Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram's comments on the people of New Delhi being rude and ill mannered, comes a little late and certainly very mild in expression!
Utterly poor in manners and etiquettes, I have come to experience this malady in person during my stay there for an extended period of 3 years!
It is a shame, a national one at that, to be known for the manner in which a people collectively behave so offensively, particularly at a time when race, nationalities, international borders and such nuances matter very little!
So, where lies the problem? Lack of education and civility? Faulty upbringing? Boorishness equated to manliness, as a result of a deep rooted sense of inferiority?
Or is it as a result of what most Delhiites are best at being - a recalcitrant hoi polloi?
I think there are no Delhiites as such like Tamilians or Bengalies or Marathis. People in Delhi are mostly from nearby states and also from other parts of the country. Therefore there seems to be an absence of a common culture which might be the reason for their typical behavioral pattern.
ReplyDeleteI have lived here all my life and naturally I don't agree to this .. its gross the way people of this country target people of different states or cities 'collectively' by calling them ill-mannered in this fashion when we claim unity in diversity. They beat-up migrants in Mumbai for being 'bhaiya' and spoiling their culture too .. what the hell .. if we Delhities are ill-mannered then so are Chidambarams, Sonia Gandhis, presidents, prime-ministers and blah blah coz they all live here in big bunglows or are they some exclusive class and have descended from the moon..? Delhi is inhabited by people from all over the country so this "recalcitrant hoi polloi" expression should describe all Indians.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, it seems to me that Delhi-bashing is pretty much in style over the blogs. Have read such posts elsewhere too and found them all in bad taste..*shrugs*
A topic close to my heart! I agree, but with a lesser intensity.
ReplyDeleteI have been living here for the last 5 years and I see such behaviour all the time. Delhi-ites simply cant see it because, to them, it is normal behaviour. I guess, it is a cultural difference thing.
I have lived in this city for more than 10 years and feel that Delhi should not be singled out from the other metros. The other three metros are equally ill mannered.
ReplyDeleteBangalore used to be place with people who thought good manners was a virtue but again that crop has faded steadily over the last 15, 20years.
I think that this ill mannered Delhite arises out of the very competive city that we live where commuting has taken away the good amount of quality time that every individual has had for him/herself. This has led to a mechanised lifestyle where there exists no meaning to life other than material pursuit. There should be more impetus on social responsibility and moral uprightness should be appreciated or conversely anti-social and immoral living should be discouraged. eg-Singapore
Very nice post .
ReplyDeleteI have never been to delhi, So i cant comment on this. I have some very good friends from Delhi and I found them all good :)
ReplyDeleteNever been to Delhi so cannot comment on that. Do know that its not a safe place for women as they are in bombay!!
ReplyDeleteThe home minister comment is not going to make any effect unless followed by some awareness campaigns.
I guess we have this problem throughout our country ! why target Delhi alone !!
ReplyDeletecome to Bangalore man..the bloody cops here r the worst I've encountered anywhr...and thr's a kind of 'u r an outsider' attitude to us if we dont speak the native language here...
ReplyDeletebut I still love the place..:)
Interesting, I've heard many of my friends echoing similar opinion but I find it could just be a stereotypism which grossly distorts the fact.
ReplyDeleteI stayed over a week in Delhi and didn't come across anything uniquely bad about the city, just another bad mannered Indian metro. Bangalore was just as bed, with the auto drivers, bus conductors and the policemen competing to outdo each other in 'classlessness'. I don't know, I read Chidambaram's statement and didn't feel he targeted Delhiites as such. Just a call-out to be careful because the spotlight is on us. I think he would've said the same if the Games were to be held in Chennai.. :)
So I'm from there, and yes, I love it but I can call a spade a spade. But here, I'd beg to differ. I'd say Delhi is as polite or impolite as any other metro. Simply because it has migrants from all over the country, (and no, not just the nearby states as your friend has posted in the first comment -- I have friends who are originally from as far down as Chennai but call themselves Delhiites now.) I don't know what incidents/experiences you have had, but I think, and hope, that they've only been examples of what is possibly a cultural misunderstanding. Delhi can be loud and crude, but not ill-mannered. If nothing else, our tehzeeb, especially imported from Lucknow, should save us! :)
ReplyDeleteI find that people from Delhi are generally much more aggressive than us others. They have an in-your face attitude that can sometimes be very rude. I definitely feel they should temper down. But having said that aggressiveness, in itself, is not a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI am a delhite and I also feel that people here are rude....
ReplyDeletethe reason behind this is the fact that most of them are those who have come from near by places like meerut, saharanpur, muzzarfarnagar etc..who want to switch from a rural to a civic life....there is crude in them only because they are always tense about settling themselves in..
I dont think we should generlize people...every individual is unique..its just that there are a few common traits...the rude people can be found anywhere....i have seen them in pune, mumbai, dubai, chiplun, ratnagiri..everywhere....
ReplyDeleteDelhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune...
ReplyDeleteName the city and you will find people rude there. Its not about the city, its about us Indians as a nation. We are rude. But then you can't expect us to be French, right? If you want french then go to France.
