Why are we rude? Yes...we are.And guess what we are also perceived to be rude.I have had american colleagues remarking that in India people walking on the streets do not acknowledge a friendly nod, or a smile.You smile at them they stare back as though you were invisible and they could see through you! Women especially are so much accustomed to road romeos who stare incessantly at them as though they were a specimen from outer space.
..."So you stare at them, smile...no response.If you are lucky you may not be mistaken to be a loafer and spared."
I heard this remark and did not know what to say. I mean what could i say? Why are people like that?
Come on this may not suffice to be called rudeness , but wait iam not done yet.
Retail has picked up pace in India.They are retail supermarkets in every corner of the country.Reliance fresh, Foodworld, Food Bazaar, More, Nilgiris etc etc etc...this list is expanding as i write. Good Service is also one of their several mottos.They recruit staff left and right. Of course they need staff don't they?If the person knows to read and write ..thats enough..( I seriously dont know what the selection criteria is ) The person learns on the job is evident from the fact that they never seem to know where which stuff is to be found, and also take up enormous amounts of time to bill the items.But then what about manners? Are they ever taught how to deal with customers?How to be polite?Most of them assume that their mere prescence is enough.They are not supposed to be of any help whatoever.
Queues? How can we forget that? People fall on you, step on your feet, swear at you ...all this just to save a few minutes. No one bothers to apologise. Waiting for your turn patiently is passe and jumping places and pushing your way through people is considered an achievement.
Customer service is abolutely non-existent .I have come across rude and curt replies from customer service executives.
Need one point out about "Road rash"? That people hardly follow traffic rules is well known, but what is really vexing is the lack of empathy people exhibit. Paedestrians are generally given a hard time and people swear incessantly to get their way.And when we are talking about rudeness , chivalry is best forgotten.It is a forgotten virtue. An extint virtue.
We teach our children alphabets, numbers, tell them stories, ensure they go to the best of schools and speak english better than our neighbour's child.But i wonder how many teach their children to be polite?Say "sorry" and "Thank You".Children are impressionable. In most cases they inculcate manners from their parents. A country that sees divinity in animals , mountains and rivers fails to respect and regard fellow human beings with grace. India is definitely a country of paradoxes.
Over here each and every person steps out of the house with the mindset that he is about to fight a battle. Everyone goes on a kill here and goes about thinking that every other person on the street is out to deprive him of something. Any advantage gained on another person is an achievement , a victory.So even if one has to compromise on politeness , they don't give any "damn" about it.
