'Works'

A few people have mentioned that despite all of India's faults, it
still seems to 'work'. But I'm going to go all Cambridge History on it
and suggest that it depends on your definition of 'works'.

If, by 'works', you mean that the people still remain largely happy
and energetic, if you mean that there is not total anarchy and indeed
complete unrest, if you mean that India is the largest democracy in
the world, if you mean that the roads are still able to remain largely
without crashes, if you mean that corruption serves a purpose, then
yes, you would be right in suggesting that India does indeed work.

Alternatively, if, when you think of 'works', you mean that traffic
becomes a standstill around most of the cities at peak time, if you
mean that disfigured beggars line the streets, unmoving, if you mean
that rubbish is simply dumped eveywhere on the street, if you mean
that there is no system of minimum wage or welfare, if you mean that
cues line the street to enter a hospital, if you mean that a dead boy
gets left lying on the street to be dealt with by flies, then no,
India does not come anywhere near 'working', it fails in almost every
rudimentary way.

But I guess it depends on your definition of 'works'.

Reuben