Brown Jugaris

 

As Indians we need to learn that sometimes sticking to some more feasible (and more Indian sounding) means and mechanisms does not essentially indicate the signs of a poor, third world country. We just need to come out of this age-old British Raj habit that anything said, done, contrived or any product, service or technology do not necessarily become the reference scale for excellence to downgrade our own stuff with relatively poor marks. 

 

Western toilet seats are great! They serve a great purpose in countries where the people to loos ratio is pleasantly equal to 1:1. You use your utility and any unbecoming fallouts are still digestible because it’s more or less personal like your underwear. But in India, a single loo bears the brunt of so many gastronomically thundering furies as would not be suffered by the combined total of a whole Western settlement. Given the unrelenting bombardment the Indian toilet seat served its purpose well. Now coming to the grafting of Western loo concept in India. Big families, big offices, big crowds at public toilets in malls, cinemas and elsewhere make it nightmarish even for peeing, forget about putting your arse down for unloading. And if the urgency forces you, it’s just like perching upon somebody's great work just seconds ago. But while exposing our bottoms to so many eager bacteria and viruses we draw solace in the fact that we are doing it in the Western way. 

 

Another example is the poorly creaking state of new Greenline buses in Delhi. It is modelled on the Western kind of public transport: smart, sleek, used by just as many passengers as won’t even fill up all the seats even during the rush hours; and last but not the least meant for malai jaisa smooth suave roads for best jerkless rides. Now here is the concept dumped in India: the poor thing travels sluggishly with thrice or fourth of its carrying capacity; its low floorboards hitting the road while it jumps painfully over potholes; technically inefficient DTC staff not having any clue whenever the poor thing runs into troubles. During the old days, the drivers were half-mechanics and sorted out most of the problems themselves. We have to accept that we Indians are jugaris (contrivers): the jugglers and contrivers who juggle up various unrelated elements to meet and resolve uncountable, ever-opening problems and issues. And this trait has seen the Indian elephant slugger ahead slowly but steadily on the path of growth. If we just graft the Western concepts outlandishly and slavishly we will just put our bums to risks.