I(n)diosyncrasies..

The mind is complex; The human mind is more complex; The Indian mind is the most complex!!

The other day, I was at the post office to (very obviously) post something. It was 3 noon. There were around ten people at this 'speed post' counter and this lady at the counter is stamping some money orders- she had about five of those to finish before my turn came. Me, with nine other people behind. I wait for her to finish this seemingly tedious job of hers. Ten minutes pass, and she's still on with this stamping business. Then, her mobile phone rings. ( Cigarettes, tobacco and mobile phones should strictly be banned in work places!) I was losing my patience already. She answers the call, '' Hello?". I was expecting, or rather, atleast hoping, that she'd hang up saying she was busy and would call back later or something like that. " Yeah, I made that curry today, without onions.." And she starts telling the other person on the line, the whole recipe of her "Menthi Koora". No comments!

Indians are superb at selling stuff. To see that, visit the nearest vegetable market!. I was in Rythu bazaar one fine sunday with my mother. ( Rythu bazaar was an initiative taken up by the former cheif minister, Chandra Babu Naidu where farmers sell their vegetables themselves without the help of middle-men) This young guy was selling beans there. His heap of beans had many spoilt ones. When someone asked him the price, this is what he says, " If you pick them, it's for Rs. 12. If I pick them, it's Rs. 8". Now, that's super clever. By the way, have you ever come across a sales agent or an insurance agent? You sure have! No comments again.

If you're an engineer, a doctor, or a chartered accountant, or an MBA, you're looked up to like you're this King/Queen of the world. But, if by luck, you do something that you really, genuinely love doing, like arts or anything of that sort, you're..well..the King/Queen of the aliens in Mars! And, if you "go abroad for higher studies", and study even at the worst grade university which is worse that the worst here, you're great! 'cuz you did you have a Foreign Graduation Certificate! And, NRIs! I'd reather not talk about that.

Now, there's American English and British English. There's Indian English too. And this is english spoken in true translation from people's respective native languages. DO NOT ASK FOR EXAMPLES. Plus, there's the variation of tone, body language and accent, especially while speaking English. My cousin was telling me about a store that she saw. This was what was written on it-''Debardmendal store"- You could take guesses on this if you wish to! Take a short trip, say, in a radius of 2 kilometres around your own house, and invariably you'll find something like that.

That reminds me of the traffic. And that reminds me again, I better not start about it. It's absolutely too much to take and I refuse to talk about it!And just the mention of Indian roads puts me off sometimes, so I rest here.

PS- Have you ever watched a typical Tamil or Telugu movie? Give it a shot. You'll have the time of your life! And, have you ever stopped at a roadside chat bhandar and eat your fill? Do it! and remember, the more unhyginic looking the place, the tastier it gets! And by the way, did you ever see old buildings and monuments? When I say old, I mean oooooolllllllldddddd! They look beautiful even when they're in ruins, trust me! Have you ever seen attended a pakka Indian wedding? It's the second brilliant lesson on Indian psychology, the first one being the Indian Roads. (That puts me off again)

"What to do? We're like that only!"