Picture this:
1.
A Tata Sumo or Force local jeep in a ramshackle
about-to-breakdown-state runs along the worst possible roads in rural Maharashtra,
carrying a minimum of 19-21 passengers…(against the usual carrying capacity of
8 people including driver)… People are content and do not complain- that’s the
way they are used to travel- they are all smiles- atlast they have got a vehicle
to travel in…
2.
Schools have a student enrollment percentage of
almost 90%... some of the more “prosperous” farmers proudly claim that their ‘son’
studies in the local English medium school. One glance at their school copies,
their English has been orphaned and mathematics defy the logic which it is
known for… people are content and happy- at least their son is learning to
speak “English”… no one knows or cares that they aren’t learning English which
makes sense…
3.
You need to travel to Pune-130kms via road-
National Highway 50…decent roads… you would expect to reach in 2-2.5 hours in
the bus services…. The travel time as per official schedule is 4.5 hrs and you can’t
and shouldn’t expect any better… People are happy- at least the road is decent
and you get a bus…
4.
You go out to eat some food in the Dhaba/Hotels in
the nearby Tier 3 city/villages… they charge you an exorbitant amount; putting to
shame some of the eateries in metro cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai or
Delhi/Kolkata… the food quality is crap, hygiene (what is that now?) is conspicuous
in its absence and taste all but gives you a heartache… no one is complaining…
quality of food here is like this only…as long as you get food…
5.
You wish to buy something and travel to the
local markets (usually 15away-20kms away)..all you get is cheap quality China
maal or if Indian, some of the shoddiest products at not-so-cheap prices..no
one cares…you atleast get electronic items or other items for personal usage….
Knowing me…this list can be endless… but it’s a bit late at night now and I don’t wanna spoil my mood anymore… Just a few quick questions which I am trying to find an answer to….
1)
Why do these people not expect any better?
2)
Do poor people mean you give them any shit (pardon
me) and they take it?
3)
Why is it that there is no say from their side
on anything? I know you would tell me their voices are suppressed and all that …not
all of it is true..When you want to be heard, you always find a way…
4)
Why are we so like this?
5)
When will we be having a mindset which accepts nothing
but excellence?
6)
When will we start demanding quality as a right
and not a favor someone does to us?
I am sorry; I always had issues with the words mediocre and
average. Possibly because I was always told by my mom that I was an average
student… or possibly because I never
learnt or taught anyone to use these words in my workplace… I don’t want us to be so adjusting…I
don’t want us to be less greedy…I want us to demand more…. to only be satisfied
once you get what you desire… nothing less…
Somehow, I don’t believe that as a nation we can be as
crappy as this and still be proud of our ourselves*… for once…let’s first try and say we can set ourselves much better standards…then let’s talk about
being a world super power… and in the process, if we end up not being a super
power but a country known for its excellence in whatever it does…I guess I would
still be happy with it….
*I am extremely proud to be an Indian…just don’t have much
faith in the way we run things here these days… am not sure our founding
fathers who wrote the constitution envisaged India the way it is today… a mass
raped, ravaged, torn apart country fighting for everything and some bit of
dignity…
its good that you think this way....and i wish we as a country thought this way.
ReplyDeletewho does not want quality and a good lifestyle to start with, and true why only you and me the poor as well. What ever they get b good quality. Be health system, the education system or the transport system, it is not that there cannot be quality, but why there is'nt is the questions. why is the SYSTEM itself so poor, again a question?
So, (my personal view)mainly look at the quality of people per se we have...a guy in a skoda halts at a signal and spits out a mouthful of pan parag, now what do we do? this is just one example.
i agree with most of it that you wrote, but again and again the question that arises is what do we do and how much can we do. we all know there is a fault in the system, but again what is to be done.
there is a group of people who critisise even one good that is happening to the change the system, a group that has half knowledge and just talks whilst does nothing and a group who wants to do something but does not know what to do.
I am still optimistic and i think someday things will change...when? will i be around to see a change .....?????
Dipika- appreciate your views...however, i feel that the only way to address this issue is to inculcate a pride in people that they are Indians. Think about it- everywhere we look, we only see the attitude that "we are like this only", "it happens only in India", we are a country of corrupt etc. The media gloats at all the scams which happen, they sell poverty like its attractive business..
ReplyDeleteRight from our childhood we are trained to think that nothing can happen to this country...that we are a poor country and we will always be inferior to the West. The change needed is a paradigm shift in this mentality and this needs to be done at from early childhood...kids needs to get conditioned to think better, smarter...they learn more from their parents and social circles than from school...so i guess this responsibility lies in all of us...the sooner we start, the better....
I agree with what you said?
ReplyDeleteBut, a single man, you or me cannot change this?
We have to unite.
But, the question is how it's going to happen when all of us are indulged in our own works?
Bharath- good point... infact this is what i almost always here- alone u are helpless, what can I do? I am busy with my work etc etc.. in my opinion- these are just excuses which we give ourselves to avoid the responsibility... when u lead- u need to lead people with conviction- u need to first believe in the greater vision urself..only then u can make a change...only then u can influence people to get better....not every individual can play the same role...but everyone needs to take ownership- we need to first dream of India as a 1st World Progressed Nation...only then can we work towards it...and that vision has to be shared by all...
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