By Zack He

INDIA is a land of profound contradictions, not least because of its vast land mass and its multitude of cultures.

The land of spiritual ashrams and the great Ganges is also that of smog-filled, over-populated cities that propel one of the world's fastest growing economies.

Against that backdrop, all manner of events were going on in India from April to July - also, when I chose to begin my internship in Chennai as a journalist with a local newspaper called The Hindu.

I could not imagine a better time to be there. It was at an ill-advised time of the year. Still, it was there I witnessed first-hand some of the contradictions I'd previously heard of.

Temperatures hit 40 deg C nearly every day, yet, as I found out, the preferred Chennian dress code in that heat was 'formal shirt and pants, footwear optional', the latter especially applicable for the street hawkers.

The well-constructed pavements on which these hawkers stood contrasted acutely with the bare-boned family of four just metres away, who'd made it their home.

My own dwelling was a no-frills hostel near the pavement, where bathing was a matter of washing oneself in cold water collected in buckets.

Then there was transport.

My office, although just a short distance from my hostel, was a challenge to reach. I had to fight off throngs of sweaty bodies and skilfully navigate past traffic that always seemed to be coming at me.

But through this, I inevitably acquired the toughness that allows the locals to get around unscathed - and for me to adequately go about my job.

At the time, elections were in full swing and tensions were high where I was because of the Sri Lankan army's assault on the Tamil Tigers - Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu.

Once, when I was interviewing supporters of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran at a street rally a couple of days after his reported demise, someone suddenly shouted: 'He's from China, don't tell him anything!'

China is one of the parties they blame for allegedly selling weapons to the Sri Lankan government to fight the Tamil Tigers.

The situation intensified, as murmurs of 'Chinese spy' echoed through the crowd. It wasn't until a policeman came along, and assured them that I was a journalist and from Singapore that tensions eased.

Witnessing the world's largest democracy at work, I visited polling stations too, where, in surprisingly orderly lines, voters arrived in chauffeur-driven Mercedes or barefoot, baby in tow.

An American colleague of mine observed that India was dealing with the socio-political issues America did some 30 years ago - feminism, minority rights, environmentalism.

Chennai even saw its first gay pride march through the city in June this year, while the New Delhi High Court decriminalised homosexuality.

I saw a country in transition, grappling with issues of modernisation and cultural identity, trying to stand out, yet fit in.

There, I also saw a people possessed of the hunger and drive that many of my generation, basked in the comforts and security of our relative affluence, lamentably lack.

The writer, 24, recently graduated from SMU with a degree in business management. He was in India from April to July this year. This is part of a series of YouthInk contributions from those who have studied or worked abroad.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.