My dear bro, you have misunderstood it. It's not the actual problem. It's even worse.
You have written about people who think it is called 'disipleen'. There's a much bigger population that doesn't know it's existence at all! Pity!
You can buy tomato only if you know that tomato exists. In similar lines, how can people who don't understand the concept of discipline, can ever ask for a kilo of it?! And if it were possible, there wouldn't be a queue either and VIP's would be topping it! :(
Everyone who goes abroad, any Indian for that matter, starts appreciating the system that the country has! He says the roads are so clean that he can eat on the road without dining plates, the traffic is so organized, there's queue everywhere, the beaches are blue-green, services at all terminals are great, no corruption, and what not!
The same guy returns back to India and first thing he does is tears the tag off his luggage and drops it right at this foot!
- Can't he walk to a trash can?
- Can't he stop before the stop line?
- Can't he not drive without blowing horn at hospital zones?
- Can't he slow down at go-slow zones?
- There are no trash cans 'near' him.
- The person before him is already beyond the line (The traffic constable is not watching)
- There's too much traffic and I want to go ahead.
- I have an urgent work.
The worst code of behavior on roads is followed by Indian women. And I feel ashamed in bringing out the truth, myself being a feminist. The truth is that women have leverage over men's sympathy for them.
Any mistake committed by women is forgiven and they take it to their advantage. They drive recklessly and never are concerned about rules. Rules are always mocked at!
And it's always someone else's mistake - the corrupt government's or the neighbors', never ours.
Or you do it because others do it.
We go to the beach have a plate of our favorite dish and don't bother to trash the plate.
We love to take a picture with the horizon as the backdrop and then we drop the water bottle into the sea.
All we care about is keeping our house clean. We empty our trash at the neighbor's doorstep or the roads and complain the municipality for not picking it up.
The list is never ending.
Most people I have come across say that they feel the same and they want to change but they don't want to be seen as an idiot in front of others.
Toady, I had to help a man who was hitchhiking. He wanted to go the bus stand. I had to stop at the signal which didn't have a free-left green for one particular turn. (Most people don't care about it and they consider it free always and never stop there. It causes jam and they start complaining.) This man on the pillion asked me to drive and when I refused he started giving all kinds of justifications and tried to convince me to leave. And when it never happened, he started complaining and I asked him to take another bike if he didn't want to wait.
Let's face it! You never got caught in a traffic jam! You 'are' the traffic jam! Why cross the yellow line and block the opposite traffic? Why block the free-left turn? If you don't respect the ones waiting in the queue before you how can you question a third person who comes late and joins the queue ahead of you? After all he did just what you did a few minutes ago!
We are proud to be Indians when Sachin hits 200 or the team wins against Pakistan or Australia! Is that all our patriotism? We are proud to call ourself a part of this country then, but we don't belong to this place when on a dirty road uh!? Who made it dirty?
One piece of paper might not make the place dirty. But what if one piece a day by a 1000 people for 1000 days? We Indians are so narrow sighted. We say our mistakes are so tiny. We don't see the big impacts of the so many tiny mistakes.
We watch movies like Anniyan, Indian, Unnai pol oruvan and Sivaji and pray when will someone like that rise to save the day! When the truth is told that, that person is us, we say that cinema can't be brought into real life. It's just for entertainment. Aren't we fooling ourselves??? Be true to your heart and answer this question and you will know how stupid we are!
Everyone says I am idiot! I am not for India. I don't belong here and that this place will never change.
I am proud to be an idiot! My granddad was an idiot too! If he wasn't such an idiot, an entire village would be drinking air for water today! That idiot made an oasis out of a desert! That idiot is now an unsung hero! For all those idiots out there - Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
My mom says, "I have seen this place for the past 40 years at least and it has never changed. You have to live with it."
What is 'this' place? Isn't it just us that we make this place? If every single person thinks the other is dirty and will never change, when will anyone think that they are part of the system? If one person doesn't change during an entire life time, how will the entire country change over night?
