Poverty, hunger, homelessness, mosquitoes, chaos and pollution – these are all things typically associated with India. Not a single one of these words has a positive connotation and that’s what bothers me. The general impression of India is that even though it’s rapidly developing, it’s still very much a poor and dirty country. But this is not the India that I know.

Yes, India has many flaws, but there are many attributes that outweigh the negatives. You may think this is biased but India is undoubtedly full of beautiful attractions and is a unique country. Every country has bad things occurring on a daily basis, but the difference is that people look at the country on a larger scope. This drastically changes the perception of any country.

For example, take America. If we focused on the cites like Camden, N.J., Detroit, Philadelphia or even the downtown areas of cities like Chicago, we get a completely different perception of America. We see a country riddled with crime and poverty. When looking at America as a whole, the country is a place of hope and opportunity. It’s a place where people from other countries want to go to have a better life.

Students’ perception of India is largely influenced by what they are taught at school. From my experience, all that is taught about India at school is how poverty-stricken it is and how most people live in slums that do not have running water. I still remember watching a video in seventh grade history class about India. The video documented a family living in a slum in India and they did not have running water. All the students who took that class and had that teacher walked away from class that day thinking that that was how India was. After class, everyone was talking about how shocked they were that India was so poor. This made me really angry because that’s not true. That video only displayed one family out of the thousands of others living there.

Students should not always base their perception of a place completely on what they learn at school. They should realize that what they learn at school does not always provide the full picture. India may be flawed, but so is every other country. India is a large country that is very diverse and has much to offer anyone who visits. The country is full of warmth and camaraderie. People who meet each other often become friends instantly and it is common for them to invite each other over for tea. Indian culture and cuisine is unique and truly one-of-a-kind, but only some of the many things India has to offer. This may not be what many think, but until they choose to find out otherwise, they won’t know the true beauty of India.