I was reading a feature published in the The Hindu, Magazine, on the 15th of July 2012. The photographs of the India gate and the gateway of India were very endearing. But the content seemed rather opinionated. For those of you who are wondering what the article was about, let us say that the article ensured that I stood my neutral self.
For a hard core South Indian (more specifically Keralite), surviving in any of the country's cities is a challenge. Sure, the cosmopolitan environment does give you alot more than mere night life, but you do learn to toughen up and fight the big bad world and blend in like the other participants of the rat race. Thus, it makes my blood boil to hear or read about biasis about some of the cities of the nation.
Firstly, the term safety is a very relative term. So long as your are within the country, the safety factor remains questionable. Especially, for the women. It is my observation that southern Indians are more adaptable to other parts of the country as opposed to the northern India crowd. (Sure, everybody from Mumbai or Jabalpur cannot be termed North Indians per se, but FYI Kannadigas and residents of Andhra Pradesh are not anothe breed of Madrasis!). Perhaps that is why southern Indians do not complain as much.
At J-school, I had the good fortune of interacting with people from all over the country and across the borders. And the exposure showed me how biased people could be. If Delhities themselves tell me of the unsafe corners of Kapashera and of the dire need to learn martial arts, I fail to see how the stuck up non-south Indians would call the country's rape capital - a place safer than Chennai or Calicut. For those who believe that metropolitan cities are not supposed to be so firm about their culture, well NEWSFLASH.... You did not coin the word M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-T-A-N. A city as open to culture, if associated with a state, will possess and promote the culture of that state. Kolkata is a classsic example of how even the wealthiest man would be proud to speak Bengali and enjoy his daily dose of mishti-dohi. Chennai loves its tamilian culture (which by many - is considered wrong because "they" don't follow tamil." Seriously!!!?? It is situated in Tamil Nadu, wake up!). Mumbai does not exist without the daily calls of "Kaai Kartos tu??" (Meaning- what are you doing?). And yes, my all time favourite- Shishyaaa !! (for all you banglorians).
If progress implies permitting women to wear skimpy outfits, spaghetti strapped tops, pubbing, and all that, then I believe that one needs to dig in deeper to the concept of progress. If you believe that a city is unsafe because you were harrased on the road knowing that you wear wearing outfits that weren't acceptable by the society, then you are at fault. For harassment has nothing to do with clothing or the way a society or city is. It is about alot more than that. (Trust me, some people get harrased inspite of wearing a salwar-kameez or even a track suit and sweat shirt!). I see no harm in learning a new language or trying to be one among the public. As far as Delhi is concerned, the term "Delhi's culture" does not sound convincing. By the way, which state does the national capital belong to????
In most cases, the people who make such comments are those who have either travelled precious little on their own or who have such adamant opinions that they refused to change them even for a sack full of platinum coins. Then there are also the variety that are strong believers of hear-say. Whatever happened to the phase - "seeing is believing" ?
The "don't care" attitude is yet another controversial aspect of India's city life. "In Delhi- we can do what we want and nobody cares", " Mumbai is so safe, we can do what we want and no one cares too hoots about you." Well, I am sure all of us would like the world to be concerned about each other from time to time. So when you mean don't care- does that imply that even when you are being tortured in public, you would have a bunch of people coming to help you, or would they act as spectators of a thriller movie?
India is a beautiful country. This is the only country that gives you variety on a platter. Every state feels like a new country and that is the charm of the nation. No matter how crazy or scary certain places might be, its residents would believe the place to be the closest to heaven. That is uniquely India, we live, we survive and we cherish it all. Don't you agree?
I think it is time for us to put such meaningless biasis aside and accept things for what they are. One should fight the larger problem. In many cases it could be the lack of prompt responses towards certain situations by the authorities. Every state has a history that defines its present. And it is better for all of us to accept it, appreciate it and acknowledge it. No city is completely safe or unsafe. It is how you want you stay or life to be in that city. Remember, not too long ago, all our cities were villages that housed many not so fancy businessmen or night clubs. And whether we like it or not, the village culture of innocence and being down to earth will still exist in parts of these places for a very long time to come.
For a hard core South Indian (more specifically Keralite), surviving in any of the country's cities is a challenge. Sure, the cosmopolitan environment does give you alot more than mere night life, but you do learn to toughen up and fight the big bad world and blend in like the other participants of the rat race. Thus, it makes my blood boil to hear or read about biasis about some of the cities of the nation.
Firstly, the term safety is a very relative term. So long as your are within the country, the safety factor remains questionable. Especially, for the women. It is my observation that southern Indians are more adaptable to other parts of the country as opposed to the northern India crowd. (Sure, everybody from Mumbai or Jabalpur cannot be termed North Indians per se, but FYI Kannadigas and residents of Andhra Pradesh are not anothe breed of Madrasis!). Perhaps that is why southern Indians do not complain as much.
