Yeah Yeah...Mera Bhi Bharat Mahaan!

Warning:
This is reactionary piece and its not a Friday read!

One of my first assignments when I joined my new job was to help my PM make a kit for consultants going abroad so that their settling-in time is reduced. This kit was to contain briefs on the cultural difference between India and the other country. Business etiquettes, festivals, behavioral Dos and Don'ts etc. During the course of research on the net, also known as GOOGLE-ing, I came across many such presentations etc. for other countries, and then I came across one that told a foreigner about the things to keep in mind when doing business in India or with Indians.

Guess what the first line of that presentation was?
It was quite simple actually. It said..."Whenever you feel things are not going your way, start praising India, its culture, its rich tradition and its deep rooted values".

Even the outsiders know (and thrive on) about the way we place ourselves on this totally hollow pedestal of "Indian-ness". Here I would like to make a strong point to the "guardians of Indian-ness and all things Indian"...I am not a traitor of any kind. I can happily face bullets if my country needs me to. But I am no more in the business of this make-believe patriotism of blanketing all the vices or negatives with a cry of "MERA BHARAT MAHAAN!"

I don't know if it was the movies or it was the beaches, but Mumbai was always this great city for me. Something that gave me a mixed feeling of fear and vastness, coupled with a strange kind of charm. People living here won't stop raving about the place.

"Man...this city rocks!"
"If anywhere in India...its gotta be Mumbai man..."
"...there is life here dude...even at 2:00 AM in the morning..."
"...its where dreams get real..."

Here, I would like to tell those who chant "Jai Maharashtra!" and "Aamchi Mumbai"...that I have nothing against this city and am all for it. But the fact is that it still takes one heavy shower to get the traffic to a stand still. I still have to cross 3 garbage dumps...in the open on my way to office everyday. The roads are good enough to be handed over to Archeological Survey of India as they quite literally are heritage! I could go on and on but the point here is that Mumbai is waiting to crumble. The whole false-glory of the city would just implode under the pressure. It's really NOT great. It's crying...wailing and screaming for help.

Culture they say... Highest number of incestuous relationships / rapes / molestations. Highest number of female foeticide cases. Massive number of cases of religion and caste based violence. Growing hatred and intolerance of other faiths. Huge in-equality in incomes. Islands of opulence and wealth. Here too, I could go on.

The deal is...we must learn to first ACCEPT that things are really not pointing to a picture of "Mera Bharat Mahaan!". We must learn to accept that there needs to be strong action backed by an even stronger will. Stop drawing a comparative picture against the west and then smiling at ourselves saying "Incredible India!" I fear we might be worse, we just happen to have the best hypocrites in the whole wide world!

I am sorry if I could not provide you with your weekly dose of entertainment or be as happy and enthusiastic like Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai is everyday about his latest BIG STORY. It of course doesn't make a difference for him if its on the plight of 7/11 survivors or the living condition of slum dwellers in Mumbai. After all...its just another story.

Don't know what have I achieved by putting it all down here. Something that the so-called intellectuals so love to do..."pen down their thoughts"! Or discuss over a couple of drinks if it's a Friday/Saturday! Guess it just got a bit too much to handle and then smile about it...

Jai Hind!