Indian

(An interesting article got through chain mail)


To Fellow-Indians

YOU SAY THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS INEFFICIENT...
YOU SAY THAT OUR LAWS ARE TOO OLD.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,the airline is the worst in the world, mail never reaches.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say.

What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name YOURS. Give him a face- YOURS. You walk out of Sahar airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5pm and 8pm. You come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status & identity. In Singapore you don't say anything. You DO. In Dubai you wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramzan. In Jeddah you would not dare to go out without your head covered. In London you would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange at 10 pounds (Rs.300) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." In Washington you would not dare to speed and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon. I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." On the beaches of Australia and New Zealand you wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail. Why do not you spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't you buy up the police as well as the secret police to hush up a rape, murder or crime in Munich? Why are you sincerely doing a written and driving test after getting International driving License in USA? Why don't you use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?

We are still talking of the same YOU. You who can respect and confirm to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why can you not be the same in India? Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay Mr.Tinaikar had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticise and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stoop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air-India to provide the best of food and toiletries, but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who are known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women,dowry,and female infanticide, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry."

So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other beholds, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system,we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe coccoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand. Or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. After a six month holiday during which derogatory comments about India and Indians are made and sheepishly accepted, we are ready to leave for Australia because their old age benefits and pension schemes are very lucrative. Bribery, tax evasion, unlicensed business, unethical practices ,etc.has not reached the same dimensions anywhere as it has in India, thanks to each citizen's sense of involvement with the country. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear all, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... Why can't we say "ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND NOT WHAT INDIA CAN DO FOR US". Lets do it.

-An Indian


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