I wanted to write about what I am currently writing from quite some time, but never really got to it because i was always in a pissed off mood when I remember I have to write this! Writing when angry is never recommended, you might end up sounding like Rahul (You know who I’m referring to!), when angry it is better to be like Mohan Singh (Again you know who!). I digress. What does the title to this post mean? I did not put in too much thought into it, I created this title when I first started to think about this sometime in June 2013. Now when I look at it, I feel like a genius, hold on I think the feeling is gone already. I am listening to Alesso as I write this, head bobbing and fingers typing pan pan pan pan paaan paaaan pan pan pan pan paaaaan.
I have started visiting a lot of new places off late to try out burgers and sandwiches apart from the usual places I frequented the last 5 years, yes the clown shop was one of them, McD is just a huge disappointment now, the latest scam of theirs are the masala balls. Refrain from thinking outside the bun in this case! Please I beg of you! I know how to put the thoughts in your head, now that I am wearing with pride the mission accomplished badge let me explain the story of the masala balls. I go to the store, I saw the ad for them and they looked quite big and tasty, so I ordered a plate of 6. When they finally arrived they were smaller than the brains of the polians of our country. Where am I heading with this post? Anyway that was the end of me wanting to visit McD, Subway has its own story to tell, the troll store has non vegetarian subs as the sub of the day whenever I decide to go get myself a nice sub for dinner. The bad timing and well screw you Subway I’m not coming there either. My friends have been telling me about awesome places in Bangalore that serve delicious American and European cuisines, one of them being Ice and Spice on St Marks Road.
The inspiration and the push behind this post to be written right now are the events that took place when I finally managed to go there one fine day, actually wait the day was fine until I ended up watching ‘The Conjuring ‘ ! That stupid insanely spooky movie still gives me the chills! Why on earth would a ghost come and clap next to someone? Just why? The place was full as usual I was told and we had to wait for ’15 minutes’, yes it was IST (Indian Stretchable Time) after 30 minutes of 15 minutes I still hadn’t got a table and I continued to wait. While waiting there was this one thing, a guy I who looked like he had swallowed a concrete ball as big as the biggest pumpkin you have seen, and grown round around it. He was driving a swift, comes in front of the restaurant, the music in his car was loud and heads around started bobbing to the
Din chik din chik din chik din chik
The bass was out of the charts! This din chik concrete fool puts his head out and all of us almost died laughing at his style! He had a pair of expensive sunglasses that were put to shame by his weird mud colored hair and I repeat concrete round figure, more was the follow, he shouts to a nearby civilian police
Oye, parking here idhiyia ? [Is there parking here, in a condescending tone]
The civilian police guy gets offended by the tone and we felt bad for him too, he answers
Watchman thara idhina noodakke? Loafer [Do I look like a watchman to you? In a very disgusted way ]
The ‘Dude’ then tries park his car between two other cars, the car behind him was an Audi and the one in front a Merc E Class, and I am being honest here, his parking skills were worse than mine! He left the car in between the two cars alright but parallel to them, let me explain!
——Merc—– —Audi—
-The idiots Swift-
Gets out after this, his friend who seemed slightly more civil than this fool helped him park and then they light a Cig each and start staring at the amused people around and quickly get away. While this was happening, a couple not Indian for sure mostly European came to the restaurant and asked for a table. The owner of this store has the habit of staying at the restaurant and looking over the business I guess. The guy who was in charge of seating promptly noted down the names of one of them to put them in the ‘Queue’ to get them a seat. From what I understood all this while is that the ‘Queue’ was a FIFO [First In First out] implementation, I was going to be proven wrong in a short while after that. One of the tables got free, and immediately the owner asked the couple to take the table! I was like
Yen saare, foreign nodudre cycle gap alle lorry bit bidthira? [If you see foreigners in a small gap for a cycle you will drive a lorry?]
I went to question him for this, but i got a table before I could get to him so I left the matter at that, but ever since I’ve had this irritation and urge to question this kind of behavior in our country! Why is this happening? As Indians are we not important to other Indians? If not more at least equally important as tourists? FIFO was implemented more in favor of Foreigners In First Out rather than FIFO!
I have been to three other countries, albeit two of them were just changes of airports or aeroplanes but nowhere did I get any preferential treatment! I was not mistreated either. Just saying, why don’t we learn to respect people of our own country too? It was also surprising to see the other people just watching this and not wanting to do anything about it! Another depressing incident was when there was an American who visited our Indian office, all his meetings were fixed by an Indian who was in charge of well scheduling meetings for anyone who came from other development centers, all the meetings were scheduled in such a way that it was convenient with his timings but not a single confirmation asked from us if we were ok with the timings! I saw people who generally come to the office in the afternoons, at office as early as 8:30 on that day! The person who was visiting was at no fault at all, it was all the work of someone who is one among us! Even when I have calls with people from other countries, and if we schedule it ourselves we always reach on a compromise that is neither too late or too early for both parties! That my friend is being professional, not a** licking and making things comfortable for just the outsider! Make them feel welcomed by treating them like one among us rather than one above us! Wait isn’t that a great line? I am just going to quote myself,
Welcoming people is to treat them like one among us, not one above us!
Sounds like a winner? Alright I liked it, its cool if you think its ok! Because I welcome you, you see what I did there? 😉
The title “To be In?Dian” seems to be a question rather than a title! Something each one of us need to ask when we see differential treatment. I tried not to make this sound like an assault at people, or people we ought to welcome but more of something that we need to think of! These are my thoughts, let me know what you feel?
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