I have been travelling a lot by train and it's quite a revelation the behaviour of our fellow citizens. There was this gentleman who was behaving as if the entire coach belonged to him. I have always believed that age is not an automatic qualification for maturity. This gentleman was a living breathing example of this fact. My 12 year old would exhibit much better self-control and handle herself with more dignity than this gentleman. He used all his cunning and deceit to prevent a mother and child from taking a lower berth which was rightfully theirs, so that his old mother could sleep in peace. I was awestruck by the selfless act of this young lady who did not mind giving up her right, but she felt miserable by the attitude of this gentleman. Now cut to a week later, another train, same story. Old man and his wife lying flat on the seat without a care in the world. Not even my arrival prompted them to sit up and give me my seat. What happened next is unprintable, his digestive system needed an exhaust which he gladly provided with nary a care for poor me. I ran for my life!
From my observation during my travels of the past 15 years or so I have observed that we Indians are amongst the poorest travellers. As ambassadors we convey such a poor image of our beloved land. Is it then worth crying over the fact that we get so little respect wherever we go? We jump queues, talk loudly, are uncouth, and basically do everything without caring for the rights of others in a public place. I must say, whether it be people from the north or south, we are all equally pathetic in our behaviour. Therefore when I am travelling I do my bit to try and be extra decent to the people I encounter. We Indians can start with some simple steps :
1)Keep mobile phones in vibrator mode in public places especially in enclosures. Talk softly on the phone
2)Do not stare at ladies
3)At airline enquiry counters do not go up to the booth when there are people waiting patiently in the queue
4)Do not treat airline companies as your own property. Behave politely and respectfully with hostesses and stewards. The money you pay does not have to be recovered in full in the form of alcohol and water. (Those who have been on a flight from Kerala to the middle-east or vice-versa especially would quickly comprehend this)
5)The most polite gesture of them all, please, hold the door for the person behind you
6)Don't litter
7)Treat others with respect and kindness
If we practice this in our everyday life we won't have to put up a show when we travel abroad. And we will make our country so much more hospitable!
As I said at the start I missed my workouts last week. I was laid low by a bug, courtsey a popular restaurant chain in Cochin. Hygiene is truly not such a popular concept anymore with restaurants in Cochin. Over the years I have watched with abject dismay the falling hygiene standards at public eateries. It is well and truly scary. I have only one message, shun these outlets, make them pay.
Missing 5 days of walking is actually quite an eternity. As I wrote in an earlier post, momentum is everything in a fitness regimen, its very difficult to recover. Difficult, but not impossible. But I can guarantee one thing, if you can handle the fitness part well, you will get the other compartments of your life on track too. Fitness is the most difficult thing to adhere to in our busy schedules that anyone who manages a good routine in this respect would more or less have others parts of his life in order too. The magic word is DISCIPLINE. I keep stressing this to myself and drag myself out of bed for that all important dosage of fitness. I was someone who could not do without 8 hours of sleep. I now remain fresh and alert all through the day even when I manage to squeeze in just 5 hours of sleep. Believe me, fitness is worth all the compromises you make in the bargain.
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