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Hi I am from India, and work in a brand new travel startup called 'Think Places' as a designer. I thought I'd like to add an answer like Hadayat's, on India! :)http://thinkplaces.comIndia is an incredibly large country, 7th largest in size and 2nd most populous,spawning from the Indus Valley Civilisation whose roots date back as far as 7000 BCE. The ancient cities of Mohenjo-daro (in current day Sindh, Pakistan), Harappa( in current day Punjab, Pakistan) & Kalibangan (in current day Rajasthan, India) were some of the first large settlements in the sub-continent.Above images of archaeological remains of Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa.Modern day India however looks a lot less similar with its fair share of natural and man made wonders. We've got incredibly beautiful mountains, the highest ranges in the world at that, and long long coastlines with some of the best tropical beaches, all while a sprawling river system waters the central landmass to create one of the largest in the world.Take a look at the country from top to bottom.Siachen, -30ºcThis is a photo of our army stationed in Siachen, the worlds highest glacier. Pakistan has an army stationed here, too.Pictures of Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir. Home to some of the most beautiful sights in the world.The Dalai Lama's residence and the headquarters of Central Tibetan Administration and the exiled Tibetan government are in McLeodGanj, a village within the Dharamshala municipality, in Himachal Pradesh.The lush green Dzukou Valley on the border of Nagaland and Manipur.The glorious green farm fields of PunjabThe Thar desert in RajasthanThe holy river Ganges flowing through the city of Varanasi.The gorgeous western ghats, evergreen!The beautiful backwaters of Kerala.When one grows up in India, one automatically gets accustomed to diversity. Diversity in India is blatant and ever increasing. With a multitude of ethno racial groups, languages, cultures and religions, India has the power to amaze and captivate. Indians can look, talk and be very different from one another. But we have learned to live harmoniously and for the most part live without conflict. :)Kashmiri shepherdManipuri ChildrenSikh man.A Sumi(tribe) Naga womanWomen in RajasthanA Bengali BrideA newly married south indian couple (Iyengar)Most Indians are crazy about 3 things cricket, bollywood & politics but what they wont tell you is how much they love their food! Because every state has its indigenous culture, almost every state has a different cuisine, which makes India a gastronomic wonderland!Popular Chaat Item called Paani Puri (this is a snack)A full course Gujarati mealIndia's favourite chicken dish - Tandoori ChickenSouth indian favourite - Masala DosaMomos from the north east of IndiaMutton Biryani, food for the soul.Indian Sweets are a gift straight from heaven, and this is proof. Must eat Gulab Jamuns and Rasgulas, amongst others.Political graffiti and bollywood adorn the walls of the country in abundance, and you will see these almost everywhere you go!Now some BollywoodDid i say walls? Sorry my bad.But the only thing greater than the bollywood heroes, are the real life heroes who go out on the cricket pitch to represent India. Of them all, one hails supreme. He's a demi god called Sachin Tendulkar.India however has far more to offer than an opulent film industry, great food and cricket. It is a country that is young and determined to break free from all its tall social hurdles. It is a country with an urban middle class more educated than most countries in the world, who run the largest corporations across the world. It is a country which has learnt to adjust and make do with what is available. Minds are working 24x7 to find newer and more innovative ways to a better life. Only 66 years ago we were a colonised behemoth, that even the British could not contain. Here are some neat black and white photographs of when India was still a British Colony.India todayIt's quite evident that India although on a ramp towards becoming a more developed economy, suffers from many of the ailments that other developing nations are suffering from today. A large amount of economic liberalisation although resulting in large corporate profits, is also creating critical social issues such as solid waste management, rural/urban sanitation, food security and sustainable health care systems.India though, will never fail to amaze. Regardless of all its shortcomings, it is truly one of the world's most unique destinations and it will change your view on life. :)I'd like to add that I haven't covered a very many topics, simply because it is just too vast, and would appreciate it if you'll can add to this!If you enjoyed reading this, you should check out the Think Places blog which has regular posts on a new country every week! :)ThinkPlaces

