Good Neighbor Insurance, www.gninsurance.com, has been involved in providing international health care cover to our clients since 1997.  Not only is the Good Neighbor Insurance team knowledgeable in providing great travel insurance medical coverage benefits to their clients but most of the GNI team have also lived overseas for a good part of their lives and still continue to travel overseas on vacation and short term NGO trips.  You may learn more about the Good Neighbor Insurance team here at https://www.gninsurance.com/aboutGNI.asp.

A Scintillating Overview of the Human Endeavors, Accomplishments, and Disasters in India

India, the land which exudes its quintessence of “Unity in Diversity” in all aspects, the land which shines with awe-striking aura for its rich past blended beautifully with the elevated accomplishments of the present, is a fine example of an economy which has survived several shocks intermittently.

While dynamic characters like Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda swept the world of its feet with their charismatic persona and unsurpassable contributions, incidents such as the Bhopal Gas tragedy and Hindu-Muslim Riots shook the very foundation of the country to the dregs. And yet, after multitudes of human invasion and atrocities, inflicted on the nation from times immemorial, India has managed to persevere and outlive the past to move on with augmented glory towards the future. Take a glimpse at some of the achievements and atrocities that India witnessed in her history.

Man-made Disasters

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

The Bhopal Disaster has been claimed to be among the most humongous man-made debacles that took place in the world. The devastation occurred on the wee hours of the night of December 2-3 in the year 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited located in the town of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The devastation ensued with a leakage in harmful methyl isocyanate gas as well as other detrimental chemicals which claimed thousands of lives. The instant exposure to the inimical gases took toll of innumerable innocent lives, disabling several thousand victims temporarily as well permanently. The catastrophe crippled the Indian industrial scenario as people began to question the safety and security of the industrial units. The aftermath of the havoc was felt several years after and even to this date as reports on the tragedy depict over 558,125 injuries which crippled mankind to the core. As far as the cause of the incident goes, many speculations have been put forth ranging from maintenance negligence to possibilities of sabotage.

Communal Riots

The year 1993 saw India in the grip of yet another shattering scourge, which was an instance of complete human massacre, an example of inter-religious conflicts. With the Babri Masjid wreckage in Ayodhya, riots ravaged the streets of Mumbai, striking violence everywhere between the Hindus and the Muslims. The extolling processions taken over by the Hindus led by the Shiv Sena activists added fuel to the fire. The incidents that followed encompassed the assassinations of the Hindu Mathadi Kamgar laborers and blazing of Hindus at the Radhabai Chawl by the hysterical Muslim mobs. Many catastrophes and massacres ensued bringing the death toll to 900 through arson, police encounters, killings, actions of irascible mobs and the likes.

Human Accomplishments in India

If India has been writhing under the attacks of terrorists and miscreants, crippled by the various tragedies, it has also witnessed unprecedented successes in myriad genres. This fact is well reflected by the several Nobel Laureates that the country gave birth to or nurtured in her comfortable lap. Here is an account of the achievements of myriad personalities in a number of fields, which won them acclamations of the whole world.

Rabindranath Tagore

The great poet, writer, and composer born in the city of Calcutta, Rabindranath Tagore enthralled and moved the world with his awe-striking compositions and poems, not to speak of his paintings, which became an epitome of modern art post the demise of the poet. His stunning contribution to literature in the form of “Gitanjali” won him the Nobel prize in 1913. He was the founder of the school in Santiniketan, which culminated into the University of Vishwabharati. He was awarded the prestigious Knighthood by King George V, the then British ruler, which he however relinquished later.

Mother Teresa

Although of Turkish origin, Mother Teresa, then known as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu immersed herself in serving the poor and the decrepit in India via her institution Missionaries of Charity. The services of institution spread everywhere to different countries of the world and are still operational looking after relief work in case of catastrophes as well as helping the poor.

C.V. Raman

Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman won the Nobel Prize for his outstanding, paramount contributions in the field of Physics. His arena of research include sound, vibration, ultrasonic, photo electricity, diffraction, musical instrument, magnetron, and finally the “Raman” effect, the last one named after the physicist for his inimitable discovery of light diffraction while exciting  a molecule.

Among other notable Nobel Laureates are Dr. Hargobind Khorana for Physiology and Medicine, Amartya Sen for Economics, Subhramaniam Chandrashekhar for Physics- the list seems endless and still continuing.

Doug Gulleson is one of the two principles of Good Neighbor Insurance, Inc and does enjoy traveling the world to scuba dive.  He travels overseas throughout the year with his underwater camera in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other but Doug never forgets to have his travel medical insurance with him at all times.  Good Neighbor Insurance provides many different types of international insurance including medical and evacuation coverage outside the U.S.  Visit Good Neighbor Insurance’s corporate site at www.gninsurance.com  and www.overseashealthinsurance.com/trip-protection.asp for different travel medical insurance options that may fit your needs.