ohh that smell, the smell of us around you

Today I am reminded of an incident i saw not too long back. Urinating on the street is all too common in India. Not Sure if there is a law against it or not, but if a law does exist it is not exercised; much like the women cannot wear pants law in Paris. I have seen ppl urinating on the streets in all places i have been to in India. Infact i have seen it happen in Dubai and the United States, but in the US if your caught, its a $50 fine. I speak from experience, not personal but that of a friend's; and in Dubai its probably jail time. However, the incident I am talking about is not urinating on the street but rather the other bodily excrement. Yes, i saw a man defecating on the street. True the man was homeless but to do that in public on a fairly busy street speaks volumes about our great country.

India they say is growing at a fast pace, 9% growth in the midst of a global recession. India is a developing nation knocking on the doors of the developed. But what is it that defines a country as developed? Is it the economy, trade relations, global stance and government? Or should the cities, infrastructure and population mimic those of the recognized developed nations such as United States, Japan, Australia or UK? If it is only the former then yes India is on its way towards the developed nations club and could essentially enter the club within a decade or so. However, if the latter needs to be considered then it may be a while, probably not in my lifetime, before India is considered a developed nation. Our cities are congested, the infrastructure is not well planned and our population is not well educated. Sure, we export the largest number of software professionals, a highly skilled profession, but that is not the education that i am talking about here. Education is etiquette, interpersonal skills and open mindedness; that is what is lacking. "You can take the Indian out of India, but you cannot take India out of him"; this is true, unfortunately not in a good way. Having met a lot of my fellow citizens in foreign lands i have noticed a certain lack of the three above mentioned attributes; my intention is not to generalize an entire race however one visit to Naif street or Meena Bazaar in Dubai or Little India enclaves in New Jersey and Chicago will help prove my point. But i ramble on ... lets first try and get free public toilets that all can use. I shudder to think what he used to clean himself, but did not wait to find out.