March 04, 2007

Blind Pride

In today's TOI, Shashi Taroor said: "Nor that depicting Indians, who as a people rank amongst the most hospitable on earth to foreigners of any kind, as being neither welcoming not courteous but positively nasty to strangers, is unfair and untrue: it both promotes xenophobia and denies our true national character". He was commenting on the Nimbus World Cup Ad controversy.

I don’t think one can generalize Indians as the "MOST hospitable"! Take a look at the auto rickshaw walas. The moment they see foreigners only one thing runs in their mind: how to con them and strip them off their money. Look at the govt. boards placed in popular tourist destinations: the entry fee for foreigners will be 10 times that of Indians!

Pride should be based on facts. Overlooking facts won't help much. Will it?


No comments: