[gaurav_diavolo]

It is absolutely disgusting that everytime a 'foreigner' visits India he either pastes pictures of poverty or cows and dogs on the streets. Common guys there is way more to India. The article doesnt talk about anything like....India has the one of the largest road networks in the world, the largest number of 'millionaires' in the world and we pay twice for mercedes and bmw's still buy them in twice the number for that matter of fact.

If you gotta show the coin to someone, both head and tail should be shown. India doesnt start and end on cows, cricket and low cost of living.....may be the better part of India and values stand beyond understanding of these firangs......so the article is all about amusement of gora readers and doesnt cover even 10 percent of the reality!

[amit]

Originally Posted by DCEite

But the question is, do we really require a foreigner to enlighten us about our problems? Aren't the 1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.) people of India capable of raising their voice and dealing with their own problems?

You do when most of those 1,09,351,995 people feel that the only problems India has are couples sitting together in parks or at Banstand, Richard Gere giving a peck to Shilpa Shetty and Mandira Bedi's sari having the Indian flag near her knees.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by ballkey

There's an feature in Edmunds-Inside line about a foreigner taking a driving school lesson in Mumbai.

Taking Your Driving Test -- in India!

The article is predictably about cows, population and blaring horns - but what's amusing is the guy's apparent horror about the conditions on road. Welcome to India, Dude!

JC had done this years ago in Motorworld India. Or wait, maybe he drove a jeep. But an 800 definitely was featured. Along with the Amby. And it also featured a certain Mr. Pranlal Bhogilal .

[Rtech]

If I remember correctly, JC drove an open top Mahindra to Lonavla with Hormazd as passenger, commenting on our overtaking on highways and belief in God to save us instead of brakes or seatbelts. He also drove a rickshaw in Mumbai, an Amby in Calcuta, "unvieled" the Rover Motego outside the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, and checked out some of the great vintage Rolls Royces.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Rtech

If I remember correctly, JC drove an open top Mahindra to Lonavla with Hormazd as passenger, commenting on our overtaking on highways and belief in God to save us instead of brakes or seatbelts. He also drove a rickshaw in Mumbai, an Amby in Calcuta, "unvieled" the Rover Motego outside the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, and checked out some of the great vintage Rolls Royces.

Yeah, i remember seeing this episode a long long time ago.

I really cant understand some of the sentiments being shown here. Why this general hatred towards a certain people. Everyone has their own perspective of the other world. Our general perception of the western world is full of vice, divorce & fast food & technology (Which they invented). do we ever stop talking about that ? Their perception of India is different. our rising skylines or the rare mercs & bmws & swanky shopping malls will not interest them in anyway. it is these peculiar sights of cattle & men co-existing in an urban environment that they will talk about. Our eyes are accustomed to this where as their eyes are accustomed to the tall buildings & latest cars & general cleanliness wherever they go.
cheers

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by amit

You do when most of those 1,09,351,995 people feel that the only problems India has are couples sitting together in parks or at Banstand, Richard Gere giving a peck to Shilpa Shetty and Mandira Bedi's sari having the Indian flag near her knees.

Yes but then you are talking about a handful of idiots who want to call themselves "the moral police". I dont agree that "most" of the Indians belong to that stupid ideology, and even if it was to be true, it no way justifies foreign intervention in our problems.


BTW i think we are drifting away from the topic here. The topic was about a foreigner making mockery of Indians, the cows, the roads etc. So let us stick to that.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by DCEite

BTW i think we are drifting away from the topic here. The topic was about a foreigner making mockery of Indians, the cows, the roads etc. So let us stick to that.

No, i think the topic was a foreigner's impression about driving in India. . The cows & bad roads just happen to be in it.

[jyobeb]

It only hurts if a foreigner writes it huh? Its the truth for Gods sake and cribbing about how a foreigner makes us look bad does not wish away the fact that its true and its happening. Get used to it.
This is like saying that the Indians in America have no right to disagree with their gun laws.
What happens on our roads is disgusting and lawless. Do something about that instead of abusing the "Goras"!!!

[Ajay_J]

Originally Posted by DCEite

huh! Enough of mockery of Indians and India. Seen this stuff too much in BBC, Discovery etc. Give me a break!

DCEite,
Why should not they make mockery of us when we are like this. See the way road are in our beloved country. The way people drive (me first, me first, others go to hell). Too much of horn, all kinds of animals on roads, the way we follow traffic rules (even the educated people), the way people spit on the roads and openly urinate at public places. Where are we ? Welcome to the third world !! . Yes that is what our nation is and that is why foreigners have all rights to laugh at us and make mockery of us. Lets face it.I had unfortunately attended few of European clients in my company and I was finding corners when they asked me quite obvious but strange question about our civic and traffic sense, and what could I say... We are like this.... no no!! ... "we are developing nation" I said "that is why contrast every where", and I could skip atleast momentarily.
Sorry If I dented anybody's sentiments but truth has to prevail.

[DCEite]

@Ajay_J, Joydeb and Esteem_Lover

First of all we have to understand, why in the first place they make mockery of us. From my second post in this thread:

Most of these people (the phoreigners) have more to do with creating sensation and amusement amongst their own countrymen about India and to create an image of a "backward nation", rather than to make us aware of our problems.

Now comes the second part.
Do you think that we as Indians wont become aware of our problems unless and until outsiders point us to it? Or make mockery of it? Do you really think the entire 1 billion plus population of India including you and me is useless, lazy, irresponsible, incompetent to deal with these problems ? Sure, its a shame on us, if it is actually true. But does that justify foreign intervention ?