Just to be sure we’re on the same page, the question is how did we go from this in 1965:to this (circa 2010s):in a mere half-century?For the uninitiated, both are shots of Collyer Quay taken from the South, only 50 years apart. One can clearly see the Fullerton Building (now Fullerton Hotel) from both vantages—and the astonishing change to our CBD skyline.I would like to begin by stating one milestone in our history. On 22 May 1981, former banker Yong Pung How obtained the certificate of incorporation of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, or what we now call GIC.What does the GIC have to do with Singapore’s rapid development, since its missive is to manage long-horizon offshore investment to preserve and enhance the international purchasing power of our foreign reserves?As it turns out, the sovereign wealth fund isn’t central to our storyline, but its date of formation certainly is.Piqued your interest? Read on.Now, 1981 was a mere 16 years post-independence. In human terms, still a teenager without voting rights. Singapore went through the turmoil of Separation, British military withdrawal, the Vietnam War (and the consequent threat of communism overrunning the peninsula), the first post-war global recession and an energy crisis that saw elevated oil prices for more than a decade.Vulnerable Singapore, which had to import every drop of oil it consumed, didn’t sink. We did not have cut-price front-row seats like our oil-producing neighbors. What we had in abundance was a fierce spirit of self-determination. After all, we had stared down bigger problems—and triumphed.The British dropped a bombshell in 1967, just two years after we were unceremoniously booted out of the Federation by Tunku Abdul Rahman. The latter was an act of discipline—we were expected to fail without a hinterland. The former was planned, but the schedule brought forward without warning or consultation. To this day I still wonder if British leaders timed the move to force a re-merger, such was the incredulous nightmare Singapore found herself in—a defenseless island without a navy or air force. The army consisted of a single battalion (the second was a Malaysian battalion).Fifty thousand British troops and their families departed, bringing 25% of the GNI, and the loss of 40,000 jobs (30,000 civilian and 10,000 uniformed). Singapore was already struggling with 9–10% unemployment and a labor supply that outstripped job creation year-on-year. The Separation had disrupted our trade with the Peninsula, taking with it the free flow of talent, material and information which Singapore had enjoyed since Raffles founded the city in 1819. Diplomacy threatened to ice over on many occasions, as hinterland turned hinderland.We found ourselves in the unenviable position of building an armed forces from scratch, spending money and diverting manpower we did not have. The Israeli Armed Forces have been lauded for their outsize capabilities in repelling the aggression of their giant neighbors, but I would argue Singapore’s SAF—though unheralded and untested—was a far harder proposition. Since their re-founding in 1948, the Israelis have received hundreds of billions in military and economic aid from the USA, and substantial payouts and assistance from Europe. Singapore started from zero and pumped hundreds of billions into cutting edge weaponry—and learned to fight as an integrated whole—with no aid or grants. That is unprecedented in modern history, considering we had no oil to afford billions in shiny new toys.Conscription notwithstanding, how did we pay for it? The British—an important pillar of our economy—were leaving while traditional opportunities across the Causeway were no longer as lucrative. Singapore pursued the then radical strategy of globalization. In an era when many former colonies erected protectionist walls to deter “predatory” MNCs, Singapore opened up her economy and courted the world, including the Japanese who had brought untold suffering to Syonan-to just two decades before. We gave tax breaks, built industrial parks, and promised an orderly society with productive workers. We improved our connectivity, the most important being one of the pioneer adopters of container shipping, unheard of in the backwaters of 70s Asia. We followed up with Changi Airport for ocean-crossing wide body jets in 1981, and the adoption of computers (the NCB was set up in 1981). Many good things happened in 1981, it seemed.In the early years, defense took up the lion’s share of the national budget—as much as 40 cents for every dollar of tax collected. It was estimated that in 1966, 300,000 people lived in squatter settlements in the suburbs and 250,000 lived in squalid shophouses in the Central Area. An estimated 15,000 flats had to be built per year to alleviate the dire housing shortage, along with the requisite roads, factories, schools, shops, hospitals and accompanying infrastructure.How did we do all that, and more, on 60 cents to the