Lift and the Elevator and so on.....

Today as we were coming to the fifth floor in the lift, I observed that our lift travellers were different from the usual lift users. It is said that even when the occupants of the lift know others well, not much of conversation takes place inside the lift. Everyone appears to be engrossed in his/her own world. But our lift users are a merry lot and there is lot of fun discussing how the lift accommodates more than eight people and how some thin and young people can manage to be inside the lift even if we exceed the limit of eight persons. We refer to them as weightless (is it because they wait less for the lift!) and the fun goes on.

This led me to think of an incident that happened years ago when I was working for a leading bank!  My immediate boss and I were waiting to go to the third floor where our bigger boss was holding his sway. My immediate boss (who had returned from US of A after a stint of 3 years) said ‘this elevator is very slow’ and immediately started correcting himself to say ‘lift’ and then said ‘habits die hard’. We in India generally do not refer to lifts as elevators – we are happy with the layman’s word ‘lift’. I said, ‘it’s ok. I understand (I was an avid reader of Perry Mason stories and was therefore fairly familiar with the American lingo).

He then talked about American offices – how the secretary to a chief executive has no hesitation in addressing the boss as ‘Paddy” if his name was Padmanabhan and the chief executive did not mind being addressed thus. However, the same ‘Paddy’ desired that officers from India posted in that foreign office had to address him as “Sir”. Our colonial mindset does not permit the Indian officers addressing him as ‘Paddy” and it is okay if a native (of USA, if you will pardon my usage) addresses him by such abridged and convenient tag! When will we change?

That brings to my mind the informality that Americans generally exude when interacting with others, whatever their nationality. Your truly has personally experienced the warmth displayed by strangers. My wife and self used to go for morning walks. A school, where my grand-daughter studies, is located in the route route that we used to take – my wife used to say that she feels like attending school again – the building is so inviting and attractive! At around 7.45 a.m. a police officer would be near the school directing traffic to ensure that the children cross the road safely, the school-going cars go in order etc. But when he sees us – we had to cross a main road – he will stop all traffic, wave his hands in greeting us and ensure that we safely cross the road. Such nice gesture – can we expect that here?

Then there are some parents (of the school children) who volunteer to be honorary traffic regulators. One such used to get down from her car, come to us and wish us ‘good morning’, say ‘have a nice day’. Total stranger but still so friendly – that is how the celebrated definition of ‘stranger’ has perhaps come – ‘a stranger is a friend whom you have not yet met’. And if we had skipped our walking schedule for a day or two, she was sure to ask us whether everything was ok with us.

There are lots of things that I may not appreciate about the USA but these nice gestures from total strangers are something that is heart-warming.

And the pride that most of these – remember, USA is a country of immigrants – is something that we need to emulate about our country. The mere slogan ‘Mera Bharat Mahan” is not enough.

Each one of us needs to feel that in our hearts and treat our tourists that way. But what do we hear – the tourists are fleeced by our transporter, make life perilous for them (we have heard of molestations and killings). Will these enthuse foreigners to visit our great country? Unless we really live up to ‘Aditi Devobhava” , India will still be seen as the land of snake charmers and the like.

Wake up India; make this a welcome tourist country. Let not our newspapers scream of atrocities on tourists but show India as a Nation that welcomes, respects every tourist.