Incredible India

As I have always told, whenever we plan something for weekend… It never happens  The same happened this weekend too… I had charted out a long to-do list… As soon as I was done, my mom came up to me and informed that am accompanying her to the market! First blow to my to-do list as soon as it was made… okay.. I pacified myself that its just an hour’s work (though I was sure it would take up the entire evening  ) and set out to the market.

I was really excited as we had almost finished all the work within an hour and we were about to return home… At that time “Helllooo!!!” A chirpy voice exclaimed. I turned back, but to my dismay couldn’t recognize her! Before I could conclude she mistook us for somebody else, my mom responded in the same excited voice… “Hellooo! It has been ages since I saw you”. I had exactly  look on my face and kept gazing back and forth at mom and that lady… From the conversation, I understood she had returned from her exile, “Vidheshvaas”, after 10 years…After a while, the lady finally noticed me and remarked “Is this your daughter? Oh! My God (seeing this exclamation I didn’t know how to react and continued my expression)… I saw her when she was so small (her hand showed that “small” expression too small… a size that was humanely impossible)…Now she has become this big… I couldn’t recognize her at all” (The rate of growth discussion, made me feel like a pet animal  ) When my mom was finally bidding her bye, she became over-affectionate and nagged us to come home…I kept pressing my mom’s hand to show my protest… My mom coolly replied “I’ll come some other time… My daughter has some work it seems”. The lady threw my a so-chweet kind of smile and said “Am sure 10 minutes can’t ruin your work”. I threw an angry look at my mom and forced that “cho-chweet” smile on my face too and followed her.

As soon as we entered her house… she started fanning with her hand and rushed towards her AC switch “Habba! I don’t know how you people survive here… Its so hot! Can’t be without AC for a single second”. She left us for getting juice, my mom got up to follow her to the kitchen… I pulled my mom back to the couch and whispered (angrily) “who is she?” My mom’s explanation couldn’t expel my ignorance… So I jumped to next question “Why is she overacting?”. My mom gave me that behave-yourself look and told “She lived in US for 15 years. Now her husband has got transfer to India, to be with his parents (who lived in a floor below them… And not in their house ). My mom justified her acts saying so sad… It will be difficult for them to get accustomed to India”.

She brought 2 glass full of orange juice… While I picked a glass, she added “Ufff! The water here is so dirty… The packaged drinking water that is available is unfit even for washing dishes. That’s why I make my friends there to  send these juices. We can’t completely stop drinking this water but whenever possible I avoid using it!” This made me realize am drinking an imported juice and shouldn’t waste. The “health drink” tasted bad !

She insisted that she showed us around her house. All the while she kept complaining about everything possible. She said “My kids eat only healthy foods… But what’s healthy here? We, there eat only cream coffee, cheese(some cheese, that I couldn’t decipher ), etc…Here, the food is so unhealthy”. I blurted out “Research shows 90% kids in foreign countries are only obese. We Indians, though we eat unhealthy, we stay healthy.” I continued looking at my “healthy” juice glass as I didn’t want that behave-yourself look from my mom.

The lady managed “smart girl” remark for which my mom proudly started narrating my career growth. She listened to this and threw a bouncer at me for my previous remark.What’s your daughter’s age? and that very same I know-a-guy-story… A typical matrimonial ad! My mom gave her usual answer saying “We are not looking for a match as of now”. This matrimonial ad made me more furious and the cold war intensified.

At the peak of the cold war, somebody rang the bell… 2 kids (proving my point about foreign kids are obese) rushed in.. I couldn’t help giggling! She explained how her kids have become so “weak” coming here…”The roads are so polluted. The school and kids here are so unhygienic.  Every now and then these little(who were not little) kids fall sick”. My mom had to give that artificial so-sad expression. I looked at my mom and both of us controlled our giggle. She asked her kids “Do you want some cookies and milk?” In a sing song way… In the same way, they replied “Yeah mom”.

We were standing in the balcony, so I conviniently turned towards the road and started laughing. Finally she got the “imported” cookies(which is nothing but our butter biscuits). The kid was standing next to me in the balcony. “Don’t stand there for long, its so dusty! Come in…” She looked at me and said “Look at the road.. In US and all it looks spic and span… Like a mirror”… While telling this, she was busy opening the carton containing cookies… She gave the cookies to the kid, offered me some , squashed the box and threw it down from the balcony, instructing her kid to go eat inside as it is dirty out.

