Rediff eats its words
After exhibiting their regional and linguistic fanatism, Rediff finally eats its words with a Blog by Shobah Warrier. Of late Corporates have started to make use of their employees blog as a PR section
Chennai, the kindest city
A survey conducted by Readers’ Digest has found Mumbai the rudest city in the entire world. As I have not lived in Mumbai or in any of the cities mentioned in the news item, I cannot comment on the correctness of the survey. But from the places I have lived in my life; there are not many, of course (Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Kottayam, Munnar, Nashik, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai), I would describe Chennai as the kindest and Trivandrum, my own native place as the rudest.
I strongly feel that you just cannot judge a place by the reception you get at the railway station or airport. I have not in my life seen a single friendly railway station. You have to live in a city to get the real feel of it.
Similarly initial reaction to a place will change with due course of time too. My first reaction to Chennai was that of grave disappointment. When we started driving from Ernakulam to Chennai on a summer day, it was raining very heavily there but when we reached Chennai, it was painfully hot. One could easily bear the climate but to my horror, I found that there was no water in the taps. It was for the first time in my life that I was facing water scarcity. Moving to a flat after living in independent houses with wonderful gardens to attend to, also can be a traumatic experience; it was indeed one for me. All the potted plants I had lovingly carried with me withered away as I had no water to give them. When we couldn’t get enough water to drink and wash, how could I water them? Those initial days were extremely painful for me.
As months went by, I started seeing the good side of this city; the loving and the kind side. I was travelling by the state transport corporation bus one afternoon. The bus was almost empty. At one of the stops, a very old lady with a huge basket half full of vegetables tried to get in. With great difficulty, she kept the basket on the footboard, and then she tried to step in. The step was too high for her to climb easily. Seeing this, a young man jumped from his seat shouting, nillu Paatti. Naan help punnarein. (Wait Grandma, I will help you). He then hauled the basket inside the bus and literally pulled the lady onto the bus. Romba nandri thambi. She said with gratitude and love in her eyes. He sat back as if he had not done anything great.
This reminded me of a similar scene I had witnessed in Trivandrum sometime back. As the steps of the buses are too high, it is just impossible for very old people to get inside the bus unhelped. On seeing an old lady taking too much time to get in, the conductor of the bus shouted from his seat, ”Old woman! If you can’t walk, can’t you sit at home? Trying to waste our time! Come on, get in fast. Don’t irritate us.’ I still remember the way he cursed that lady. When the young man in Chennai called a vegetable vendor Paatti (grandma), to this young conductor, an old lady is Kelavi, that is, literally an old woman and derogatory too!
This is the difference between Trivandrum and Chennai; in fact, Chennai and many other cities. I have seen many, many such incidents to prove my point that Chennai is the kindest city I have seen.
Let me narrate one more instance. Once again, I was travelling in a bus, and sitting near the window. A young college girl got in at a stop and took a seat in front of me. When the bus came to a halt at the next stop, a young man riding a bicycle came to a screeching halt near the bus. He was panting and sweating; perhaps trying to keep pace with the bus. He waved a CD and asked, ‘I saw this falling from a girl’s bag who got into this bus. Whose is this?’ Suddenly the college girl looked at the CD and exclaimed in an embarrassed tone, ‘Sorry, it’s mine. I didn’t know it had fallen. Thanks a lot.’ ‘Its ok. I cycled behind the bus thinking it may be of importance to someone.’ He gave the CD to her and cycled back. I was dumbfounded to see someone doing such an unselfish act.
I have been living in this city for a little more than ten years- the longest I have ever lived in one place- and I feel like living here for a few more years.
Posts
Dr Bruno,
Some questions of my own –
I hope you would answer them.
1. Do you know that the landed Jats in Rajasthan, the influential and powerful Yadavs in Uttar Pradesh are also OBCs?
If you know the above, then you would know that they would also enjoy the spoils of reservation, if the policy is implemented in its present form.
2. Do you know how easy it is to make false income certificates for people who are not government servants, especially for those who are businessmen and farmers?
3. Do you know that the management quota and NRI quota are limited to private aided and unaided colleges? There is no such quota in Central government institutes.
4. Do you know that most of these private colleges are owned by politicians or controlled by them through shadow boards?
5. Do you know that these are the same politicians (who have shown rare unanimity on the issue of expanding quotas in government institutes ) who won’t take the initiative to abolish these quotas because they are money spinning tricks?
6. Do you know that in the medical colleges the SC/STs study under the same teachers, use the same library facilities, live in the same hostels and eat the same food as upper caste students?
7. Do you know that in spite of the above, these reserved category students don’t perform at par with open category in post graduate (PG) entrance exam. Access the PG exam results of AIIMS (July 2006 session) to see for yourself- http://www.aiims.edu/aiims/events/result/aiimspg-jul06.htm.
8. Do you know that these exams are also open to the extremely bright and meritorious reserved category students from the state of Tamil Nadu ?
9. Do you know that in all India PG exams of Jan 2006 (which have no provisions for reservation) also only 30 SC/ST students could make it to the merit list of 2000?
10. Do you know that even these exams are also open to the brilliant reserved category students from the state of Tamil Nadu ?
11. Do you know that most of the students admitted under the SC/ST quota in Central Institutes are progeny of affluent parents who have undergone schooling in the best public schools and have been tutored at the same coaching centers which you call upper class preserves?
ANY ANSWERS?