Sorry that I didn’t keep the promise! The schedule at London was so busy that I could not manage to write blog, because as my husband will say, most of the time I was sleepy, if not wandering in the streets of London.
Visit to London was an eye opener. It took me and my husband three years to decide whether we should go to London or not, as it was to be an expensive trip. And our utmost concern was not spending, but the feeling that we might have….. After returning from London….. ‘Was this the trip for we wasted so much of money??’…….. But so as to say this trip was a full ‘Paisa Vasool’ (worth the money).
In fact more than the ‘Paisa Vasool’ (worth the money), it was an eye opener trip. Bottom line is being there made us realise, why they could rule India for more than 300 years. They are at least 50 years ahead of us ( without hurting anyone’s sentiments, pl don’t mind if I say that I don’t mind being ruled by Britishers again for 100 more years ( Disclaimer : these are my personal views, and I don’t want to hurt any one’s feelings, Kindly bear)).Sorry to say, but we Indians just boast about our Sanskriti ( Culture) to prove they are lesser than us, in reality, whatever Sanskriti they have, they are far advanced in thoughts and deeds. Talking of Sanskriti (Culture), Can….
· In India, can an alone woman think of walking out alone in the streets after dark, even with a Salwar Kameez on, walking safely, without being stared, No. But this happens in England, that even a girl in Mini skirt, can move around in trains, busses or on roads at late hours without being stared and safely.
(Image from : bbc.co.uk)
· In India, can a woman ( even with her family around), caught in a crowd in the train fully stuffed, having not been pinched or touched in the most outrageous manner by the unknown faces of the crowd, No. But in England, no matter how much is the crowd, stranded due to non functioning of exit gates at Tube stations ( Underground Train Station), people stand without leaning or jostling around, standing cautiously and with etiquettes, not only with the female passengers’ only but with everyone, patiently walking slowly in a queue.
( You can read more about London Tubes on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground )
Image from : www.prophecyblur.com
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In India (say as in Crystal Chowk Amritsar), can I dare to imagine the vehicles stopping to let the pedestrians cross the roads, No. But in England no matter how busy is the road with tens of vehicles plying on it, whether it’s with or without the Zebra/ pedestrian crossing, On seeing a differently able person/pregnant lady/parents with kids/children/ tourist, people stop , sitting in their cars bow in etiquette, and say, ‘you please cross first’ with a smile on their faces, to the pedestrian.
In India (say as in Crystal Chowk Amritsar), can I dare to imagine the vehicles stopping to let the pedestrians cross the roads, No. But in England no matter how busy is the road with tens of vehicles plying on it, whether it’s with or without the Zebra/ pedestrian crossing, On seeing a differently able person/pregnant lady/parents with kids/children/ tourist, people stop , sitting in their cars bow in etiquette, and say, ‘you please cross first’ with a smile on their faces, to the pedestrian.
All the incidents mentioned above, happen to each and every woman in India at some point or the other in their life.
Earlier when ever our friends /relatives, who live abroad used to come to India, and when they used to boast ‘Bahar Aisa hota hai ya vaisa hota hai’( it happens this way overseas) we used to tell them, tu zyada hi angrez ho gaya hai, apne desh main ab tujhe khamiyaan hi nazar aati hain’ ( You have now become a foreigner only, and you only find fault with our nation now), but today once I have been there myself, I can understand why they used to say this. Today I realised, saying that they are better than us, does not lessen my love for my country India.
There is no denying the fact that it will take us years to match them, leave aside in technology, but in ‘Soch’ ( Thinking). I don’t know exactly what there culture is, or my judgement is correct or not, but despite all their so called ‘sankritik’ ( Cultural) drawbacks it is safe for me as a woman ! And that is what matters to me………. safety of me and my kinds from the kinds we only give birth to !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In next blog, I will show some technologically peculiar/funny/ practical things in London .
