By R. Chandra Prakash
Commonly aired opinions about Uttar Pradesh (UP) have been that its cities and towns are dusty and dirty. With 828 persons per square kilometre, it happens to be a State with one of the highest density of population in India. UP is also considered a “cow belt”. ‘Jugaad’ is not an unsavoury word here. Rather it symbolises the region’s inventive instincts to find practical but simple solutions to complex problems. And ‘Jugaad’ finds its application in administrative and social problems as well! Lawlessness is the commonly accepted feature. Corruption is a way of life here. With 80 Members of Parliament, this State has played a decisive role in the making or breaking Union Governments. Frequent visits have kept me abreast with the nuances of culture and economy of the Western UP to which my ancestry belongs. But the differences in the dialect and the cultural traits on either side of the Ganga delta always fascinated us.
