As it’s a vicious cycle, there is no obvious starting point for this study. So, let’s begin our exercise with one of the indispensable necessities of modern life – electricity.

Forget for a while the demand and supply side, but just go and check the main electricity supply box at your home. I bet even a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist cannot decipher the so-called wiring of our electricians! How frequently we witness sparks/fires in junction boxes, transformer boxes, overhead wirings and electric poles due to innumerable reasons in and around our neighbourhood? The Uphaar Tragedy in 1997 bears a testimony how much defence less we are. The complete mess that’s called ’electrical wiring’ will give you a shock treatment and force you to rush to your pooja room to make peace with ’him’ before anything goes wrong!

Can anyone guarantee the quality of water we guzzle everyday? A world water development report of the United Nations has categorised India amongst the worst countries for poor quality of water, as well as our government’s ability and commitment to improve the situation. The water supply and sanitation system in India suffers from inadequate levels of service, an increasing demand-supply gap and deteriorating financial and technical performance. If one has to opt for bottled water manufactured by big companies there is no escape either as they too allegedly contain unacceptable levels of pesticides. Who could save us from the dangers of water that we drink, other than our faith in the god?

The next stop is the so-called food we tuck in everyday. In India contaminated and adulterated food items are common sources of infection. Among the more common infections are typhoid, Escherichia coli infections, shigellosis or bacillary dysentery, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, other salmonelloses, cholera, rotavirus infections, also a variety of worm infestations. If you think the road side dhabas and small eateries have to be blamed for all the ills you are completely mistaken. In a recent study it was found that over 80 per cent of genetically modified imported food products that are getting into the Indian markets are rejected by other countries in Europe, Africa and Middle East! Globalisation at work, so to speak.

Therefore from the air we breathe to the chaotic roads we take day in and day out; the creaky infrastructure; a haphazard health service, an inefficient police force; an unaccountable bureaucracy; corrupt politicians; an overburdened judiciary and the list is endless. Yet, ironically, these are a small tip in the iceberg and so many man-made disasters are waiting to happen in various shapes and forms.

A casual look around would make it abundantly clear as to who else, but a simple faith in the almighty alone keeps the miracle called India going. Ordinary billions of Indians survive and a minority of them flourish not merely because of their talent, hard work or so-called democratic polity or scientific reasoning, but their simple belief in the existence of god and their profound prayers, whether atheists agree or not. Hey Ram!