Mark Twain said it best – “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…”
In Bangalore, we pay –
Among the highest road taxes (~15%);
Among the highest fuel tax (over 45% of the petrol cost is just taxes!);
Among the highest sales tax/VAT (~14%) ;
Among the highest property taxes;
Among the highest stamp duty (~5.6%);
Among the highest cost of living;
Even with all this, we hear BBMP is cash-strapped; the Bangalore police is bankrupt; there is NO money in the municipality, electricity and water board are cash-starved, etc. etc. etc.
Consequently, we have the worst of roads – riddled with potholes and crazy humps that is dangerous for everyone – the motorists, the commuters, the pedestrians, the environment,…
We have the patchiest of electricity – unscrupulous cuts; power outage with just a rain-drizzle,….
Most ineffective of municipalities – Roads side have become dump-yards. Trash disposal is joke. Trash segregation is a bigger joke. Even if we manage to do that at the apartment level – the municipal workers just mash’em all together!
Most ineffective water-board – People end up buying water tankers (routed indirectly) via the same boards that are supposed to supply the water! Effectively, we pay the twice for the same water – heights of corruption!
Another tragedy though is that locals here get too touchy and emotional and local-patriotic nerve is touched when those concerns are raised! Many retort back saying – “Please go back to where you came from!” – What tragedy. Instead of being open, objective, and receptive to help resolve all issues and hold officials responsible, they shrug it off!
It’s not about a complain. It’s not about my-state, my-city, my-language, or any other parochial metric. It’s about civility, growth, health, accountability (of the state & citizens), integrity, and honesty.
The big picture is, on most occasions, lost in smaller emotional turmoils!
And hence the need to heed to the wisdom of Twain – “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…”
I’ve lived in two countries and more than 7-states. I speak about 6-languages. Every place I go, I make it a point to put in a very good effort in learning the local dialect. The local customs & traditions. The local food. It’s helped me work well with people from so many different backgrounds and cultures without being hurtful to their sentiments – even in thought!
I always urge the local folks who protest such to go travel. Move around the country. Make friends with people around. Learn about their culture etc. See how things are done in different places. Open the mind to various solutions that are possible for a given problem.
Let those eternal truths highlighted by equally eternal words of Twain ever ring loud and clear –
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…”