As an Indian, I must say that we have our strengths, but there’s one thing that irks me so badly that I cannot overlook it - our civic sense. I will also humbly admit that I have also fallen low at times and done what everyone was doing. I need to hold myself to higher standards even when everyone around is doing the wrong thing.
The situation becomes much more evident and prominent when you are outside the country. When there are other people to contrast it to, we appear so ill-mannered and inconsiderate that I feel ashamed. It’s a deep-rooted cultural issue that needs systematic improvement. A few things that I’ve noticed:
- Taking super loudly in public settings that disturb other people
- Not having patience to follow simple rules like standing in a queue or not cutting the queue
- Inability to wait for the green light or look for a zebra crossing to cross the road
- Abysmal garbage management and littering
- Privilege mentality - being late, making others wait
It is intriguing how Indians are disliked more by fellow Indians abroad. Probably it’s a reflection of our own selves when we give such a reaction to fellow countrymen abroad.
To further this I would also like to retrospect on why are Indians like this and the probable cause for this?
High Competition and Scarcity - India has always been a populous country, today the most. The resources and amenities have never been enough historically and presently, to meet the needs of everyone. People would generally flaunt rules and rush to avail the service. This could highlight the constant sense of rush and hurry. The lack of enough providers in terms of amenities and consumers would have also fueled the lack of civic sense as there were none to start with. It started a chain reaction which continues to date. When people are lucky enough to see and realize there is a better way of doing it, some choose to improve.
Heavy Colonial History - Any country that was colonized may know from its history how harsh and heavy it weighs on its people. I personally feel Indians have developed a huge inferiority complex, which made sense when the Britishers ruled us and the way we were treated, but again the chain is never broken and keeps flowing down generation after generation. The officers and the babus (or in fact anyone who has any kind of authority) in the country still have such a huge sense of entitlement that it breaks the heart. This triggers more chain reactions of complexes, and there is no end to it.
We as the current generation of the country need to ensure that we do better than what we have seen. In this age when we see and learn from all around the world, we need to take the best from different cultures and make it our own. Only this will make our country a place worth living.
P.S. I am a Universalist, but I was still born in a country, religion, and family. I can leave these behind, but these are the places where I have the most influence to make a difference.