At J-school, I had the good fortune of interacting with people from all over the country and across the borders. And the exposure showed me how biased people could be. If Delhities themselves tell me of the unsafe corners of Kapashera and of the dire need to learn martial arts, I fail to see how the stuck up non-south Indians would call the country's rape capital - a place safer than Chennai or Calicut. For those who believe that metropolitan cities are not supposed to be so firm about their culture, well NEWSFLASH.... You did not coin the word M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-T-A-N. A city as open to culture, if associated with a state, will possess and promote the culture of that state. Kolkata is a classsic example of how even the wealthiest man would be proud to speak Bengali and enjoy his daily dose of mishti-dohi. Chennai loves its tamilian culture (which by many - is considered wrong because "they" don't follow tamil." Seriously!!!?? It is situated in Tamil Nadu, wake up!). Mumbai does not exist without the daily calls of "Kaai Kartos tu??" (Meaning- what are you doing?). And yes, my all time favourite- Shishyaaa !! (for all you banglorians).
If progress implies permitting women to wear skimpy outfits, spaghetti strapped tops, pubbing, and all that, then I believe that one needs to dig in deeper to the concept of progress. If you believe that a city is unsafe because you were harrased on the road knowing that you wear wearing outfits that weren't acceptable by the society, then you are at fault. For harassment has nothing to do with clothing or the way a society or city is. It is about alot more than that. (Trust me, some people get harrased inspite of wearing a salwar-kameez or even a track suit and sweat shirt!). I see no harm in learning a new language or trying to be one among the public. As far as Delhi is concerned, the term "Delhi's culture" does not sound convincing. By the way, which state does the national capital belong to????
In most cases, the people who make such comments are those who have either travelled precious little on their own or who have such adamant opinions that they refused to change them even for a sack full of platinum coins. Then there are also the variety that are strong believers of hear-say. Whatever happened to the phase - "seeing is believing" ?
The "don't care" attitude is yet another controversial aspect of India's city life. "In Delhi- we can do what we want and nobody cares", " Mumbai is so safe, we can do what we want and no one cares too hoots about you." Well, I am sure all of us would like the world to be concerned about each other from time to time. So when you mean don't care- does that imply that even when you are being tortured in public, you would have a bunch of people coming to help you, or would they act as spectators of a thriller movie?
India is a beautiful country. This is the only country that gives you variety on a platter. Every state feels like a new country and that is the charm of the nation. No matter how crazy or scary certain places might be, its residents would believe the place to be the closest to heaven. That is uniquely India, we live, we survive and we cherish it all. Don't you agree?
I think it is time for us to put such meaningless biasis aside and accept things for what they are. One should fight the larger problem. In many cases it could be the lack of prompt responses towards certain situations by the authorities. Every state has a history that defines its present. And it is better for all of us to accept it, appreciate it and acknowledge it. No city is completely safe or unsafe. It is how you want you stay or life to be in that city. Remember, not too long ago, all our cities were villages that housed many not so fancy businessmen or night clubs. And whether we like it or not, the village culture of innocence and being down to earth will still exist in parts of these places for a very long time to come.
Good piece Gita. Its natural for people to behave differently when they see something different than usual (read wearing western outfits in Chennai) and it can be tolerated to an extent hoping things will change. So its very unfair to judge a place like Chennai just based on this - why do not we (north Indians) do a little sacrifice and adapt our behavior? But for whatever it is, behavior cannot go beyond limits set by the law of the land, that protects the rights of every citizen. Read a great piece on policing failure in our country - it puts things in perspective. http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/comment_get-basic-policing-right-first-to-ensure-rule-of-law_1544085
ReplyDeleteInteresting account, but policing is not the solution. The irony is that in cities that are home to more than a million what can a few thousand cops do ? Except perhaps patrol in their willy jeeps / sumo's..
ReplyDeleteThe irony is that in India citizens don't stand up for themselves, even when they see another being unlawfully harassed.
Respect for the law and preserving order is as much the responsibility of a citizen. Respect for the law implies respect for others. " The doing what you want attitude ", doesn't really reflect Manhattan or Westminster. It can at best be compared to under developed neighborhoods, plagued with violence and crime, where the individual is lost in quagmire of hopeless despair.
I think change of attitudes towards women is a huge order - its not unique to India. Things are bad for women regardless of countries, communities and cultures. If you've not read it already, checkout Half The Sky by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn.
ReplyDeleteNice blog, Gitanjali. Keep up the passion!
Good article. An outsider, should try to enjoy the local flavor of any city. Not complain that things are not the way they want it. If they want things their way, then they can stick to their homes. Thats my opinion.
ReplyDelete