What else would you expect of a people (I am singularising the whole country here) who had been freed from 200 years of gulami. They are boisterous, they are loud and more than that they are happy the way they are. We are a young nation, we will take sometime to transform into the english way.
Look around you, people are changing. We now work in airconditioned building and don't spit paan masala on the stair cases. We wait in queues for the lift. We stand in queues to get the food. We give our seats (in buses) to the elderly. We talk softly on the phone.
We are evolving. Give us time.
A subject where I must stay absoluteley neutral, having unfortunately never visited India (yet)! Indians I have met elsewhere (including on the net) have all behaved very well! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe just say we’re Indians, but we’re distinguished within many issues and more importantly in language. Education alone does nothing, now its going commercial and more importance is given to knowledge than senses. The change has to be accepted in families that deeply follow tradition.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read this. There was once a region wise conference in our company (whose HQ was in Mumbai) and when the turn came for South region, people were so quiet and not asking any questions etc. The management actually pointed out that we ought to have seen the North region conference where people are so loud and open about what they want to say and learn from them! I guess there is a difference in outward behaviour of various regions in this country, but within all Indians are absolutely the same - the means might be different, but they all have the same goals!
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
Old Monk
ReplyDeleteI agree! There are indeed no Delhiites such as those you have mentioned! They are a breed apart, who cannot be compared with others! But I mean no hurt, since I know and have reconciled to the fact that, such is how they are!
Cheers
Rakesh
Aria
ReplyDeleteLike I said before, I mean no harm or derogatory tone on every Delhiite, neither am I biased. I speak with experience and understand that rude people are everywhere and that Delhi is by no means an exception.
Also, I'm not for any retort or for beating up North Indians or for that matter whosoever!
Firstly, if you notice my post, I was merely examining the comments made by the Indian Home Minister. Second, I haven't said that all Delhiites are of the same kind. I have many good friends who are well behaved and cultured.
Now to your likening that the executive brass of the government, including the PM, must be of the same manner - Most certainly no! Once again, I reiterate that I'm talking about a section of people who behave so and not all! A place can indeed have all kinds of people, even if they have so descended from the Moon, don’t you think?
And finally, I have not engaged in any Delhi bashing nor used the post for any such means - merely pointed out something that is already there!
I would recommend that you look at it with a perspective of detachment to see a problem that most certainly exists and needs to be culled!
Cheers
Rakesh
HotCupofCoffee
ReplyDeleteMine too! I was there for 3 years and did encounter some incidents though largely a lot of my stay passed peacefully!
Cheers
Rakesh
Unsure Ascetic
ReplyDeleteIn reality, all places and their people are changing, for reasons best known to themselves, or rather I must say I wouldn't bother to prod on!
Like you said, a conscious decision on the part of people and some measures such as those in developed countries such as Singapore should help!
Cheers
Rakesh
Aditya
ReplyDeleteWell! I'll leave it for you to discern!
Cheers
Rakesh
Survivor
ReplyDeleteLike I told Aditya, above, I'll leave it for you to discern!
Cheers
Rakesh
Vimmuuu
ReplyDeleteAm not targeting Delhi at all - just examining the HM's comments combined with a look of what is already happening!
Cheers
Rakesh
Praveen
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bangalore has also in many ways changed for the worse and hope that it doesn't follow the Delhi way!
Like you, I too love Bangalore!
Cheers
Rakesh
Scorpiogenius
ReplyDeleteWell, it’s good to know that you did not face an untoward incident!
But then, don’t you think a week is too less a time for arriving at a judgement? I'm just asking!
And yes, any place has a share of rude people, not doubt....but the level of intensity is certainly much different!
Cheers
Rakesh
Absolutely Normal Chaos
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visit and comments! I request you to please follow my response to Aria, since my answers to her will be the same to you as well
Cheers
Rakesh
AJ
ReplyDeleteYes! Delhiites are definitely aggressive and brusque, no doubt! Maybe it’s in the genes!
And no, I disagree when you say that aggressiveness is good - it certainly isn’t! Or so I believe - firmly!
Cheers
Rakesh
Rahul
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you see the problem without bias! I want not to speculate on the problem but just that it needs to change!
Cheers
Rakesh
Shahid
ReplyDeleteWell....I do agree that rude people are everywhere, but don’t U think that needs to change?
Cheers
Rakesh
Paritosh
ReplyDeletePoints duly taken!
What more can I say if you attribute the problem to a history of issues......hopefully we will change, with time that is!
Cheers
Rakesh
Peter
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you have a good opinion of us Indians, and I do assure we are a good lot, with some minor glitches that will be erased with time!
Cheers
Rakesh
Jeevan
ReplyDeleteEducation alone does nothing, like you said! It is a matter of taking conscious decisions!
Cheers
Rakesh
DI
ReplyDeleteYes, there are some very pointed differences between people located in the North and the South as well!
And people who do visit from outside, do notice them......even we can notice them!
Cheers
Rakesh