Games Indians play... a book wich attempts to to explain the “Indianness” of us Indians.. started Reading this book nd i thot here's another attempt at india bashing.. why are we so cynical i mean look we are doin well in all d fronts.. economy growin leaps n bounds.. markets rising india is the place to invest the world is noticing India.. but we leave no opportunity to demean ourselves.. but alas..!! how true does it turn out to be...
We indians who happen to be perhaps the most intelligent people in the world, but also, to a dispassionate eye, among the most baffling and so true are the questions raised... Why are we a nation that is individually so smart and collectively so naive? Why do we mistake talk for action? Why is our self-worth massaged only if we have the ‘authority’ to break rules? Why are we among the world’s most corrupt? Why do we jump red lights? Why do we dump our garbage at the neighbour’s doorstep? And slowly i begin to realize that the author isn't just being pessimistic but infact all he says is true".. In fact every single day going n coming back from office reinforces the concept of "Indianess" wich the author proposes Perhaps thats wat bangalore traffic does to u. I want to reach back home early.. so does every1 else wat do we do.. Break the lanes.. coz the other lane hardly has any traffic.. but alas.. we all kno that there is a pt where we have to merge nd ther's 2 way traffic.. end result for the 10 min wait we wud have had in d lanes we spent 30 min waitin for the traffic 2 clear.. no wonder a 15km ride takes 1.5 hrs on average days forget heavy traffic days.. the govt too has kept its eyes closed infrasturcture marathalli old madras road whitefield all are excellent examples.. swanking offc buildin on both sides of d road nd dirt n girth in d name of road.... but no less are we to blame.. how often than not we break the law.. Ah its live n let live for individuals but all suffer as d society when you try to follow the law, what you get to hear is the unfriendly slangs.. Bangaloreans are good in making even the best piece of engineering as the worst... It's just our attitude towards a cheating vendor to our attitude in a joint venture; from our tearing off a page from a library book to the way we leave our public toilets.. shrugging off any guilt to "that's how every1 does it.. what diff wud i make.. ?" ...In How often have i made decisions thinking.. "that's wat evry1 else does, Why shudn't i..?"
Perhaps that's what we all are *argumentative* indians.. very intelligent, however making decisions that will benefit us in the immediate future, versus for long term satisfaction... Sad the author says that the land which gave Gita now itself cannot "do the right thing" a cocept wich game theory confirmes ( c-c behaviour) so as to maximize gains both for oneself as well as for the society...
Takin a cue is this Lead India ad campaign..how very apt.. ..... http://www.youtube.com/v/FAe_bZGqU1g& "Tum chalo... to hindustan chale..." so beautifully made that I just had to post it here! The message is conveyed in such a subtle and simple way....
11 comments:
very true...now you and your readers part of those many indians who have realised this individually but fail to act accordingly in society as a whole...hope you wont do what everyone does to the shopkeeper while taking out project printouts (remember..??!!??) he he he
if everybody starts thinking on the same lines and as you said start working on the same India would be a much better place....as for d video....its very inspiring!!
very deep insights into the average indian mind...traffic drives me crazy too specially autorickshaws and the taxis...but who can teach them road rules when they are dead against learning them..so mite we have to wait for the current breed to go out of circulation and newer auto and taxi drivers taking their place...hopefully more compliant with road rules.
that video is awesome... waise can we know wat pallavi is talking abt ??
Very true. Had seen the video earlier and its inspiring indeed, but India's problems are manifold- polulation, our corrupt tradition, etc etc and the list goes on. I am sure many wud have seen this video, but has any1 really started following rules and working for India's good? I really doubt. The situation I feel is out of control.
1. KPI s are Infrastructure (I), Administration
(A)People awareness(P),Volume of Traffic(V).
2. It is very difficult to change infrastructure and
impossible to control volume of traffic.
3. Administration can be focus point. As it may affects
"People awareness" too.
4. We can have Mumbai as an example."I" is too high but
compared to "V" it is simply "OK OK" type.Mumbai traffic
is very slow but at least they can maintain that speed
only because of proper traffic administration.
Anyway..I want to say we need a structured system to
improve not emotion. :)
hey ..I can't understand what I have written.If anybody can plzz let me know. :)
....imagine a bunch of kids who have been confined and kept hungry to the point of starvation for weeks and then you release them to a table laced with all the possible delicacies in the world......do you really believe they will use fork and knife to eat tandoori leg ???no they wont........at the macroscopic level same is the case with our society , we are just 60 yrs young(since 1947), having taken rebirth after centuries of suppression and disgrace and starvation.......in a life cycle of a civilization 60 yrs is just infancy.....we will mature , it may take generations but we will ,because if you shun yr scepticism and introspect u will realize we have been.....
in my first week of work... a "great" bong once told that... being a pwcite means being good not only at work, but in society too, like hold a peace of trash long enough to find a trash can instead of littering... well, so to start off i tried that, but then i realized, where on earth is the trash can!!! the road is the trash can!!!
this is the way we were built... inherent bug.
"that's wat evry1 else does, Why shudn't i..?" - s very true. We are actually cynical but only towards others
Yah...I agree, contrary to what we may believe, we are not the most intelligent in the world...I can bet on that..I have met students from Korea, China, europe and veven obscure places like Lebanon, and believe, talent and brainy ppl are there everywhere.....yup, we are the most adjusting, receptive to change and hard working (Only in a foreign setting :-), not back home)
hey..
pallavi here
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