dollar? Remember, we had no aid, no oil, no rich patron. Perhaps most amazingly, we ran a huge surplus.This is where we go back to the beginning and the year 1981. The GIC was set up to manage Singapore’s burgeoning foreign reserves, ample proof that we had accumulated substantial savings in our years of frenzied spending. In those 16 years, we went from a single infantry battalion to tanks, fighter aircraft and warships, and hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers in reserve, ready to come online at a moment’s notice. Our residents moved from decrepit kampongs, squatters and shophouses into spanking new estates with running water, flush toilets and roofs that did not leak. Jobs were aplenty, and free education was provided by the state, with scholarships and grants for deserving advancement.All these first-rate outcomes in a decade that was beset by multi-prong challenges, especially the spillover from the Vietnam War.What was our magic sauce?I had given this question a miss more than once because I believed the answer required a proper book-length survey, rather than attributing our success to a long-dead icon, as another Quoran was wont to conclude.But since I’m partial to my fellow countryman’s request, I’ll do a cop-out and attempt a clumsy and far from erudite answer to a smaller scope: how did we pay for it all and maintain a surplus?To head into the solution, I’d like to first sketch the role of money supply in a modern economy.All governments have the power to print money, but print too much, and hyperinflation sets in, as many governments such as Brazil have found to their dismay in the past. Singapore greatly expanded her money supply over time, but always in step with economic fundamentals. We have proven this time and again by weathering multiple recessions with surprising resilience, despite our size and open economy.I hope it is abundantly clear to the reader our needs shifted dramatically with the thrust of independence. We obviously needed a lot more money than before from the same population base. The UK and Japan provided token aid, but we were mostly on our own. This is where I take my hat off for Goh Keng Swee and the miracle he engineered.Singapore greatly expanded her money supply without drowning the economy in liquidity, which would have caused problematic inflation.To put it simply, Singapore printed money, and locked most of it up.What is the single most expensive purchase in most people’s lives?Property.The government’s approach to property was two-prong. One, it refused to recognize land sales as revenue. And two, the CPF was set up to allow ordinary wage earners to fund property purchase.Let’s talk about the CPF first. If you ask an American, the question how much does this job pay has two responses—either $x per hour or $y annually plus benefits. And that is actually what he takes home. But the Singaporean’s answer is $z per month, and a gross underestimate of what he is actually paid.Let’s illustrate with a simple example. Let’s say Ah Huat accepts a job advertised at $1,000. After CPF deduction, he takes home $800. But he doesn’t make $800 or $1,000. In 2018, he is actually making $1,170, and if he were working in 1985, he would have taken home $750 and made a total of $1,250. Ah Huat’s answer of $1,000 and $750-$800 is what he actually sees on his salary slips and bank statements, and he lives his life budgeting according to these numbers.You may be going “cheh, what’s so special about this?” but it is this very simple idea of salary pricing that underpins the bedrock of Singapore society. Singaporeans underspend. Let’s take the Ah Huat of 2018, for relevance. He thinks he makes $1,000, and gets to spend $800. But he has $370—almost 50% (or 46% to be precise)—of his take-home pay saved up. The $370 does not enter the economy unless one of three things happen—Ah Huat falls sick, buys a private or resale property or retires.This is the primary reason why the 30–50x property appreciation over the past half century has not driven inflation to unmanageable levels. In fact, if we compare our record with China post-90s, it’s very favorable. This is also why Singapore, until very recently, was seen as staid and unfashionable compared to the glitz of Hong Kong and Tokyo despite our relatively high wages.The CPF scheme allowed the government to use a secure source of future money to fund today’s public housing program. To justify the mandatory saving program, the government guaranteed all contributions and paid generous interest that was above fixed deposit rates.Furthermore, the government owned much of the land. The land acquisition act also gave it power to acquire any property at market rates. I believe our surplus in the early years was driven primarily by acquiring (or developing) low-density property such as farms, squatter housing or swamps and forests and turning them into high-density factories, apartments and