The image of India in the outside world is an oxymoron of beautiful unkemptness. 2 stories come to mind, each with a different lesson.

Story 1:  True hospitality

My aunty and uncle here in Mumbai randomly met a 58 year old lady from France who was touring India with 3 huge bags and was strapped for cash. Their friends from France called them to help her with travel plans. As a foreign tourist, she had very unrealistic expectations of how to safely travel in India. Out of concern for her safety, they arranged people for her to stay with in Chennai, Cochin and made her stay with them in Mumbai. When asked why, they replied “Someone has to take care of her.”

Story 2:  Toilet habits tell alot about a person

As an American born person of Indian roots, cleanliness is often an issue when living in India. As most Indians born outside of India, I often chalk up the cleanliness up to socio-economic status, but today I was proven wrong. In our co-ed hostel, we have both female and male doctors from India and other countries. One of the foreign lady doctors from Myanmar today  lamented how dirty the ladies bathrooms had become after some of our new female doctors had joined. Though Myanmar is a markedly lower income country compared to India, it is interesting to note that their toilet habits are much more sanitary than the pinnacle of our society.

Living in Mumbai over the past year has impressed upon me that introducing yourself is NOT part of Indian culture, and that if someone ignores you it is not being rude in their mind. But exceptions must be made for guests to India, otherwise they  develop the a misunderstanding of how beautiful this country is. The new residents who have joined over 1 month ago have not even said hi to this foreign doctor who has come from another country to train with us. And this is the pinnacle of our society.

This country truly has both sides of the coin, and I fear that most of the indifference that has developed is in our current generation. Its not purposeful, but it is part of a a slow decline in the fabric of our society. Imagine, this foreigner will now go back to Myanmar and have only a negative opinion of this stunning country due to a lack of empathy. As an American and an Indian , I want people to love both of my countries through me.