Take One:
Enter any food place in Japan and all the folks working at the place, from the person at the counter to the person at the extreme end in the kitchen shout 'irrasai masae' [welcome]. They serve you always with a smiling face and again all of them shout 'Arigatou Gozaimasu' [thankyou] when you are leaving the place. Did i mention that Japanese culture does not believe in accepting tips for serving food to others. It's a hospitability gesture.
You feel so good about the experience and the people working in the hotel. You merrily accept them as your hosts, who just served you a delightful meal.
Now let me get back home via Bollywood.
Movie Lage Raho Munnabhai - Munna's Gandhigiri funda no 301: "dekho agar wo waiter ko hoo-hoo ya chhii-chhiii karke bulaye to waha se kat leneka" a present day reflection of "Aadmi ko parakhna ho to ye dekho ki apne se neeche tabke ke logo se woh kaise bartav karta hai" [If you have to judge a man, watch how he behaves with the people of lower status than him]!!
Thanks to this scene, it has become easier for me, to establish the general outlook people have about the waiters in restaurants - a person with lowly social [and financial ofcourse] status.
In fact, i remember one incident very well in this context. Me and my group of friends went to a hotel for drinking ice-cream soda. One of my best friends called the waiter .. "bhaiyya .. 3 ice-cream soda". Then, he turned to us and said .. "I always call the waiters as bhaiyya/bhau [brother]; after all these people are also humans like us"!!!
These two incidents only give one message - Waiters in India are not just a lowly group of society; it requires a person with compassion, humane and merciful nature, to actually consider them human beings. For any other average Indian, they are sub-humans!!
So, is it just the lack of compassion among average Indians like me, which has resulted in this outlook? And has the frequent experiences to watch waiters pounding all those 5 glasses on your tables and also his lingering behind for some tip contributed towards this? But then, what makes them do this? Doesn't the frustration rise because of the struggle they need to do daily while trying to meet their ends with a low income? and isn't the lingering behind for tip also to enhance the wage for the day? and, can we blame our society's ignorance towards minimum wage regulation for this?
Cut!!
This is slowly becoming a typical blog, where the thoughts ponder only to blame ourselves and our surroundings. Can we also think of the way out??
By the way, who cares for the way out as long as your blog helps people identify with their own frustrations!! so, let's have another take at the Foreignland [Japan] experiences blog, shall we??
Take Two:
Planning to go somewhere on the weekend?? Just look for the station name and the exit number. You will reach there with utmost convenience in an air-conditioned carrier. Thats the courtesy of Tokyo Metro!!
But then, in the morning and evening hours of weekdays, it is so jam-packed!! I can catch a train every alternative minute from my station Myoden, and yet each of those trains is crowded like hell.
Always makes me think of the Mumbai Local train network. I have always admired the Mumbai Locals for the efficiency and convinience they bring to transportation.
As I become more nostalgic about it, my thoughts linger on additional convinience that the first class compartments bring to the Mumbai Locals journey!! Much less crowd, Much decent crowd!!
They should start such compartments in the metro here ..
WAIT!! Doesn't the Tokyo metro boast that they do not want any bias and discrimination among people, and that is achieved my making everyone travel in the same boggies, paying the same ticket money!!
So, two Japanese people leaning over each other in the crowded metro train can come out of the train, and one of them can turn out to be a sanitation worker and other CEO of some company. Outside the metro, in their own little worlds, they are all different. But within the metro, everyone is the same!!
So, is the the Tokyo Metro which should change, or is it the Mumbai locals? Do we need to make the people travelling in general compartments think that they cannot afford to go by first class on a daily basis, and do we need to create a superiority complex among first class travelers that they are a better lot, a more sophisticated lot?? Do we need to have this economic and social barrier and distinction in each and every aspect of life, showcasing the privileged and the commons??
Cut!!
Take three:
On the evening of 20th Dec, one of the offshore folks called me, 'Can you re-confirm the holidays in December? Why are you working on 25th Dec, its Christmas!!'
My American colleague was already shouting 'Back home, Christmas is the day when even Mc-D is closed. Why do I have to work, just because I am in Japan??'
Yes, you guessed it right. There is no Christmas holiday in Japan. And for that matter there is no holiday for any other religiously significant days and events.
Japan justifies its secularism principles by having 'NO religious holidays'.
I could not help to imagine what it would be like if Indian government decides to implement that!! Firstly, salaried employees who enjoy national holidays would have to work more - a lot more. but will this extra work by them help to reduce the religious discrimination? Just because a Amar is working on Diwali and a Akbar on Eid, and a Anthony on christmas, will the politicos stop campaigning and rioting based on religions? Will the vote bank equations ever change? Would the step towards a secular India ever get a support in Democratic India??
Cut!!
Take four:
There is a signal on the way from our office building towards the Marunouchi building. We cross this signal so many times, thanks to our preferred lunch spots being in Marunouchi building.
During my initial days in Japan, i used to wait for pedestrian light to be green before crossing this signal. One fine day, one of my friends here said 'C'mon, Have u ever bothered to wait for pedestrian signal to be green, when you were back home in India, for all those 27 years of your life?? Be yourself. Remember, WE ARE INDIANS'
From there on, I just sneak past the signal, at the first opportunity i get, whether it is green or red.
And then just two weeks back, i had a team lunch. On our way back, while I was walking along with two ladies from my team [both Japanese], i hesitated to cross. But the ladies checked there was no vehicle around and started walking in red!!
me: I thought i am the only one who does that in our team.
M: No, we also dont wait for this signal. Its a waste of time!!
K: But, i never do this when there are any children around.
M: yeah, its bad education for them.
K: nooo, i just cannot stand them, as they start teasing immediately!!
We laughed the conversation off, but then that very statement reminded me of a daily phenomenon i observe, which resembles the statement.
Every morning, I wake up, get ready and rush towards the metro station like millions of other people in Tokyo. In this morning rush, all those sprinting towards Myoden station, simply ignore one pedestrian signal near my room.
Yes, you guessed it right!! Basically, this breaking the signal affair is not just about being from India, its about being responsible, being punctual, being professional, being an adult!!
Coming back to the signal, every day around 8 AM there is a mentally challenged guy, aged around 40-45 years standing near the liqour shop at the signal. I have named him Jack in my mind as the shops name is Liqour Jack. At around 8.15, a mini-van comes and picks him up for his work. So, for those roughly 15 minutes while Jack is standing there, he shouts and makes wierd noises from time to time. On my first day i had thought he needs help to cross the road, but soon saw the van approaching for him. So, what was it about??
After around 6 months of observation now, I have confirmed one thing. he shouts and makes noises, only when people are crossing the signal in red!!
I know you will think this was an obvious incident i would put here, but however obvious it appears, it is equally true!!
So, when my team mate mentioned about kids teasing her while trying to cross the red light, I just couldn't stop thinking about Jack!!
I know this is now sounding like a typical blog again. however, i have been thinking from that day on, we may justify the laughing kids that being adults, we need to rush to work; but how do I justify this act of all of the mentally-unchallenged adult professionals to Jack??
How??
