India to me means...There's this portal in my office which features an intern every week. And how do they feel about working here. They had to put in that inevitable question 'India to me means....' uh-oh! Because most of the Caucasian, Mandarin blah blah blah think India is this over crowded place with awful roads and even more awful traffic, with cows running helter skelter...and god knows some might still be thinking about the elephants and the maharajas and the snake charmers! This is what most interns had to say about India; A society in which the coexistence of humans and animals is universally accepted and encouraged and the roads are shared by living creatures as well as all varieties of wheeled machines. A potpourri of color - with respect to clothing, food and the landscape. (Thankfully, so far, I have for the most part avoided mixing bright-colored food with light-colored clothing.) Diversity, cows, colors, dancing, singing, traffic, great food, honking, spices, impressing driving skills, opportunities, rickshaw drivers trying to cheat you, IT, dust, and hard working, ambitious, smiling & friendly people Cows’ paradise. They are the only ones before whom taxi drivers do not sound the horn. Well, there's one thing called sarcasm and another called sarcasm :) I bet most of these chaps here think that the cow is this country's national animal! Ask this india-to-me question to any foreigner who comes to this land, and he would say; curry, actually make that hot curry, people, crowd, cows, traffic, honking...diversity (no they don't mean the diversity in language, region yadda yadda yadda, but they mean the diversity in the fact that the sprawling IT campuses are surrounded by those itsy bitsy huts and dirt and dust. The sky scrapers in Mumbai are surrounded by those thatch roofed slums). Say these spicy curry loving folks only happen to dine in those expensive multi cuisine restaurants which we pick only if our company is paying the bill for what we hog. So much for the curry! I remember having seen a couple of amused tourists shooting a pic/video of a man relieving himself on the river banks while they stood on the bridge and giggled. What can I say! So here's what I got to say to all those firangs, you come to India, better know what you're walking into! That's the way this place is. Take it the way it is, and please don't even think about reminding us of our 'miseries'. Say did I ever blog about the numerous Indian, Asian, Egyptian artifacts, (not to mention the pride of the Tower of London, 'our very own' Kohinoor) that I saw displayed in museums all over United Kingdom and Europe?! Let's play it fair guys! And Indians, please do not ask this 'India to me means' question to them. Quite frankly, I know you don't give a damn what they think this country is like. So why even bother?! Aah, can I forget the disclaimer? Yeah, not all of them are like this, a few actually have really seen this country, gone places other than the great white thing in marble called the TAJ. And haven't been, much to my delight, irked up with the way things are in this part of the (third) world. P.S: I'm working from chennai now. Yet to explore the place my way though! Song On: Ipod is unwell :( Mood: Relaxed Labels: General
  15 Comments:gotcha!..bang bang!!
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welcome back sats!...
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Man, talk about brutal honesty !:D
By Welcome back Sat :-) and awesome post.. Evan ena nenachalum India is the paradise on this earth!
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Were all these firangs going on Old Mahabalipuram road or what??? that is one hell of a road where instead of speed breakers cows will be on the road... Its like yama waiting for us to trip over those cows and take us with him :) Had a few close calls myself :)
By gr8 2 note that u r in chennai now! Good post...show it to them & make them realise that india is much more than just cows! :)
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// Evan ena nenachalum India is the paradise on this earth//
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//I bet most of these chaps here think that the cow is this country's national animal//
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adada welcome back sollama vituten
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Back with a Bang :)
By yo sat..vanthachaa..jooper...blog ithanalaa kalakattala :D chn vantha udanay ungaluku thaai naatu patru ipdi peeeeeeeeetitukitu varuthu paatheengala..athaan solrathu...anyway...have a fundoo stay..ethana naaliku in chn?
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I think the inferiority complex that we have, is making us ask them these questions.
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Brute;
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kk;
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Gils;
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