I could stand no more. I remarked “What to do aunty… Even people who have stayed in foreign for years together still remain “Indian” in their ways. They still throw waste on road but complain India is dirty.”  She gave a sheepish smile. I assumed the role of Aamir khan inSathyameva Jayate and continued my speech “As you said, India is bad… Even though foreigners and the half foreigners…That’s NRIs return back here… stay here, eat here but still complain… We continue to let them stay here as we believe in Athithi Devo Bhava… This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world.  Incredible India”

I knew I was a bit rude, but couldn’t help it! It is depressing to know, Indians (few), themselves talking bad about India. Then, how can we expect others to respect us? I really wish this attitude of ours changes.  Instead of complaining about what’s bad, we can take a step to make that bad turn good. We have to believe we are the best, then only we can make others believe the same.

The "Best" hotel!!!

"Its Weekend!" Every single person is bound to be happy on hearing this sentence :) I am no different. I too had many plans for this weekend and for once executed it too :P Exploring outskirts of chennai was something that was at the top of my to-do list this weekend.

I found that the places outside chennai had no influence of the busy-life here. It was lunch time and we started hunting for a restaurant in that town. After few inquiries and research we landed in the so-called "best hotel" in that town. This "best" hotel had  4 sets of tables , 2 fans that hardly gave out any clue of its existence until and unless we look up at it, a radio that played songs to remind me that films existed centuries ago too, a cashier who kept counting the few set of notes again and again giving me a feel that it is the toughest job to do and to top it all a board that gives out the "best dishes" of the hotel that can put even multi-cuisine restaurants to shame ;)  While I was examining the "best qualities" of this hotel, a waiter interrupted my thoughts by placing few glasses(tumblers) of water with a thud( reminding me that he too played a major role in the "best" hotel). I asked for a mineral water and was greeted by the thud of the bottle in no time. He narrated the menu,breathless, with such an eloquence and in a sing-song way, as if he has been giving out the same menu since ages. Though I couldn't decipher a single item, I ordered dosa as I was sure it must have been an integral part of this breathless menu. He immediately continued to exhibit his skill by giving out the varieties of dosas available,reminding me that its "the best" hotel in town. To his dismay, I stopped him abruptly and ordered "plain dosa". He immediately shouted out the order to the "invisible cook" who existed behind a curtain.

At that time, few foreigners came into that hotel. The Indian in me got a little terrified as I feared the foreigner should not assume all the "best hotels" in India are just like this one. They gave a broad smile to everyone in the hotel. Even the ever-busy cashier looked up for a moment before resuming his counting again. I reciprocated with a short smile and quickly looked away, somehow feeling guilty of the state of the hotel. The waiter came and repeated the same routine. I wanted to tell the waiter to give them mineral water, but to my surprise one of the foreigners sipped the water remarking "Thank you.. We've been so thirsty". My surprise didn't end there. When the waiter narrated the menu in his style, they made him repeat it and recorded it in their handycam. The waiter was beaming with happiness. They asked the waiter to get him anything of his choice. The waiter quickly shouted out 3 different varieties of dosas to the "invisible" cook.

Meanwhile my dosa arrived, I started pondering over the hygiene of the plate and started pitying the foreign guests who were about to eat from similar plates. I started munching my dosa, trying my best to avoid contact with the plate. The waiter brought out the 3 plates of dosa and laid it in front of them. I was curiously waiting for their reaction. They took a bite and one of them exclaimed"Wow...This tastes like heaven". They were very interested to know the making of their "heavenly" dish. Soon, the cashier, who didn't speak a word till now, narrated the receipe in "tanglish" and dumb-charades, feeling very proud. The waiter who didn't understand anything, also had big proud-smile all through the narration. The smile was infected to me also. On the whole, everybody in the hotel was happy(may be even the "invisible cook"). The foreigners changed the entire atmosphere with their sense of  appreciation and thanks giving.

This made me realise that everything is a reflection of how we see it. If we see the best in it, it surely becomes the best. When I walked out of the hotel, I smiled to myself and said "Its indeed "the best" hotel in its own way!"