We Indians love chaos. The more the chaos the more we seem to love it , imbibe it and cherish it. We are an ocean of a billion people , so chaos does not need to be created. Like millions of microbes under the microscope, we fight for our rights, fight to be heard and fight for survival.
Of course it is not new. We have been living this almost mutinous chaotic existence for the last so many decades, only there have been additons. However the best part which is most intriguing is that we love that chaos. If there is not chaos, if there is a serene calm or a military orderliness then we feel alienated in our own space, threatened that we are going to become zombies and get packed into some faraway land. We may suddenly become peace loving. Peace loving, huh ? What was that ? Oh yes, peace loving we are: did you not listen to the last address of our President about how a peace loving nation we are and we intend to foster peace in the region. Presidents and prime ministers come and go , but that part of the speech remains...
But that is for the speech is it not ? How about some real piece of action on the street as they say ? A sneek peek at a Mumbai suburban rail station in the morning rush hour, or at the toll gates of Gurgaon in the evening or at a Kolkata minibus will tell you how we are. But that is competitive spirit: if this spirit is not in us, how can we live as Indians? Thats the working week...
So the weekend is for some nice little siesta in front of the idiot box , you may ask. Looks like you are the idiot here.
Of course not ! We must show our competitve spirit at all times. So we have Big Bazaar and the likes. If we are not fighting enough we cannot make enough of the bargain and we must do it before the other can ! So it is action time !
I wanted to get away from it all so one weekend went for a long drive on the outskirts of the city. Almost the countryside you may say with only the car stereo giving some serene company. It was really refreshing till I was almost knocked off the road by a auto whose driver had just met Schumacher in his dreams and had decided that the lanes need to be reversed in India as well - otherwise how can he drive with his pal Schumacher in the highways abroad ?
I think the oft repeated phrase needs to be rephrased for us: From chaos you have come and to chaos will you return.
Of course it is not new. We have been living this almost mutinous chaotic existence for the last so many decades, only there have been additons. However the best part which is most intriguing is that we love that chaos. If there is not chaos, if there is a serene calm or a military orderliness then we feel alienated in our own space, threatened that we are going to become zombies and get packed into some faraway land. We may suddenly become peace loving. Peace loving, huh ? What was that ? Oh yes, peace loving we are: did you not listen to the last address of our President about how a peace loving nation we are and we intend to foster peace in the region. Presidents and prime ministers come and go , but that part of the speech remains...
But that is for the speech is it not ? How about some real piece of action on the street as they say ? A sneek peek at a Mumbai suburban rail station in the morning rush hour, or at the toll gates of Gurgaon in the evening or at a Kolkata minibus will tell you how we are. But that is competitive spirit: if this spirit is not in us, how can we live as Indians? Thats the working week...
So the weekend is for some nice little siesta in front of the idiot box , you may ask. Looks like you are the idiot here.
Of course not ! We must show our competitve spirit at all times. So we have Big Bazaar and the likes. If we are not fighting enough we cannot make enough of the bargain and we must do it before the other can ! So it is action time !
I wanted to get away from it all so one weekend went for a long drive on the outskirts of the city. Almost the countryside you may say with only the car stereo giving some serene company. It was really refreshing till I was almost knocked off the road by a auto whose driver had just met Schumacher in his dreams and had decided that the lanes need to be reversed in India as well - otherwise how can he drive with his pal Schumacher in the highways abroad ?
I think the oft repeated phrase needs to be rephrased for us: From chaos you have come and to chaos will you return.
excellent observation! i have known a few such friends of schumacher, and i truly believe calcutta has more of them than bombay. chaos is probably part of being indian, and probably arises out of neurosis induced by socio-economic competitiveness, which creates a complete disregard for your surroundings.
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