Photos and Thoughts from India

Here are the photos from my trips to India (10-day work trip in June).  I annotated most of the photos so you can follow along.

I went to India for work - mainly to do a couple workshops with our client (a large US-based pharma company with their India country headquarters outside of Delhi) and to interview physicians (sorry I can't disclose more!  If you want to read more about the project, check out this blog from one of my team members).  The FSG team of 4 from the US plus one colleague based in Mumbai met up in Delhi on a Saturday after a transcontinental business-class flight.  See here for a few blog posts about this flight, and a couple from when I was on the ground in India.  We stayed in Gurgaon, which is a large city outside of Delhi.  After a logistics meeting with the client, our team fanned out to three cities across India to interview physicians, social entrepreneurs, and government officials.  Our task was to figure out what barriers there are for low-income patients to accessing and persisting with diabetes treatment.  I spent 4 days in Hyderabad working with the local client sales team going from interviewee-to-interviewee, who were mostly based in public hospitals.  We all came back to Delhi for one last meeting with the client, after which my colleague Sam and I stayed another 3 days to check out Delhi, go to the Taj Mahal, and then one more day just to chill.

A few observations about my time in India:

• India is exhausting.  I consider myself a pretty savvy and indefatigable traveler, but India got to me.  It is a nonstop barrage of sights, sounds, people, and general activity.  I sometimes feel that San Francisco has more ambient stress than what I'd like, but India was a whole new level.  I'm thankful to have traveled to India, especially under such unique circumstances (getting to go inside hospitals, etc.), but I don't have much desire to go back soon!
• The difference between the rich and poor is extraordinary.  I got to go into a nice, private hospital (run by the Apollo Group) and a number of government hospitals.  The private hospital, while more crowded than a US hospital, was nice and clean.  I think any American would feel comfortable getting treated there.  On the other hand, public hospitals were... in bad shape.  We met many very capable doctors who clearly cared about their patients (there are obviously bad doctors too, but the ones we met were generally good).  It is SO clear why health outcomes between the poor and rich are different when one sees what kind of care money can buy.  In one government hospital, there were patients sleeping on the floor in hallways.  I saw baby crap on one of the staircases.  Many hallways were not lighted.  
• India is clearly a developing country.  There is construction everywhere, and it feels chaotic.  If I were to judge India's prospects to be an economic power based on what I saw in Delhi and Hyderabad, I'd say that it's going to be a while.  By the sheer number of people that exist, you have to think that there's potential.  But, infrastructure is a long way from being able to support a robust economy.  At least that's what I saw from my visit.
• The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen.  I've seen a lot of cathedrals and fancy buildings in my day, but nothing compares to the Taj.  It is striking in its perfection - EVERYTHING is symmetrical, the marble is partially translucent, and the craftsmanship of every detail is impeccable.  Well worth the 4-hour drive from Delhi to Agra.
• Guides matter!  Sam and I lucked out and and three great guides (2 drivers from the Leela - our hotel - and one guide in Agra to see the Taj and the Red Fort).  Especially in India where it's difficult to get around, good guides are worth every penny, and make the trip memorable.  
• Seclusion of Leela became an uncomfortable cathedral.  We stayed at the Leela in Gurgaon, a legit 5-star hotel.  The hotel was both necessary (especially when traveling for business, it's worth it to spend a night in comfort and to have ridiculous breakfast bufftets) and... separating.  By that I mean that one can easily "experience" (or, not experience) a country by being holed up in a hotel.  The staff at the hotel do their best to protect you from the hassles of "going local."  For example, I wanted to take the subway during rush hour just to see what it was like. The hotel staff looked at me like I was crazy, but I went anyways (and it wasn't bad at all!).
• Highlights of my trip:
• Getting to know our client's staff, especially Joseph - the sales manager in Hyderabad who ushered me around for 4 days and was exceptionally gracious, fun, and thoughtful.  
• Seeing the Taj.  Simply amazing.
• Talking to our guide, Kahn, in Agra and our two drivers.  Sam and I got a wealth of knowledge that we would never have gotten otherwise.  For example, we learned a ton about a farmer's life from one of our drivers because he grew up on a small farm.
• Seeing the difference between public and private hospitals

Below are a few of my favorite photos from India.  Check out the entire set here.