vedi vini vici

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Mumbai: The most Rudest, is it??


Mumbai, the famous business capital of India and one of the most busiest cities not only in India, but also in World is declared as one of the most rudest city in world (A test conducted by Reader's Digest, among 35 big cities of World)...isn't it shocking??

Mumbai is the rudest city in the world, where door-holding, paper-picking and thanking a retailcustomer is not part of the culture.
Reader's Digest magazine sent reporters to the principalcities of each of the 35 countries where it is publishedto conduct a survey of local politeness. Three testswere employed: dropping papers in a busy street to seeif anyone would help; checking how often shop assistants said "thank you" and counting how often someone held a door open and picking up a newspaper etc..
If you think, Mumbai is rude...read this and judge yourself that Reader Digest published a crap few days back...

Just hours after news reached on our television screens of the Srinagar blasts, another series of blasts shook all of us.
7 highly planned bomb blasts have taken place in the local trains of Mumbai, and as of now, 183 people have been reported dead, with the numbers expected to rise.
I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of tension and mayhem which the people must be experiencing in Mumbai right now. I can actually see people sending SMSs to news channels, that are also being shown in a small screen below, asking their loved ones to contact them immediately and whether they're ok or not (But, i don't know, why these channels ask people liek us to send them the MMS or pictures of the incident...just to increase the popularity, and after people send them the MMS/pics, they say it with honor, we r the first ones to reach the aam junta...anyway!!why shud we run out of r discussion)
But despite all the anger,hatred and sadism...it is reassuring to know that courage and kindness still exist in the heart of some. For many hours after the blast occurred...NO police help...or help from the government came. In the face of such a calamity, it wasn't the inefficient "system" that responded...but rather the common man of India. Now I don't care how cliched that may sound, but that's exactly what happened. People who heard the blast came rushing to the scene to carry the injured to nearby hospitals themselves.
One of the most heart breaking scenes I saw, was that of a man being interviewed at the scene. He narrated,how he and several others carried away the bodies of the injured and the dead,the dismembered arms,legs,necks and what not,off the tracks all the way to the hospitals. He saw with his own eyes how the railway police ran away in terror, refusing to help, when they were asked. And as he narrated all this...he broke down in tears...trembling in fatigue, as the people crowded behind him...complete strangers...patted his head and rubbed his shoulders to comfort him. I'll never forget that scene, or his voice...as it broke down mid-way...squeaking the sentences somehow,as he fought to hold back his tears.
This is the common man of Mumbai.
This is the resident of "the rudest city in the world".
Another, story, that i saw on NDTV, was about a family in Malad, who were offering water, biscuits, Namkeen and other stuff to the people who were suffering and to the people who were relatives too (i don't know, whether the people thanked the family or not).
Last year, in 2005, there were heavy floods in this "rudest" city, and the Rain God(i think this GOD is Indra) was very happy, that's why, he just didn't stopped his action, and the rainfall continued for many days that resulted in flood.
Then, again the common man was in limelight, who just thought of doing some noble cause, he saved many people who were drowning, helped many to cross the water-logged streets..each and every one was helping each other.
These are the only 2 incidents, that i, living in Ludhiana know (watching whole news session through TV channels)...
Don't u think, rather than saying thank you, or other things, which RD made its criteria for....the biggest rudeness is being shown, when people are being abused, because of the color of their skin..n thats the thing for which Europeans, Americans and also other foriegners are famous for...and, there's no racism in India..(Three cheers, for that!!!)
Even players like Henry, Eto'o, David Edgars..and many others (from cricket too...like Clive lloyd..) are/were abused by the fans in the stadium(s)..that's why, FIFA launched a campaign this time, to stop racism, and to "SAY "NO" TO RACISM"...
What do u think, who is more rude...the Mumbaikers (if they dont' pick the newspaper, don't say a thanx or don't open the door etc.) or the foriegners (who abuse the people on the basis of their skin color, don't even want to have a talk with people whom they don't know)
Mumbai isn't rude at all, that's all, what i know!!!