India - Social attitudes

Social issues - always top the list when it comes to living in India.

The Indian culture is known for its hospitality, the great heritage, the kings and queens and brave display of non-violence - the list goes on. But in reality, in modern India; when it comes to day to day life the picture is quite different. We may talk endlessly about the humbling scenes from the streets of India, and get carried away by these depictions of life in India. But, when it comes to really living here; things can take some extreme turns and you can end up with very frustrating experiences.

It is a little over a year since we moved to India. In this past year I have observed and witnessed many social disturbances; such as fights among residents in an apartment complex, arguments between a vendor and consumer, power struggle between a schoolbus driver and a parent, insubordination expectations between a maid and her employer, etc etc. These things are bound to affect your life every now and then. Some people chose to ignore and move on, some chose to fight and fix it, some chose to simply join in and contribute to the craziness and some seem to run away and move back to their previous life.

The society here is sort of weird. Very divided in terms of several factors - financial level(Oh, they have 3 cars!) , language(Oh these hindi speaking people, or Oh these madarasi), caste (Vegetarian tenant wanted, sub-caste no bar in matrimony ads), attitude (too much style!), possessions (you don;t have a wii??). The list goes on.

Another big problem or maybe the biggest problem is the "Power struggle" - Who listens to who, and who is the boss here. A classic problem in most arguments. Ego wars are everywhere. Basic human reaction is suppressed by the compulsion to dominate any situation. If I scream, I must be sounding right is the attitude of most poeople. You will come across some of the most hyprocratic people in the world. This may be the case in may societies and countries - but here in India, you will see a lot of first-hand and everyday. People are extremely diverse here. Regulation and conformity is near impossible. Apologies to others are unknown, but apologies at a ganesha temple will be quite apparent - again a selfish thought.

The struggle of living in a developing poor country shows tremendously in the social attitudes of people - even if they have struggled out of poverty. Always expect people to only worry about themselves first.

But, I still Love India! All the stuff mentioned above is not necessary absent in other cultures.. maybe just in a different format. The states has always be a very "me, myself" attitude. Too independent and too self-centered way of life. In India, you are forced to get along and drag along a whole bunch with you when you move forward or backward.

For what its worth, the country is beyond all normal experience, packed with adventure at every turn, fun and frolic, awesome food, great clothes, colors every where, family oriented, and of course the unlimited travel destinations.

Jai Hind! All this country needs is a bit of love from its citizens.