In the long run, we´re all dead, and in the beginning, we were all cavemen. So yes, it´s a matter of historical perspective, I guess.
Serbia, Ukraine, Costa Rica, look far more interesting third world countries for me. India´s hundreds of dialects[1], and lack of infrastructure [2] aren´t very enticing.
I know, we weren´t talking about touristic destinations. We were talking about the West´s seemingly fascination with a country with a better marketing machinery than its real development figures show.
oh, sure, India has this aura of being a center of spiritual knowledge and well-being. Give me a break. Maybe they should stop having so many yoga sessions and begin paving their roads and teaching their kids to read and write. And stop wasting in military spending the combined budgets of Australia and Israel combined. [3]
China doesn´t enjoy such fascination abroad -perhaps because they´re commies-, yet the government is doing something for improving the life of its people, with top-notch infrastructure [4]...
But hey, India is their country, they should fix it on their own. I´m just not fascinated by it, not at all.
Oh wait, the ambassador of India just called....
FC [1] "Individual mother tongues in India number several hundred;[8] the 1961 census recognized 1,652[9] (SIL Ethnologue lists 415). According to Census of India of 2001, 29 languages are spoken by more than a million native speakers, 122 by more than 10,000."
[2] Lack of infrastructure a major business risk in India, survey finds. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/lack-of-infrastructure-major-business-risk-in-india-survey_10036966.html
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
India tops in illiteracy and defense spending http://www.riazhaq.com/2010/01/india-tops-in-illiteracy-and-defense.html
[4] China´s booming rail network good for business http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12578856