In my more than 3 score years of existence, I have visited 17 countries outside of India, for durations as less as one day to a maximum of 6 months at a stretch. My longest stays have been in the U.S. and the U.K. My first trip abroad was when I was 27 years of age.
A major difference of people and systems in other countries, vis-a-vis India is that there is concern for people that is evident everywhere – this seems to be lacking in India. Every little detail, little action of a person reflects this concern. Be it public transport – rail, buses, trams OR design of roads, pavements, pedestrian crossings, public toilets, doors, windows, doorways, latches, door knobs, handles; or the facilities for drinking water…the list is endless and it can go on. The designs are user friendly and easy to handle. This concern permeates down to the attitude and behaviour of the individuals. Its a pleasure, not just to visit, but also to live in these countries. Concern for others makes better human beings and we desperately need to cultivate the basic courtesies.
The effort is always on how the care and concern for other humans can be improved. How the disabled, handicapped, blind or even deaf and dumb persons can vend their way around without having to depend on another individual always holding the hand and leading them. The big shopping malls, cinema hall, restaurants, buses and other public places – are equipped with ramps for being suitable for wheel chairs or mobility scooters. You will hardly find a public place where these cannot be used.
The poorest country that I have visited is Tanzania, much poorer than India (GDP of Tanzania is US$ 61 billion as compared to India's GDP of 3862 billion - for 2010, compiled by IMF). In spite of it not being in the list of the advanced nations, I felt the people there are far ahead of us in basic courtesies, manners and the like. The general cleanliness was far better than what I have ever observed in my motherland. Traffic was disciplined. Sign boards were readable and not pasted over by posters or vandalised. Even the domestic help was trustworthy and you could leave your household keys with him/her. A basic honesty of character is noticed world wide, except in India.
I feel ashamed that my countrymen are incapable of even such simple things. We are unable to maintain cleanliness. In India when we sweep our home, the garbage is often dumped on the street. We cannot even provide dust bins. There is no concern for feeling for others, surroundings or the environment. To see beyond ourselves is the need of the hour. Then only we will inculcate care for the community, then the country and other countrymen – finally the other human beings.
It may not have ever occurred to you, when two cars cross each other on a narrow road, signal of blinking the headlights means “I am waiting, please come through,” in ALL other countries except in India. In India it means - “YOU WAIT (SUCKER) I'M COMING THROUGH”.
Why do we have this arrogance? We were not like this. Our tehzeeb was “PAHLE AAP!!”. Where has it got lost in the years? Now we are a culture of “PAHLE MEIN!!!”.
When we use a public toilet, we do not seem to bother about the condition we leave it in. We expectorate in the wash basins. We never wipe the basin for the next user. We do not realise how it feels to someone entering a filthy loo. In Europe (specially in Switzerland) I noticed that the public toilets had instructions in Hindi, that we should not squat but sit on the seat, we should not throw other items like Sanitary Pads, Hand Tissues/Towels etc. in the WC - only toilet paper. Why in Hindi? It only means that we do not use the toilets with a concern for the next user. I feel ashamed to admit that we have been singled out for those instructions, because of our obnoxious behaviour in such places.
Have we become totally different from the rest of the world? Is our way of life at fault? Are our religious teachings not what it should be? As it is Hindu religion is considered a way of life. The gods we pray to and idolise are the ones that govern our morals, our righteousness, our customs and manners. Are we picking up a lot of undesirable traits from the gods we worship?
Lord Krishna has used deceit on more than one occasion. Surrender of Bhishma, killing of Jaidratha by Arjun, surrender of Drona by using the name of Ashwathama, the elephant; killing of Duryodhana by Bhim etc. etc.- have all been done by deceit. Thus use of deceit is justified. The Bhagwad Gita is considered our Bible. It tells us of the immortality of the soul or the atma. Our scriptures also tell us about karma and rebirth. All these tend to give us a fatalistic attitude and make us accept any situation deeming it as preordained. It absolves us of the responsibility of our actions. All this makes us very selfish. If I am deceitful – it cannot be helped – being preordained. This also kills the motivation for questioning and advancement. Thus, this becomes a dangerous combination – being fatalistic and justifying deceit, along with being selfish.Lord Ram was a brave warrior but he was unable to trust and respect his wife. He was called a maryada purushottama; justifying his fulfillment of his moral obligations. Giving up his right to the throne (develops fatalistic attitude).
These are the characters that we try and emulate in our lives.
I shall always remember the The Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln of November 19, 1863, where he said "-- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." He had the foresight and thinking, almost 150 years ago, that has made America the power that it is today. We are absolutely incorrigible and still refuse to learn anything even after the great fiasco of the Common Wealth Games; and to cap it all, the General Secretary of the Organizing Committee (Mr Lalit Bhanot) said "..westerners have different standards..." trying to justify our failings. When a senior official of the country says such a thing in public - and gets away with justifications - where is the standing of the rest of the Indians!
Does that mean we cannot improve or change while following the religious philosophy's of Hinduism? I leave the answer of this to be analysed and decided by the readers themselves...
