India - the 2nd in my
travelling scientist series, and the second stop in my all-to-brief tour of
South Asia. I have edited together my recordings from India into a 30 minute
feature about science in the developing world. India is a fascinating
combination of developed and developing worlds, and this contrast was seen on
my very first day on landing in Delhi. Simply comparing Old Delhi with New
Delhi set me up for an amazing tour of an amazing country. I also gained a little
bit of insight into the types of illnesses one can encounter on the
subcontinent. Some of the serious, and not-so-serious, topics dealt with this
week include: 1. A storm in a coke bottle - the Indian political debate over
minute levels of pesticides in soft drinks - whilst most of the country does
not even have clean drinking water. 2. How to make the "Mother of
Satan" bomb, and other Indian takes on terrorism - a real day-to-day issue
for the country. 3. Travel bugs - helping my suffering brother through Indian
hospitals. 4. Maharaja scientists. 5. Sun burn makes you crazy. 6. Music and
HIV. 7. The Taj Mahal's own "Da Vinci Code" -esque intrigue. 8.
Bollywood. We also take in some India music, interview ex-pats and locals, ride
elephants and suffer at the hands of dodgy rickshaw drivers.
