A place on earth

It is strange how the gift of having a way with words comes attached with the curse of having a writer’s block. The effect of this ailment can be extremely severe, with symptoms ranging from not being able to blog, write emails or even engage in meaningless banter on text messengers. It can last as short or as long as possible, and there is no cure. You see the keyboard in front of you, your fingers itch to hit at some keys and type some words, but the brain just refuses to open up and let you hook a couple of words together to form a sentence. If I were a superhero, with writing my superpower, a writer's block would be my kryptonite!

What comes to mind with this analogy of superheroes and their superpowers is the fascinating observation that, with almost every superhero ever invented, when their powers were diminished they somehow always found a way to bounce back. Superman flew through the dark clouds to face the dazzling rays of the sun and removed the kryptonite stuck in his 24-pack abs, Spiderman was motivated to resume his web-flinging skyscraper-dangles when a tentacly villain snatched Mary Jane, Batman healed his broken back by doing pull-ups and climbed out of a hole in a manner which would’ve put even the most gifted monkey to shame, Iron Man overcame his nightmares by making more Iron Mans, and Thor got his Hammer to fly back to him by just letting a giant tin-man get the better of him. What it takes to regain your powers is a stimulant, a much-needed boost, which makes everything all right.

I have had said ‘boost’. It was a usual sunny day, and I was on my way to office. My usual route takes me by Sancheti Hospital and as I neared the crossing the signal turned red. I rolled to a stop. As I looked around, I noticed a blind man waiting to cross the road. Being deprived of vision, he most probably wasn’t able to understand that the signal had turned red, and as a result was relying on the sound of the vehicles passing by to attempt to cross the road. Mine was the only vehicle waiting at the signal then, and traffic was sparse. He began to cross the road tentatively, by reaching out with his stick, probing to sense any obstacles that would mean he needed to stop. At that very moment, the signal preceding the one at Sancheti Hospital opened up and a huge onslaught of traffic began approaching the one at which this person was attempting to cross the street. Vehicles began rushing past the man, despite the signal being red. One of them even made contact with the stick that he was reaching out with, and he seemed to sense that all wasn’t well. Very calmly, without any sign of disappointment having registered on his person, the man stepped back toward the edge of the road, waiting for another opportunity to cross. And it was then that I noticed something which really stirred my soup; the man, who was blind, was waiting at the exact center of the zebra crossing present at the signal. The signal turned green, and I moved on.

We see and experience gruesome indifference and angst everywhere in our country, in different situations, with varying intensity. Which brings to mind the question - is our country a good place to live?

All of us have friends, acquaintances and family who have been to various countries across the world. There are also those that have relocated permanently, or those that aspire to do so. Many of us have also had the opportunity to experience the culture of another country. When I speak with people about what they felt was the most striking difference between other cultures and ours and the one aspect that they found most impressive about that country, the most common response that I get is this - “the people there are amazing, and the quality of life is excellent”. When I have proceeded to delve further and seek clarifications as to why that is not the case with our country, I’ve found that I am flooded with a deluge of problems that range from people spitting on the roads and not halting at red lights, to corruption, inadequate civic infrastructure, pollution and ungainly public transport, to name a few. When I receive such responses, the prominent feeling that I experience is that of shame; I feel ashamed that our country isn’t good enough for us. I feel that the expectations that we have from the ecosystem of our country are realistic, and the primary root cause of all the problems that result in our expectations not being met, is only one - the mentality of the people. This perhaps is the singular differentiator of the shortcomings of the developing culture that ours is.

Now the question this situation leads to is this, what are we going to do about it, and if anything at all can be done, who would do it? Can those of us who have experienced the greener side of the great divide do something about it? Sure, we cannot alleviate the problems of pollution, civic infrastructure, corruption or public transport single-handedly. But is there something that we, as individuals, can do?

The answer is yes. There are some things that we can practice in our daily lives, which would require neither any effort nor cost. When done, they would not only enrich our lives, but would also enrich the lives of others. In doing so, we would have also set a stellar example. They are -

1. Avoid spitting in public areas:

If you have a habit, please practice restraint. Carry a bottle in which to spit. Let us remember that public places are perhaps even more sacred than our homes.

2. Respect the rules of the road:

Let us wait at red lights. Slow down and stop at orange lights. Start only when the signal becomes green. Let us follow lane and speed discipline. Remember, if we have young ones, we are being observed and would be emulated. It is essential to set the right example.

3. Be compassionate towards people:

Let pedestrians cross the roads on zebra crossings. It doesn’t require any effort to halt for a few seconds, let the person cross and move on. But this simple gesture would have a far reaching effect on those who experience it. They would remember their experience, and do the same when they are driving.

4. Stand in queues, wherever necessary:

Let us acknowledge that everyone’s time is important. Someone who has arrived at that place before we have, deserves to get his or her work done first. Respect their time. Consciously request people who break queues to not do so.

5. Avoid verbally, physically violent outbursts:

When speaking with people let us be cool, composed and polite. In a situation where a debate/argument is warranted, let us not lose our balance. Let us remember that life is not a Sallu movie, and brawly behavior must not be mistaken for machismo.

6. Cross the road only on the zebras:

The roads are meant for vehicles, zebra crossings for pedestrians. Let us walk a little longer if a zebra crossing is not in sight.

7. Respect the rules of public transport:

When using buses, let us not sit in seats meant for women or the physically impaired. Let us keep them clean. Be aware of the situation of others, and give up your seat whenever needed.

8. Don’t litter public places:

Let us remember, public places aren’t garbage bins.

9. Avoid being aggressive:

We do not live in Somalia. We do not live in an active war-zone. We do not need to fight for basic necessities. Let us not be aggressive. Not only is it unbecoming, but it would impede any desirable outcome, and harm relationships permanently.

10. Do not be prejudiced by regional/caste differences:

People are people. Respect everyone.

11. Say ‘thank you’ with a smile, as frequently as possible:

Nothing works better than a ‘thank you’ and a smile. Use it abundantly.

A line from the movie Munich has had a lasting impression on my psyche. There is this mother, speaking with her son (played by Eric Bana), who has experienced the titanic struggle that the people of Israel suffered to achieve freedom. The discussion is laced with the context of the son who is a Israeli government agent, tasked to find and kill the people who were responsible for the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, reflecting on his actions after having completed his mission. The son questions his conscience, as although the mission was for the good of a people, it involved taking the lives of others. The mother then tells him, to remind him of the gravity of the situation of his country (Israel), with the intent to convey that any action taken for the greater good is not wrong - “We have a place on earth. At last.”

We, the people of this country, have so much. Let us make it better.