Anonymous
Bhabhi, you pointed out all the things that I love about London. To be safe, independent and enjoy life 🙂
Karishma
Veren
Dear Wife,
I agree on the British advance thinking and organized mindset. There is lot to learn from them. Life give you opportunity to learn from other civilization and know the goods of them but I think we should imbibe there maturity and professionalism instead of comparing and remarking at our own civilization and culture.
I kno w these r your personal thoughts but life is to learn and move ahead more learned way , appreciate good things but not collate.
I do not want to be ruled by any of them and endeavor to do my bit to take india and evolve it to a higher way. Its just 63 years of our independence and are evolving to a super power.
Long live the QUEEN and thanks for all you have done for India. We will take on from here.
Jai Hind.
Anonymous
like your thoughts ,but one thing i would like to mention…their ruling us back wont really change our culture and mantelity of people,her back home…y dont v start from us..by stopping the car when people r abt to cross the road…but i would say west is west and east can never match west
babian
superlikes…. jyoti bhabhi each word is so true…good one!!!
Jyoti Joshi Mitter
all of you, thanks for your comments. I agree with Veren, lets take on from here ! any one listening !
nari
Dear jyoti,
I read each and every line of your article.The main aim was to understand what your experience was.I agree that those people are much more advance than us and girls are much safer over their.But i would just like to share my experience with u about my visit there.The day I came back to Delhi I saw my family waiting for me…..they hugged me and said that they missed me a lot and told me to not go like this again.My husband gave me one roti rolled with bhindi.My brother in law was looking after my luggage and yagya (my son)was holding my hand tightely.This is what i missed in london(EMOTIONS).
I saw many professional but emotionless people there.They knew how to grow moneywise but familywise they know nothing.When they come to our country we treat them with our best,but when we go their,we do not get things as per our expectations.
After that day I realised the value of my country and till today i can vouch that India and all Indians are the best in the whole world.For few days,its a good place to see but if u stay there for long slowly u will realize the value of LOVE,CARE,FAMILY,CROUD,etc.ect ect…..Love u .Mamta bhatt.
Jyoti Joshi Mitter
Truly touched by your comment! You are so very right. Before being a sister, wife or a daughter, I am a woman. so the biggest thing that touched me there was the safety of woman and their respect for life of their fellow humans.
But at the same time, I fully agree with you, that the best part of being an Indian is these bonds which make us long for our roots. I will add to your experience here, you know I was quite happily busy making the Bhindi, Kadhi, Punjabi style Karela, Aaloo Puri for my brother in law, since the day I reached there. His longing for these made me realize the importance of your own people, own food and bonds to stay not alive but with life.Now when I have come back, and eat these things here make me realize there importance.
I witnessed the frenzied life of theirs ( rather I would say it resembles life of any cosmopolitan couple anywhere in the world including India).But aren’t the needs are defined by us only, and what need is more important 50% money with 50% emotions or 100% money with 2% emotions ( through skype or phones).
I don’t want to judge them, but value them for what they mean to us rather than what they have chosen for themselves. As I read some where…. its all in thinking, “what is crowd in a bus is atmosphere in a discotheque.” I tried to find atmosphere every where.
nari
Totally agree.
dr.antony
We have often talked about it.That is what we call civic sense, which we lack.Literacy is not the same as education.We have hypocrisy in everything we do.
shikha varshney
Hey when were you in London ? why didn’t you contact me?
anyway.. honestly written post. I still heard this TAANAA ” vahaan baith kar lecture de rahe ho, yahan aakar kaam karo” when I honestly point out something. the truth is – we don’t even want to improve anything, we don’t want to learn anything good from anyone but keep singing the “sanskriti” song and keep blaming the western cultural for everything.
thelongroad.in
hi di! so good that you read the blog! it was long back in 2011 that we went to Britain and Scotland. You are so right, we have not been able to keep up our sanskriti and infact become a hotch potch of most of the ills that plagues our sanskriti.