Sometimes I am amazed. How does India and the people that live there tend to be so left behind...rather seem to be okay with things that aren't okay?
I was in India during the Chennai floods that crippled the city , post the December 1 2015 rains. I was lucky to get a rescue boat and leave the apartment complex in Velachery the next day. I moved to Alwarpet as I had family there, apparently a posh area of the city where some shops were open and there wasn't crazy floods as Velachery. I was already planning on how to exit the city in a couple of days as per my itinerary, however I had to find a transportation as airports and train stations were shut down. I understand for most people leaving the city is not an option. The day after on the 3rd of December the rains stopped and we finally got the much needed sunshine which dried up the rain overtime. There was finally a cab that we could take to exit the city that day. Yes, I was lucky in spite of the situation and the whole incident was an experience of a lifetime.
However, the youngsters in the city seemed to have lack of anger on the situation. There were no phones that were working, neither landline and most cell phone towers were dead. Diesel was in major shortage. Well I am not even going to comment on internet for now. Contaminated water everywhere and the worst part is I see bunch of men walking up and down in that adulterated water as though they were at the beach. Big smiles on their face and of course who could miss that there were some even taking selfies. What got worse a few hours later is that there were some bursting crackers on the streets and this is even before the roads were dried up! All this was happening in a posh area of the metro city. This city which is supposed to be a hub for industries ranging from manufacturing to entertainment. Well of course where there were privileged people in the city, water was being pumped out on the day after the floods. I couldn't even begin to imagine how all the people that would have needed hospital or doctors during that week of the floods. The grocery stores were beginning to empty which was obviously because of the lack of supply and that led to unreasonable price increases in milk and produce. I understand that cities in any part of the world can be hit with a calamity for natural reasons, but the sheer lack of planning, communication from the state issuing a warning to those that maybe traveling in or out of the city, those that maybe living alone or with little kids and the sad part is only the rich seemed to be getting some attention soon after the floods.
You can't expect everyone to live in posh areas of the city just because a city is mis-managed. Again I am amazed just in Velachery alone how much garbage is on the streets, not in the bins, just on the streets. Those who ride the auto rickshaws have quite the attitude as well, it is like them doing us a favor by even riding on the street and not us hiring them for our temporary needs. Zero customer service, ridiculous pricing as they do not even use their meters and of course in the process it almost feels like we are lesser humans.
To add to all this, the expectation that women have to live and move around like its 1940s, is the best part. The lack of maturity and coming to grip that since IT has spread into people's life that has given women the freedom to work in large corporations, earn equally and/or higher than men and therefore they will be able afford what they would like to use is lacking. Apparently women are "modern" if they walk around in jeans or even "NRIs"(aka Indians who live in foreign countries) - seriously which century are they referring to ?!
How wonderful would it be if people admired women instead! The simple thought of she is successful, self-sufficient and therefore she has every right to be happy! What would it really take to give that 1 thought sometime and absorb that? You'll be able to respect her, see her as equal to you and let her live. And no, that doesn't mean she'll be your mother, sister, wife, daughter, niece or any such relation. Just her as a person in the same society as yours.
My dream for India is the true freedom and respect for women. As I said earlier in this post, I am amazed how minds of people have barely changed in the last 30 years....
I was in India during the Chennai floods that crippled the city , post the December 1 2015 rains. I was lucky to get a rescue boat and leave the apartment complex in Velachery the next day. I moved to Alwarpet as I had family there, apparently a posh area of the city where some shops were open and there wasn't crazy floods as Velachery. I was already planning on how to exit the city in a couple of days as per my itinerary, however I had to find a transportation as airports and train stations were shut down. I understand for most people leaving the city is not an option. The day after on the 3rd of December the rains stopped and we finally got the much needed sunshine which dried up the rain overtime. There was finally a cab that we could take to exit the city that day. Yes, I was lucky in spite of the situation and the whole incident was an experience of a lifetime.
However, the youngsters in the city seemed to have lack of anger on the situation. There were no phones that were working, neither landline and most cell phone towers were dead. Diesel was in major shortage. Well I am not even going to comment on internet for now. Contaminated water everywhere and the worst part is I see bunch of men walking up and down in that adulterated water as though they were at the beach. Big smiles on their face and of course who could miss that there were some even taking selfies. What got worse a few hours later is that there were some bursting crackers on the streets and this is even before the roads were dried up! All this was happening in a posh area of the metro city. This city which is supposed to be a hub for industries ranging from manufacturing to entertainment. Well of course where there were privileged people in the city, water was being pumped out on the day after the floods. I couldn't even begin to imagine how all the people that would have needed hospital or doctors during that week of the floods. The grocery stores were beginning to empty which was obviously because of the lack of supply and that led to unreasonable price increases in milk and produce. I understand that cities in any part of the world can be hit with a calamity for natural reasons, but the sheer lack of planning, communication from the state issuing a warning to those that maybe traveling in or out of the city, those that maybe living alone or with little kids and the sad part is only the rich seemed to be getting some attention soon after the floods.
You can't expect everyone to live in posh areas of the city just because a city is mis-managed. Again I am amazed just in Velachery alone how much garbage is on the streets, not in the bins, just on the streets. Those who ride the auto rickshaws have quite the attitude as well, it is like them doing us a favor by even riding on the street and not us hiring them for our temporary needs. Zero customer service, ridiculous pricing as they do not even use their meters and of course in the process it almost feels like we are lesser humans.
To add to all this, the expectation that women have to live and move around like its 1940s, is the best part. The lack of maturity and coming to grip that since IT has spread into people's life that has given women the freedom to work in large corporations, earn equally and/or higher than men and therefore they will be able afford what they would like to use is lacking. Apparently women are "modern" if they walk around in jeans or even "NRIs"(aka Indians who live in foreign countries) - seriously which century are they referring to ?!
How wonderful would it be if people admired women instead! The simple thought of she is successful, self-sufficient and therefore she has every right to be happy! What would it really take to give that 1 thought sometime and absorb that? You'll be able to respect her, see her as equal to you and let her live. And no, that doesn't mean she'll be your mother, sister, wife, daughter, niece or any such relation. Just her as a person in the same society as yours.
My dream for India is the true freedom and respect for women. As I said earlier in this post, I am amazed how minds of people have barely changed in the last 30 years....
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