offices. Even if the land value had stayed the same (it didn’t), huge profits were realized because instant land was created by tweaking the plot ratio. In other words, building up multiplied land value many-fold. Singapore also benefited from intensive land reclamation—Changi Airport for example, sits entirely on reclaimed land. Our island has expanded from 580 to 720 sq. km since independence.Skyrocketing land value did not sap the economy of vitality because Singaporeans did not feel rich until relatively late in the development cycle, primarily because of the sleight-of-hand dealt by the CPF scheme on salary pricing. Despite our tag as one of the most expensive cities, food and basic necessities remain highly affordable today relative to wages.If I could choose all over again, I would have read economics instead of engineering, and investigated this fascinating facet of Singapore history for my dissertation. Attaining the outcomes we see today is mind-boggling, and a lot more must have gone on under the hood, but my ink has run dry for the night.P.S.: We have amassed sufficient reserve to generate sustainable investment returns to supplement our tax base, to the tune of S$16 billion this year. Not too bad for a Little Red Dot, I say.P.P.S.: Someone asked why I chose to highlight 1985’s CPF contribution. The 25% rate for both employer and employee was the highest in the CPF’s history. For the interested reader, what was the rationale behind repeated CPF hikes?P.P.P.S.: The B/W photo of Collyer Quay is taken from the National Archives and dated September 1965. I leave you with an iconic view of night-time Singapore in the early 21st century.P.P.P.P.S.: For a photo-essay of how old-time Singapore looked and how far we’ve come, here’s one of my efforts.Bill Chen's answer to Was Singapore a poor, chaotic & underdeveloped country before just like the other Third World countries?

Image: TOIIn many ways, India has gone from bad to worse in the last five years.Cows have become more important than women, children and Muslims. In fact, even Hindus are not immune from the wrath of cow vigilantes. In December, Inspector Subodh Kumar was killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr for investigating cow related murder.[1] [2]Murderers are being garlanded for lynching the minority people. The BJP leader, Jayant Sinha glorified those who took the law into their own hands and killed those they suspected of being associated with killing cows[3]These days, abuse and hate speeches are increasing dramatically and becoming common place in India. For instance, data collected by a news channel found that hateful language used by politicians has increased by whopping 500% in the past four years.[4]Who would have thought that people and leaders of the ruling party would be organizing rallies for rapists and murderers of innocent children. I thought Beti Bacho was about protecting our daughter. I guess I was wrong. An eight year old Asifa Bano was brutally raped and murdered in a temple. When the culprits were arrested the local BJP leaders turned this into a Hindu-Muslim issue and pitched in to save the culprit.[5]Dissent has been criminalized. Opponents of the government are being called traitors, urban naxals and anti-nationals. Any criticism of the government is being equated to treason. Either you are with the government or you are an anti-national. Bigotry and hate have been presented as nationalism. [6]The agriculture sector in huge distress. Farmers are still committing suicides. For instance, farmer suicides in Maharashtra have doubled in the last five years under this government.[7] [8][9]Unemployment in India is all time high. Instead of offering solution, the data is being manipulated. False narratives are being built. The PM Modi is leading from the front. In one of his interviews, he suggested that selling Pokados as a form of employment. [10]The situation is very bad. I was shocked when I learned that over 3,700 PhD holders applied for peon job in UP. This is not a one off incidence.[11] Yesterday, Raj Thackeray exposed government’s bogus digital village campaign in Solapur rally.[12]More than 40 CRPF soldiers lost their lives in a dastardly suicide attack in Pulwama. The intelligence failure was monumental. It raised many questions but government thinks that it is not answerable to anyone.[13] Not even the family of martyrs. It has used the sacrifice of soldiers for political gains. This government has exhibited moral and ethical bankruptcy. [14]The political discourse in India has turned to toxic in the last five years. Accusations and counter accusations laced with abuse, hate and mockery are hurled at each other with total disregard to the facts. Personal attacks aren't new but these days they include family members dead and alive.