I love coming to India. It is the country where I am “really from”. It is where I grew up. But, I have not been living here 9 years now, and every time I visit, I see new things. I see how the country is advancing, and I see where it lacks behind.

The smartphone market has exploded in India with everyone holding a smartphone. You can even hail a rickshaw with your phone, which is great - because I hate to haggle on fares. There is an app for everything, multiple apps for everything. As there is a huge market to capture, everyone wants a piece of the pie.

Yet, there are areas where India lacks behind, in my opinion. Traffic is getting crazier by the day. As more and more people buy cars, there are only so many cars that roads can handle, leading to traffic jams and accidents. While there are highways, they are poorly designed. You don’t notice the need for banking roads till the driver goes around the curve at 50 mph and you feel like you are going to tip over. Smog was an issue at the New Delhi airport. Our plane could not land for 45 minutes and one can barely see past 15 feet in the morning.

But, I have hope. I have hope because I see people who work. I see people who get up everyday, get on their scooters and motorcycles and go to work. I see high school students who aspire to succeed. I see young entrepreneurs starting contemporary businesses, living lives against the norm and just doing what they want to do - and doing a good job at it.

Every time I go to India, I see the progress happening. But there is a long way to go.