I love my India

Please note: This post is only about my personal observations and experiences and in no way, generalizes the culture/lifestyle of any country. This post is also not about comparison since each country is so great in itself that there never can be any kind of comparison possible.

This is one topic on which I argue with desi people everyday everytime.. I have noticed one thing among all NRIs, they just love criticizing India.. Why? You were born in that country, you studied in that country, now just because you stay in a different country, you need not say it is a bad country.. I have also seen vice versa..
Each country has its own principles and culture.. We cannot say one of them is better than the other.. I like some aspects of both the countries.. No country is ideal.. It just depends on which aspect of that country you are concerned about..

So let me mention things I love about both the countries..

Things I love about US:

1. Disciplined public:

   This is something that everyone likes about this country and it is the main reason why this country is so clean and neat.. People are really well cultured and show courtesy for others e.g: nobody talks loudly in buses/trains/public places, people do not tend to use cell phones and chit-chat thereby disturbing others, they do not litter or shout in public places, nobody has to come holding a stick to make them form a queue (in places where waiting is necessary)..

2. Basic manners:

We read a lot about manners in Moral Science when we are kids but do we follow anything?  No.. Has illiteracy or population got to do with it? Not sure.. but here you see people so well-mannered that you listen to “Thank you” and “Sorry” so many times in a day that even you start saying.. People thank the bus driver for giving a ride and he, in return smiles and says “Have a nice day”..

1. Morality:

   You hardly find corrupt people who would sell their ethics/morality for money.. E.g: You can trust the police, you can trust the fact that almost everyone is just and they, if not all the times, most of the times make sure there is justice.. Another example is the work culture, if you work hard and get results, you are appreciated.. It is not that you must be a chamcha to your manager to get appreciation..

Things I love about India:

1. Parenthood:

   Parents think that it is their duty to make sure their kids get the best education, best possible life and they do that by sacrificing their own needs/desires.. Even if parents cannot afford to pay for your tution, they take loans, all kinds of pains to make sure their kids get everything that they themselves did not get.. The major reason to love India is that you have your loved ones there.. There are some people who dont even like visiting their homeland, not even once in 5-6 yrs!!!

2. No independent lives:

   This is something that I both like and despise sometimes.. Our lives are so intertwined and we interfere so much in each other’s lives.. For eg: if a girl next door gets a new boyfriend, everyone in that locality will be interested in knowing what happened to her earlier boyfriend.. The good thing about this is that people try to avoid (not always) doing something wrong.. this is because they tend to think – “what will others think if I do this.. is what I am doing right? or wrong?”.. the bad thing is that sometimes you feel they are interfering too much.. Another plus point is if something bad happens to you, there are people who will readily come to your aid (neighbors, relatives) since our social networks are so well connected..

3. Population:

   I know some people may say that I have put this under a wrong section but I really like the fact that we are hugely populated..  I will tell you why.. You meet so many people everyday and your life is so much more social.. Be it the paper delivery boy, the milk delivery boy or the grocery shop person or the petrol bunk guy or the guy you meet while walking on the road.. We, at every point, meet so many people.. If all these things are automated or delivered through mail, you feel you are in some robotic world with hardly any humans to interact with and with each human just being concerned about his/her life..