Representing India

I still remember when I went for a trek to Nainital when I was in school and we had to wait on Delhi railway station while coming back to Mumbai due to delayed train and as many of us were school going children we just sat on the platform not caring for our cloths or dirt, as such we don’t usually on railway stations. But suddenly a group of foreigners came and they started taking our photos. Perhaps they found the children sitting in a cue cute or they had not seen this before. It will be wrong to be judgmental but as a child I thought that they were taking photos so that they could show them to their folks and gossip about poor India.

I really feel bad when someone say India is poor though it is true but at least we deserve to be called as developing country. I feel shameful when there are incidents like molestation and rape with foreigners. When Indians were attacked in Australia I can surely state that every Indian must have felt to beat the accused personally, but we have to keep faith in law and order. Similarly families of those foreign nationals do, but as we all know time was and will never be a concerning factor for us while giving justice to victims.

We all jumped on our sofa when the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ won Oscar and we felt proud like every one of us received the honor. But sometimes I think it is a documentary on slums in Mumbai and how inefficient we are, not to have found a proper solution on it yet. But as it is just a movie which was made for mere entertainment so that I can watch it for fun. I feel confused when Indian government claims to have ‘Atithi devo bhava’ (guest is God) campaign and they show in their ad that foreigners are getting molested by Indians and also saved by other Indians, that means you can come to India and some Indians are there to save you instead of making stricter laws to prevent such incidents. I am sure that if anyone outside India is watching that ad he or she will never want to take a chance and try their luck to travel in India.

When this delegate dilemma happened in US, it must have become an issue of gossip over tea-coffee in every other embassy and such small incidents where it is difficult to take a stand just pull down our global image. I never have traveled outside India and hence never came to know how the outside people think of my country and if anyone makes false allegations or makes fun of us then what the Indians living there generally do in such situations, whether they prove them wrong or they just ignore such things for the sake of better living they are getting in the developed countries.

So I won’t hesitate to accept that I am unaware of perspective of people globally while looking towards India and I personally feel that we have a bad impression on them until last month when I met Paul, a PhD student from Germany who came to IIM Bangalore as an exchange program student and luckily I was doing an Internship there at the same time and he was my neighbor for a month. He was really a nice person who really surprised me when I heard him bargaining with auto rickshaw guy. Generally they get the stuff for 500 bucks which we get for not more than fifty rupees. On a lighter note, we earn less so we spend less; they earn a lot in terms of value of money so it is a big opportunity for everyone to sell the stuff at a maximum price possible though it is not at all correct either legally or morally. Even he was charged more for being foreigner to enter into Bangalore palace. It makes me laugh because it is directly proportional to increasing price of the US dollar.

Foreigners find it difficult to get familiar with delayed trains and buses all the time. Still Paul managed to travel four cities in one month completing his work, which I never really understood how. But the best part is he went everywhere on his own and his experience was smooth, simple and memorable. Perhaps everywhere he found someone who guided him a right way. I got this opportunity to know my country from his point of view and it told me a lot. One always is a centre of attraction in India if he has a white skin. But he made himself feel like he was one of us. I am damn sure if anyone asks him about India then he will definitely tell that India is beautiful and Indians are trustworthy!

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year and want to convey a message to all Indians that we are doing well till now though we have to change some practices and let’s make it a 2014 resolution.

The Diamond Rings: A Short Story

Last year I learnt a lesson of my life. It was a very happening year for me. I got the promotion news with New Year wishes and also a shock at the same time as they decided to transfer me to the head office at Bangalore. It is a replica of heaven for Indian coders. Their actual heaven is somewhere in U.S.A. But it wasn’t an excuse for a Mumbai lover to leave his place. I accepted the promotion after having some words and a promise to get back here in two years. I packed my parents’ bags also as this promotion would become a punishment for me!

I remember that day, a beautiful and work free ‘Bangalore Sunday morning’ in march, when we had gone to a prominent jewellery showroom in Bangalore to buy a worthy and wealthy gift for my mother. After all it was my mother’s birthday. There were many good looking girls came with their parents and my mother was showing me each one of them and embarrassing me each time. One girl, hardly 25, of them caught my eyes. She was naturally beautiful and looking mature at the same time. She was arguing with fiery words with a manager of that jewellery shop. My mother gave me an eye signal not to look at her. But I was interested to know the topic of argument as we headed towards the counter for a bill. I interrupted in that argument spontaneously; my unintentional and unnecessary act deeply surprised my parents.

That girl had received a diamond ring through a courier from that shop without a name of well-wisher. I sensed one more victim of e-shopping. But she got a same ring on the same day last year. I convinced her not to argue with the manager as he was an innocent in that matter. She thanked me when we were leaving the shop. My mother did not forget to take her phone number by speaking some ‘meethi baatein’. I got bored of my parents’ ‘find a girl and marry’ mission, I also wanted her contact number though. I controlled myself and contacted her after three ‘long’ days and asked her if she was able to find out the mystery behind those diamond rings. I talked with her some more time and ended with inviting her for a coffee. So I went to meet her again on our ‘coffee date’. I was surprised when she came as she was refusing in the beginning. She had worn an Indian outfit and forced me to feel love at first sight. Later we discussed on many topics, from her job to popular places in Bangalore to hang out. We met several times for a coffee or dinner after that day. But every time I sensed some stress behind her friendly and loving nature. Her strained smile did upset me few times and requested me to share her burden. I was feeling a growing closeness in our friendship.

Surprisingly one day she took me to her home when we had met for a lunch on one another Sunday afternoon. She had cooked food by her own and I was getting excited to taste it. But who knew that what was there in my dish. As we got into the house I found a little gorgeous and beautiful three year old girl playing with her toys. I got introduced to her daughter when I was feeling a jerk in my head. It was almost a year when I had met her first time but I never tried to know her personally. I was scared to ask about her husband. She chose to be silent. We had lunch and that afternoon ended with playing with her daughter. Her sudden move might be a signal for me to keep distance. I wanted some time to think on it. After that we talked on phone few times and it assured me that at least I hadn’t lost her as a friend.

On one fresh morning in the month of March I was sitting on chair thinking about her. And my mother was busy in searching new jewellery designs. Suddenly a thought came to my mind and I reached to ‘that’ jewellery shop. I was sure that she was going to get one more diamond ring this year. I requested deeply to manager to tell the truth. After some emotional punches that manager spoke out finally. Her husband was a military officer. He went for a secret mission with slender chance of returning. Before going he made a deal for those rings to send her one every year on their marriage anniversary. I asked him curiously about how much rings he had bought exactly and the number was unbelievable. I left the shop with a smile of satisfaction on my face as I learnt the true meaning of relationship!