January 9, 2023 12:08 am
There are indeed instances in one’s life which leave one shaken and stirred. Scales fall from one’s eyes. Like Bertie Wooster, one feels befuddled, bewildered, fazed, flummoxed, and perplexed. The reality of one of the several facets of life gets revealed, much like a mountain making a reappearance once the fog has vanished and the sun has come out in all its glory.
While travelling in a local train in Switzerland recently, I had a rather unpleasant experience when a gentleman of Swiss origin ridiculed me for being an Indian.
It happened on the 1st of January 2023. The family had boarded a train to Lucerne to enjoy the fireworks display in the evening hours. Few stops before Lucerne, very many people boarded the train. We are used to overcrowding in trains in India, but this was a new experience for me – to see this happening in one of the advanced countries. I was already sitting on one of the few spring-back chairs available.
A gentleman, surely cast in the mould of Roderick Spode, had just come in along with many others. He looked at me sternly and asked me to get up. I got up and enquired if the gentleman wanted to occupy the seat. The gentleman clarified that he had asked me to stand up so that there is more space for others to squeeze in. So far, so good. But then he went on to give me a supercilious look and added rudely that such things happen only in India.
The basic message from the gentleman was right, but the rude and insulting way he said it hurt all of us. The fact that he insulted my country really hit hard. My daughter-in-law and my son intervened to say that he could have discussed this cordially, rather than being abrasive about it. But he went on arguing about it, claiming that he had spent a good deal of time in India and knew about how things worked there. Other passengers nearby kept telling us to avoid listening to his comments.
To give him a benefit of doubt, perhaps he had had a fight with his wife before leaving home that evening. However, a realization also dawned – that beneath a veneer of polite manners and sweet smiles, quite a few people in other countries may carry some deep-seated prejudices against those of Indian origin.
Jeeves would concur with me if I were to say that our psychology is such that when we love something, we somehow feel entitled to criticize it and make fun of it. But when someone else does it, we take offence! We are left twiddling our thumbs. I confess this is what happened to me on the day. I felt deeply embarrassed and wondered what I had done to deserve a treatment of this kind.
I admit I am a bit fluffy headed and forgetful, but by no stretch of imagination can I match the high standards set by Lord Emsworth in that department. I found it very difficult to forget this incident. On the contrary, it made me recollect many earlier instances when I did not have a satisfactory response to some meaningful and thought-provoking questions asked about India by those living abroad.
What I quote above happen to be snippets of conversations with lay citizens of different countries, spread over the past few years. Those of us who believe we have already acquired the status of a Vishwa Guru – A Global Teacher – and who are swayed by the nationalistic fervour so very fashionable in India these days, may immediately jump to enquire who gave the rights to people in advanced countries to judge India and Indians. They might even suspect and allege a global conspiracy to defame India.
It is no one’s case that our First World countries happen to be perfect. Of course, these suffer from many ills. Graffiti in public spaces is a common sight. So are cigarette butts in otherwise pristine public gardens.
But the point here is that if we Indians can ape the west in terms of fashion, social relationships and in so many other ways, why can’t we do something about the kind of courtesy we show to tourists and fellow citizens in public spaces? Why do we need a Prime Minister to tell us to improve our levels of hygiene and keep our public spaces spick and span? Why can’t we respect the law, rather than priding ourselves in breaking it? Why do our political parties depend on criminals to win over the voters? Why do justices of our Supreme Court have to get involved in ensuring that road safety standards improve across the entire country? Why are we worried about elections and inane internal issues when an enemy is gleefully usurping our territory on our borders? The mind boggles.
We live in a multipolar world where interdependence between countries is an essential fact. Yes, as a country, India remains a work-in-progress. But we have tremendous soft power, whether in terms of our ancient scriptures, rich culture, music, dance, movies and the like. The diverse cuisine we have is popular across all countries. When it comes to frugal engineering, we shine on the global stage. The manpower we offer to the world is unique in many ways.
It is surely not wrong to be proud of our heritage. Nor is it improper to demand respect from others. But to remain blissfully unaware of our weaknesses and to do nothing to address the same will simply go on to ensure that chinks in the Brand India armour continue to fester.
A sister of Bertie Wooster’s lives in India. It follows that he would be gravely concerned about this situation. Perhaps, he may seek Jeeves’ advice on the issue. If so, I wonder if Jeeves would recommend a public relation campaign to improve India’s brand image worldwide. He may also suggest a mass communication drive within the country and ways to make a genuine effort to improve our civic infrastructure. Someone like Rupert Psmith may get one of his rich uncles to buy out a premier media house in a western country.
But the nub of the matter is that we, the Indians, need to indulge in a bout of introspection, and work upon improving our own civic habits and our behaviour towards others. The buck stops at us!
(Illustration courtesy R K Laxman)
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Posted by ashokbhatia
Categories: What ho!
Tags: Bertie Wooster, Canada, Civic INfrastructure, Civic Sense, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Heritage, India, Jeeves, Netherlands, Norway, Soft Power, Sweden, Switzerland, USA
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It is quite a good composition you have written addressing many aspects of a slippery domain.
As Indians as we get a bit educated and interact people from the first world, where life is much more orderly and respectful, the need to hype ourselves through our ancient glory and be in denial of what we are ashamed about becomes even more palpable.
The middle class feels the inferiority complex. The political leadership has cleverly turned into a superiority complex and making less important issues such as religion and who eats what more part of the public imagination and discourse rather than poverty, hygiene and severe patriarchy, the real issues that need to be addressed.
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By Avantika Nirupama on January 9, 2023 at 1:27 am
Thank you so much for your thought-provoking comment!
