Kat le varna vaat lagegi

Mumbai has added another feather to its cap. That of being the rudest city in the world. Come to think of it arent all of us Indians rude ? Infact whenever I visit Mumbai I marvel at the discipline of its residents who stand in proper queues for all the buses. Back here in Gandhinagar we need to shove and push so hard for that elusive window seat that even the Mumbai trains seem like a cakewalk.

I love to quote this anecdote when I talk of according respect. Once a blind sage was meditating in the forest. A horseman asked him the way, followed by another. Soon the king of the land had a similar question. To the surprise of the king he told him that his soldier and his headman were already on their way ahead. The king asked the sage how he identified their ranks correctly. The sage replied that the first horseman called me a "Bava", the second addressed me as a "Sadhu" and you said "Rishi Maharaj". So undoubtedly you are the Maharaja of the land. The respect one has for oneself is reflected in our actions to others. Also our station in society determines our communication to our peers.

In our country the individual and his ego acquire a place more important than anything in his life. This mentality also stems from the fact that people devoid of all material superiority tend to look for the the spiritual one. Hence the one upmanship. As another popular story goes - if u put a lot of Indian crabs in a cistern and leave the top open, not one will get out as they all will be busy pulling down the one at the top.

The genesis of the problem I believe lies in our hierarchical mindset. The hangover of our caste system has manifested itself in the creation of the classes. Indians love classes - the more the merrier. The seniors love ragging the juniors. The head peon loves giving a tongue lashing to the peon. And the supposed junior would take it all without protesting. Times are changing and India is sobering from a lot of hangovers recently. In a global village such impunities won't and shouldn't be tolerated for long and that I believe will help us metamorphise to possessing a sweeter tongue and a helping hand. Hope globalization brings in the required "Videshi Maal" that helps us sober faster.
RD Mumbai