate a unique event. I arrived in India 3 weeks ago to start an MA Degree in History of Art and Aesthetics - the first student from Italy to do this. I will record my impressions as I go along - contrasting these two fascinating countries.