Again quoting from my second post:

But the question is, do we really require a foreigner to enlighten us about our problems? Aren't the 1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.) people of India capable of raising their voice and dealing with their own problems?

The whole point is not that i am trying to hide our own incompetency regarding failure to keep roads clean, contain pollution etc. but the fact that its my problem and not yours. And i don't need your advice on what is wrong and what is right. Why dont you set your own house in order, rather than talking about my problems ?

Finally,
Let me tell you about an incident.
One of my classmates was a big smoker. He used to have about 12 ciggys in a day.
One fine day, i asked him. Why dont you try to quit? Dont you know that so much smoking can be harmful for your body?
He replied "I know. Smoking is my personal choice. Its my own issue, Who are you to advice me? I am mature enough to deal with my own problems. Thanks for the unsolicited advice anyways."
After that day, he didnt talk with me ever.

Looking back, i think he was right. Who am I to enlighten him about his problems. He is mature enough to deal with it himself. Why should i interfere?

So i hope you get the drift, what i am trying to say.

And if you mean to say that the 1 billion plus people of India are incompetent to deal with their own problems, than thats a big shame on us and we should do something about it, rather than laughing with the "goras" about it.

[Ajay_J]

Originally Posted by DCEite

@Ajay_J, Joydeb and Esteem_Lover
Finally,
Let me tell you about an incident.
One of my classmates was a big smoker. He used to have about 12 ciggys in a day.
One fine day, i asked him. Why dont you try to quit? Dont you know that so much smoking can be harmful for your body?
He replied "I know. Smoking is my personal choice. Its my own issue, Who are you to advice me? I am mature enough to deal with my own problems. Thanks for the unsolicited advice anyways."
After that day, he didnt talk with me ever.
Looking back, i think he was right. Who am I to enlighten him about his problems. He is mature enough to deal with it himself. Why should i interfere?
.

DCEite,
I'm afraid you are discussing different things here. There are two part of an individuals life
1) Private life
2) Public life
You should never let other interfere with your private life and that is exactly your friend did not like when you advised him not to smoke and you cant help here. But What if same guys throws cigarette butts all over the public places and you tell him not to do so....Will he still say "Its my life, I care a damn" ? If yes then YES we are Indians.
What I mean here that public life is what other can comment. Note that CIVIC sense generally termed when general public life is affacted directly or indirectly with our deeds.

[DCEite]

No Ajay it seems you didnt understand what i was trying to convey.

Try to take the example of me and my friend which i gave, to a higher level. We are talking about nations here.
Its a problem of my nation, not your(the "gora"). Sure, if my polluting roads, cows are a menace for YOU or your nation, surely you have full right to object, but as long as its a problem confined to my own country, why you (a foreigner) is interfering with that?

[Ajay_J]

Originally Posted by DCEite

No Ajay it seems you didnt understand what i was trying to convey.

Try to take the example of me and my friend which i gave to a higher level. We are talking about nations here. Its a problem of my nation, not your. Sure, if my polluting roads, cows are a menace for YOU or your nation, surely you have full right to object, but as long as its a problem confined to my own country, why you (a foreigner) is interfering with that?

Well, I did get your point. And again, I guess they are not interfering, thay are laughing at and making fun of us. We do see circus and laugh at them, right !! and for them our civilization is circus all the way. And I don't blame them for it.MO.

[amit]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Its a problem of my nation, not your(the "gora"). Sure, if my polluting roads, cows are a menace for YOU or your nation, surely you have full right to object, but as long as its a problem confined to my own country, why you (a foreigner) is interfering with that?

Constructive criticism. Why not take what a foreigner or anyone for that matter says in the right spirit and DO something about it rather then turn it into a race issue? For example, a year or so back, the PM fed up with Bangalore traffic sense gave a big speech to the people about improving things (there is a thread about that on this forum). Why didn't that hurt the Karnatak government and the people of Bangalore? What was done about it? For all you know, the CM may have sniggered at the PM for giving lofty and idealistic speeches. Things in India can improve IF the people change their attitude.

Do you think that we as Indians wont become aware of our problems unless and until outsiders point us to it? Or make mockery of it?

Even after outsiders point out our problems, we ask them to mind their own business and leave us alone in our filth.

Do you really think the entire 1 billion plus population of India including you and me is useless, lazy, irresponsible, incompetent to deal with these problems ?

About 60 years since independance and our problems are still the same as they were in 1947 and things are only getting worse everyday. To give an example, when i came back after living abroad for just 1 year and 5 months, I could see that the deteroriation in Mumbai traffic was drastic. In 2005, hardly anyone jumped signals at 10 PM. Today no one bothers about traffic lights even at 10 AM. Going by what we see on the roads everyday, I would say, unfortunately yes, we all are useless, lazy, irresponsible and incompetent to deal with our problems. In fact we are worse because if someone points it out to us, we snigger at him/them and turn it into a race issue. In any case, how will the country improve when the politicians themselves are busy taking people illegally out of the country for money?

[ggkg]

Guys let us not miss the big picture. There are no questions about whether or not what the guy said is right. There is also not a question of is he as American, right to say that - as open democratic societies, we have right to criticise each other positive or negative. Whether original or duplicate and so on...

It is the excessive importance given to someone just because he is gora that is wrong. To me that sounds like racism! Starting a thread in the Indian car scene did sound like too much importance, but that error has since been rectified and now it is in adda thread where comments by anyone - be it a mumbai taxi driver, Somali refugee or Pakistani terrorist or Ford CEO are welcome and be taken in right spirit.