Thursday, February 09, 2006

A Point to Ponder

Last Saturday, we (me and few of my friends), decided to give Varkala beach a visit. Its really an astonishing place. Quite beautiful. For a moment, it seemed that the beauty was more appreciated by foreign tourists than native locals. Anyways, here comes the best part. We thought this "India Maha-rajyam" was still owned by Indians. For one part, there was no board saying some part of the beach was just for foreigners (unlike in Kovalam and places like that). But still when we got into water, one of the guard started blowing the whistle. Called our full group over to the shore. He started telling us that, 'this side of the beach is for our distinguished guests'. So it would be better if we move over to the other side.

I am not sure, if there is some other country in the whole world, discriminating its own native people from strange foreigners. We pay taxes, we abide by the law; everything we do, should earn us the right of freedom. Isn't that so?

I can understand one aspect of it, as in, if uneducated locals start making trouble, the charm of the whole place is lost. But keeping place clean, and making everyone feel secured is not just applicable for tourist places or is it? Yet again, when we visit some foreign country, we do try our level best to go with their customs, and not to standout from the crowd as an uncultured outsider, right? So, why in the world does these foreigners come here and keep people out of the best parts of the beach (so to say) just to get them privacy, or even to lay there half naked. And correct me if I am wrong, the whole table manners, eating with spoon/fork/knife, we learned from these *sayyipps*, right? Now if we dont exercise that, when among them, and start breaking these table manners, they call us uncultured don't they? And so, why dont they return the same respect to Indian traditions?

All these might just be one perspective of the whole discrimination problem (or am I just assuming things?).

Hey...thanks for reaching till here, and bearing with me through a long post. Thank you all for your time....!!!

Jai Hind..!!

An After thought: Isn't it true that these foreigners come here to see a mythical land, of strange superstitions and aborigin *tribal* people. All this reminds me of a previous post in one of my e-groups, of some one being asked, 'if Indians still ride elephants to go to school?'.

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