Sudhakar and I have been mulling about moving out of the country. More so for the sake of our daughter. Its not that we need to make more money... we have enough of it thank you... Its just that this place seems to be to scary to live in anymore.
I keep wondering what will happen when my daughter hits her teenage. I would be scared to send her to a friend's party. Forget the moral police, the regular men in khakhi have taken it on themselves to be custodians of the elusive Indian culture. In Bangalore, the Indian culture is given a further narrow meaning with "Kannadiga culture".
I mean
1) Speak the local lingo or else auto drivers take you for a ride and cops don't register your complaint. A pre-dominantly Kannadiga office can get pretty uncomfortable.
2) Its wrong for women to wear western clothes since anything that comes to knee length is considered "scantily dressed". What will it be next - saree blouses that cover stomachs and salwar kameezes instead of school skirts?
3) Western music is bad... it should always be Kannada music - Then why in the world is Sandalwood's top most music director Guru Kiran obsessed with adding English lyrics to his songs? What classification do those come under?
There is no safety in this place, neither is there freedom of individual choice. Heck, I am even being told what to wear and whether to celebrate a party or not. If social work is what is on the minds of these people, I can give you guys a lot better things to burn your energies after. For the cops the best advice would be to try and do your jobs correctly. Stop turning the blind eye. Seriously kick butt when it comes to offenders. And leave us and our families alone. What they need protection from is from the likes of people like you.
For all those obsessing about "culture". Get out of those denim wear and then talk. Stop wearing branded exports... stop ogling at girls in western wear, remember your sisters and mothers in salwars too are not safe. Lust, you see, doesn't really bother about clothing. Stop aiming for jobs in MNCs, that is as western as it gets. Stop haunting all the coffee, burger and drinking joints. They are all a western influence. Hell! stop taking allopathic medicine and get back to basics - Ayurveda. Practice what you preach - it kinda helps set an example the good way.
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2 comments:
gosh ruth!! this has really got into you huh? i mean, i know its immensely frustrating, but to get out of the country coz of this seem to be carrying it a bit too far don't ya think? i mean, the grass is always greener on the other end..but when you actually get to it you can see the stones the mud and brown patches.
:) yeah you are right when you say its immensely frustrating. And I also totally agree that every nation has its own set of issues especially so for expats. But then the issues are almost never a result of a lackadaisical govt or a governing system that is so rotten from the core that it is beyond redemption.
True there is mud and brown patches - but then there is also hope for greenery to sprout there. Do you really see our country reaching a remotely decent level of humanity?
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