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By ashokbhatia on January 9, 2023 at 1:32 pm
Dear Ashok, I’m sorry that Swiss oaf spoiled your new year. Your disappointed, sad but balanced, philosophical reaction are to be commended. Despite the start, I hope 2023 proves happy and prosperous for you and yours.
Noel Bushnell
+61 (0)412 569 581
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By Noel Bushnell on January 9, 2023 at 2:02 am
To each his own! Thank you for your heart-warming comment. Wish a great time ahead to you and yours! Regards. Ashok
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By ashokbhatia on January 9, 2023 at 1:35 pm
Well said said, though the article opened in a grim note, even I am a bit surprised that such incidents do occur in Switzerland, it ended in a very thought provoking situation. For the limitations in India to ‘behave properly’, I may write pages, but end of the day, it will boil down to one thing – lame excuses. Probably, we should reflect more on our deeds more often than we do now. Otherwise, we must wait for a situation like Henry Cecil’s ‘The Buttercup Spell’! Rgrds
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By Suryamouli Datta on January 9, 2023 at 9:28 am
Individual temparaments vary widely; also, I do not wish to generalize a country’s decent and respectful approach towards expats based on an individual’s behaviour. You are also right in quoting The Buttercup Effect, because if love is universally available, life may cease to be exciting and instead lead to boredom!
Yet another facet of our psychology is that we all believe we are perched on Mt. Everest, thereby thinking poorly of others and their actions!
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By ashokbhatia on January 9, 2023 at 1:46 pm
I agree with most of what you say. India may indeed be a worthy global citizen in many ways, but there are many areas where improvement is long overdue.
Corruption is still rampant. One of my close relatives was all set to go abroad to USA (he had a 10 year visa) and the passport officer would give him the renewed passport only after taking a bribe.
The Indian healthcare system, unfortunately, is following the US model, which is simply unaffordable to the common man. They should have adopted the British, Canadian or Australian systems in which everyone, irrespective of how poor or rich they are, has access to excllent medical facilities. I know of a case in India where the patient was kept alive for a month, when it was known that the case was hopeless, and the family charged ₹45 lakhs after the sick man’s inevitable demise.
Many villages and city slums lack basic sanitation.
I have lived for over 55 years in Australia. Usually the Aussies are non-interfering and avoid confrontations. But I still remember a comment made by one of them: How can India afford to play millions of US dollars to players from Australia, New Zealand, England and West Indies to play in IPL cricket when so many Indians are starving?
We cannot be proud of a country where it is dangerous for a young woman to travel alone without being harassed or worse. The Norwegian lady was perfectly correct in raising the issue in this regard.
I have taught thousands of students of many nationalities. From what I have observed, there are at least two things the average Indian can learn from others. First is the diligence of the Chinese and second is the ability of Europeans to work with minimum supervision, i.e., self discipline.
What I have said above are general observations. They may not apply to everyone and every circumstance.
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By Chakravarti Madhusudana on January 10, 2023 at 8:37 am
Thank you so much for your incisive comment.
One aspect of self discipline I have observed is that of the respect for law. Few years back, at a small gathering of fans of P G Wodehouse in Norway, one of the members turned up after foresaking the comfort of a car ride and instead taking the local metro. When I politely enquired why, he said he wanted to enjoy a glass of beer with all of us at the gig, and hence could not drive a car. Even otherwise, the work culture in EU countries is something to be learnt from.
The diligence of Japanese is also worth emulating.
As to corruption, it is a cancer which has spread all over our system, starting from the manner in which our political funding continues to be opaque.
Health and education are sectors which appear to have been outsourced to the private sector over the years. Increasingly, the state is withdrawing from many other sectors, leaving the poor sadly unserviced.
It may not be wrong to say that we have two countries in one – India and Bharat – both in a cheek and jowl co-existence. The first one is where the well heeled thrive; the other one is inhabited by the poorer lot.
Of course, we criticize our country – simply because we love it!
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By ashokbhatia on January 10, 2023 at 1:14 pm
Siobhan Keleher (via Facebook)
“You seem a very gracious gentleman.
I think it’s rude for strangers, when interacting with someone from a foreign country, to treat that person as the representative of their nation, and ask the kinds of questions, and make the kinds of statements, you have been subjected to. I have heard that Americans are particularly bad about doing this, and as an American, it embarrasses me. We’re all individuals and none of us are wholly responsible for the negative facets of our societies – and all nations have problems – and calling on someone to defend, explain or justify their country is obnoxious.”
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By ashokbhatia on January 11, 2023 at 3:26 am
Thank you for your nice comment.
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By ashokbhatia on January 11, 2023 at 3:28 am
Kinshuk Adhikary (via Facebook):
“Ha, ha, well, to counter that, I am an Indian who has lived in California and decided within one year to return the H1B visa to the US govt. This was 20 years ago. Have travelled all over the world since then (including Lucerne) and never for a moment have I regretted that decision.
To each their own culture and country. To wish for change in others is violence.
No I do not think Indians need to introspect or retrospect or change even the tiniest bit. Others can do whatever they wish.”
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By ashokbhatia on January 11, 2023 at 3:30 am
I respect your views.
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By ashokbhatia on January 11, 2023 at 3:32 am
I would have stood up – in order to hit him. I find such behaviour disgraceful and feel that we let such things slip at the peril of civilization. When we choose to live as a group we have a social contract. That means we treat one another with respect – as we would wish to be treated. If that social contract frays then we have anarchy. I cannot comment on India as I have never visited it, but I have travelled enough to know that each place I have visited is a whole panoply of things
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By Christopher Starling on January 15, 2023 at 6:53 pm
Thanks, Chris Starling, for reading and commenting. I wish there were more people like you who take such a balanced view of things around us.
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By ashokbhatia on January 15, 2023 at 7:36 pm