Saturday, March 08, 2008

Indians and Time

I wonder what is one thing that most non-Indians feel is common to Indians? What is it that all Indians must feel bad about and try to improve? There will be few contenders and one of them would be time - our habit to assume that whatever is to happen will happen only after we are in. Our habit to feel that what's the big deal in delaying things by a few minutes. No, there is no big deal in delaying events, if the reason is valid; if the reason is important; if the reason is unavoidable. However, what if it is possible to do something avoidable? What if it is possible to follow a schedule? What if it is possible to have a time limit? Why it is that we do not feel shame when others call that we will follow desi time or IST or Indian Standard Time (which is actually GMT + 5:30, however is understood to be GMT + 6:30, i.e. a delay of an hour).
I feel that some of us do believe that it is bad, and we try to avoid delays. However, usually when we have to deal with fellow Indians, (who are too busy with things that cause usual delays in their lives) we succumb to them. We start stretching our schedules to meet theirs. Usually we do this, just to avoid conflicts. But until when?
Let us try to follow the clock. Let us try to avoid delays. Let us try to change the ill-name that we have. Let us try to avoid those who do not want to follow time and we keep following it. There would be problems. There would be troubles. There would be hurdles. However, we will try to surpass them. We will try to get a new meaning for desi time.

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