[15] Today, another politician said that Muslims can be identified by removing their clothes. [16] In another instance, a senior leader made a vile comment on female politician. [17]Violence has become a form of communication among leaders of this government. Their leaders are slapping each other with shoes to resolve a simple conflict. [18]In another instance in Jalgoan, the followers of two leaders thrashed each other on stage.[19]Open threats of eliminations are being issued for particular communities. The government want grant citizenship to illegal migrants except Muslims into India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.[20] [21]This is the first time in the independent history of India that a Prime minister has lied blatantly. AltNews, a fact checker website, has briefly documented lies and half truths spoken by PM Modi. From false claims to conspiracies to pseudo science, he has explored all avenues to misinform people.[22]The Swatch Bharat Campaign is restricted to Photoshop, Cameras and WhatsApp. The project Namami Gange is a massive failure.[23] A recent podcast showed that River Ganga was incredibly polluted. The Sankat Mochan Foundation lab located in Varanasi exposed lie peddled by the government. The cleanliness shown in the pictures was restricted to the main ghat and the street that leads to it. The other ghats were as dirty as before. The sewage water still mixed with the river at many places. [24]The Smart Cities project has flopped completely. Forget about the promised number of 100 smart cities. I have yet to see one smart city. Instead of smart cities, the government has wasted its money on creating small enclaves and pockets. That too is slow. The government is so serious that it has spent only 1.83% of the allocated funds.[25]The Make in India and Skill India projects haven’t taken off at all.The demonetization has flopped spectacularly. It has resulted into loss of GDP, loss of employment, loss of life and severe farmer distress. Not to mention that it has had absolutely no impact on black money.[26][27]The implementation of GST has been disastrous for small businesses.The Rafale deal seems like India’s first attempt at international corruption. Firstly, it replaced a perfectly suitable offset partner (HAL) with an inexperienced company belonging to a friend. Secondly, sovereign guarantees were waived and parallel negotiations were conducted. The price was increased dramatically without any explanation. After being dragged to the court, the government flip-flopped. Once it said the documents were stolen and then reverted to saying that photocopies were stolen. It lied to the Supreme Court and then described it as a grammatical error. Now we learn that the friend has received tax waivers worth 143 million Euros.[28]One of the BJP leaders told a reputed journalist that if electoral bond were made public, it will unearth the entire Rafale Scam.[29]The frauds like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others have safely flown to foreign shores after liberally looting the banks. They were allowed to flee by diluting the look notices. When they were safe and far away from India investigative agencies, a drama of raids was conducted to gain public sympathy. Even today they are at large. [30] [31]That's just the tip of iceberg. Not many people know that as many as 36 businessmen have fled the country under the patronage of this government. [32]Unprecedented amount of corporate loans have written off to help cronies who would then funnel them back to party funds. A whopping Rs 1,56,702 crore of non-performing loans were written off in year 2018 itself. Have you heard anyone complaining. This is met with steely silence. But farmers are being called free loaders. It happens only in India. [33]The government has introduced an opaque instrument of political funding to protect donors for prosecution.[34] [35]For the first time a government has lied to the Supreme Court.Ruthless politicization of army and sacrifice of the soldiers.[36]The independence of RBI has been undermined by the government.[37]CBI has been sabotaged from within by the government.[38]The Election Commission of India is helpless and toothless.The government data is being fudged to mislead people.[39]Crony Capitalism has reached new levels in the last five years.The economic disparity has widened significantly.The pseudo science has a separate ministry and funding.Godmen have become businessmen, brokers and economists.Lies and misinformation is spread with reckless confidence.The Kashmir situation has worsened significantly in the last five years.The nationalist government is ready to go to any extent to stay in power even it requires them to make an alliance with terrorist sympathizers. This government is happy to share power with very people who supported Afzal Guru. [40]Horse trading in politics has been renamed to Chanakya Niti.[41]As EVM tampering was not enough, mass deletion of names from voter lists have been become a regular feature in the last five years.