1 HOW MANY IS A BILLION?

A single country with a billion inhabitants is an awesome thought. How do you get your head around such a colossal number?




I once devised a method of quantifying a million people. When I was young, the capacity of Cardiff Arms Park was around fifty thousand spectators. So, to imagine a million, I tried to picture 20 huge crowds each the size of the Arms Park rugby followers.



It sort of worked; at least I had a picture in my head of what a crowd of a million people might look like. But a billion! Where does one start? Well the answer is obvious. One goes to Delhi as a first step: Delhi, the National Capital of India, land of a billion people.



When the boss asked me to go to India for a few weeks to assist the Indian coal industry in safe and healthy mining practices you could have knocked me down with a feather.



I have been blessed by having worked in mines in Canada, Central Africa, New Guinea and Australia, but the prospect of going to India had never crossed my mind. In fact, I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to go. The stories of people suffering ill health, particularly ailments of the lavatory kind did not appeal much to me.



But I thought about it and read a host of travel books and histories of the sub-continent and decided to go. How would I feel if I said no? I am sure I would forever regret it; and what would I tell my grandchildren?



So, determined not to catch so much as the common cold on my adventure, I went straight to a doctor specialising in travel health. We discussed everything from cholera to dysentery to swine flu and rabies – and more, much more. I had that many injections my arms looked like pin cushions! But you can’t be too careful.



Apparently catching rabies is a very real possibility, not so much from dogs as from monkeys, especially when visiting temples. Now there’s another wondrous thing. Why do monkeys hang around temples? I remember as a boy seeing the monkeys at Bristol Zoo kept penned in an artificial temple.



Shame-faced, I asked Ray at the club if he knew the answer. “Of course, Chris,” he chortled, “Everyone knows that, it’s because of the food offerings that are left in temples.” Doh!



The travel doctor also gave (or rather sold) me a comprehensive medical kit containing everything from Panadol to syringes and even condoms. Included is a neat little book with great tips for travellers to India and elsewhere. For instance, don’t eat salads, don’t have ice in your gin and tonic and only eat well cooked food.



If you want to check the atlas, my route takes me into Delhi, then the holy city on the Ganges, Varanasi. My final destination is the coal rich District of Singrauli in the province of Madhya Pradesh.



Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted of my experiences. If you don’t hear from me, then fear the worst – Delhi Belly!



Chris Skelding 2009