What is 'this' place? Isn't it just us that we make this place? If every single person thinks the other is dirty and will never change, when will anyone think that they are part of the system? If one person doesn't change during an entire life time, how will the entire country change over night?
We all say, "Tomorrow India will be a great nation - A developed nation!" Why always tomorrow? What's wrong with today? Only today leads to tomorrow! If not today how can there be a tomorrow?
Actually, Tomorrow begins today!
It's high time we pulled up our socks, rolled up our sleeves and got down and dirty to make a beautiful tomorrow, today! 'Do' it today!
[Spend 10 minutes for India - Dr. Kalam's presentation]
[Two Indias - Lead India campaign]
hmm... everyone seem to be out of the world or when we say good things... they think we are not part of this world :) Gowri should have included this as irony in life :-D
ReplyDeletefree left, free straight... people have misunderstood this.. free means... the traffic can move on... but the right of way should be followed... aah.. another new konjabt(adhaan pa.. concept) right of way... indians don't know what is right of way... even if you are going ahead in free left or straight... you should watch the on coming traffic and should give preference to those who have green on their signal.... but how many indians really watch the right side or straight... when thet go on free left....all the following are misunderstood or people don't know the exist in india.
1. overtaking on the left is prohibited.
2. white staggering line, solid white line has different meaning... oh come on...solid yellow and staggering yellow is there... for that matter stop line'nu onnu irukaam ba :-D
3. when you go slow be on the left side of the road.
4. don't walk on the road when there is a path to walk... idhu innum kodumai... nadai paadhai kadaigal... and they have a sangam too to fight for them... what an irony again?
the list goes on dude.. :-D
but we need to keep telling whoever we come across.. and may be they take it sometime... HOPE is the only thing... HOPE they will change for good...for themselves.
Nice post :)
ReplyDeleteDude.. both of you don't get angry with me :-D But one humble request. It is not an Indian problem... :(( ROTFC. Everything else I agree 100%. I think the generic problem of more people. They will find ways to break the rules. Depending on how strong the rule is, the gang (Yeah thatz me :-D) will try to break it or not.
Nep, you are very lucky to drive all your time there in California. Drive in Chicago or New york. Itz all the same. Yeah one difference, they stop at lights, bcoz of camera. Otherwise I don't think they will also stop at lights. They bypass lane discipline a lot... They honk a lot. I have seen taxis running over pavements and drivers shouting at pedestrians in New york. Seen trash outside on streets or the local the railway stations in Chicago. They have better cleaners with machines who clean daily. I recently went to Marina beach, they keep it clean. We should give credit to Marina beach too.
I personally had a cop detector in my car. I can't state all that I do with that, for legal reasons :-D, but can let you know when I come to Pondy. I guess people in California use them more than anyone else ;) The point is, I learnt that from my US born friends only. They too break rules/queues, in a different way. EOD, it happens everywhere, in one way or other when the gang grow big in size.
Chaa.. eppadida Murali.. ippadi thaathuvam ellam paesraa (enna panraadhu, naanae thaan enna appreciate pannanum).
@Mural: Nice thathuvam! :) True, I too know rules are meant to be broken. Anywhere! Sometimes I support rule breakers esp in places like you-know-where I study, coz there rules are written to define a line of demarcation. :) That's why I strongly believe rules can't make things happen. It has to be in our conscience! And that comes only from awareness and that is what we are trying to do - Create awareness about the huge repercussions that our tiny mistakes have. It would be toooo late to repent then!
ReplyDelete@murali: machi.. I know these happen everywhere... but we were talking about something we come across.. how can I give a example of certain things at New York.. when I haven't seen that place :-D
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely... we take chances everywhere... whenever possible :) but on the thathuvam part.. if you know what you are doing... then you have a chance to change yourself.. but some people don't even know why they are doing... may be they do it.. 'coz his friend/collegeue/neighbor does it :-D ivangalo thirutha.. orae vazhi... making them realize..what they are doing :) cha... enna thathuvum po... ;))))
Friends..... As I told in the beginning, I agree with everything else :). Ok Nep, if it is just an example, I will leave you. Chaaaa treat pochaeee..
ReplyDelete