[42] [43]Just a couple of days back, 7.8 crore users' data allegedly stolen for voter profiling. The result of which is being associated with deletion of names from voter lists. [44]Now the government is asking for votes in name of religion and army without the care for consequences.[45]The ministers are openly threatening people to vote for them or face consequences.[46] [47]Now leader is the sole person to be credited with each and every achievement of Army, ISRO, DRDO, RBI and SC.Thousands of crores have been criminally wasted to erect useless statues.[48]Thousands of crores have been blown off in adverting and marketing the supreme leader.[49]India has become worst country for women in the world.[50]India is ranked 140 on index of 156 countries in world happiness index.Most importantly, hero worship has reached unprecedented levels where leaders have become Gods and avatars. The blind worship has become a cool thing and encouraged with blatant display of hate and sycophancy.Footnotes[1] 'A cow's life is more precious than a human being's'[2] Death of a cow more important than a cop: Naseeruddin Shah[3] Union minister Jayant Sinha garlands 8 lynching convicts, faces opposition flak - Times of India[4] Under Modi Government, VIP Hate Speech Skyrockets - By 500%[5] Flag rally with police support in favour of ‘rapist, murderer’ is shameful, says Joint Resistance [6] Urban Naxals and Anti-Nationals: What’s a Democracy Without Its Dissenters?[7] 'Farmers committing suicides everyday under Modi govt'[8] Farmers committing suicides everyday as Modi govt not keeping promise: Rahul[9] Maharashtra farmer suicides have nearly doubled under BJP govt, drought to blame[10] India's unemployment rate hit 45-year high in 2017-18: report - ET Auto[11] Over 93,000 candidates, including 3,700 PhD holders apply for peon job in UP[12] UNCUT | Raj Thackeray | राज ठाकरेंचे सोलापूर येथील संपुर्ण भाषण | सोलापूर | एबीपी माझा[13] Post Pulwama attack, 10 hard questions for the Narendra Modi government[14] More veterans oppose ‘politicisation’ of Army[15] Redirect Notice[16] ‘Muslims can be identified by removing their clothes’: Kerala BJP chief sparks row[17] BJP Tears Into Azam Khan For "Khaki Underwear" Comment Against Jaya Prada[18] Shoe shoe main main: BJP MP thrashes BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh as cops look on[19] BJP Workers Clash At Maharashtra Minister's Rally Over Candidate Change[20] Tweeting discord: One of the BJP's strengths is being bullishly bullying online[21] BJP on Twitter[22] Half truths and whole lies - ten times PM Modi misled the nation in 2017 - Alt News[23] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to Why did Narendra Modi’s government fail to clean Ganga?[24] #BBCRiverStories । Dhruv Rathee on development in Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi (BBC Hindi)[25] The Modi Years: How close is India to getting 100 Smart Cities?[26] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to What is your view on ex-Election Commission Chief Mr. OP Rawat's " demonetization had absolutely no impact on black money?"[27] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to Is there (already) a factual proof that demonetization in India is Success/Failure?[28] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to What are your views on French authorities making a settlement for 7.3 million euros instead of 143.7 million euros with Reliance immediately after the announcement of the Rafale deal?[29] Swati Chaturvedi on Twitter[30] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to Why is Nirav Modi still a free man?[31] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to Why is Mehul Chowksi not being extradited from Antigua?[32] Not only Mallya and Nirav, 36 businessmen fled from country in recent past, ED informs court[33] Bad loans: 80% of write offs in decade came in last five years[34] Electoral bonds: Opaque, misleading[35] Poisonous bonds: Electoral bonds must be transparent, or go[36] Veterans Ask President to Urge Parties to Stop Using Military for Political Gains[37] ‘Undermining RBI’s independence can have a catastrophic impact’[38] How Alok Verma was removed as CBI director[39] 108 economists, social scientists raise doubts on credibility of govt data[40] Page on google.com[41] 'Horse-trading is in the BJP's DNA'[42] Raghav Chadha on Twitter[43] Opposition threatens to move Supreme Court over EVM, VVPAT unreliability[44] Mirror Now on Twitter[45] "If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali," UP CM Adityanath » Northeast Today[46] Maneka Gandhi warns Muslim voters in Sultanpur[47] Sakshi Maharaj threatens to curse those who won’t vote for him - Times of India ►[48] Avinash Deshmukh (अविनाश देशमुख)'s answer to What are your views on government spending RS. 2989 crores on a statue of Sardar Patel?[49] Modi Govt Has Spent Rs 4,880 crore on Ads Since 2014, Parliament Told[50] How India Became The World’s Most Dangerous Country For Women