Surat Notebook: People, People Everywhere — What I Saw in India

Dr Sajad Hussein Kamarally

I have just returned from Surat, India. I was there for some time, just watching, just observing Indian life. As a journalist for 50 years, old habits die hard. I observe.

If I have to sum up India in one line, I would say this: It is survival of the fittest. If you are meek, you will be trampled. If you are tough, you will survive. In fact, they are made of steel.

Let me share what I saw.

1.       The Traffic — A Mighty MareThe traffic in Surat was a mighty mare.The trishaw had to manoeuvre through narrow lanes. Both sides parked with motorcycles. What made it worse were the potholes, piles of uncollected rubbish, stray dogs and of course, the people. It was people, people everywhere. If you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere in the world. If I were driving, I would have knocked into several cyclists or pedestrians. In the first place, I dared not attempt to drive.

2.       Children half-dressed were playing cricket on busy roads. Amazing! They are fearless from young. This survival streak is in them..

3.       The People Are Resilient and Resourceful The people are resilient. They have to be.In the houses I visited, it was cramped. Two or three families staying in a small flat is normal. I also saw families living under overhead bridges and roads. Life is hard, but they carry on. Everyone in the household earns — from young boys to adults. Many children are independent as they earn their own keep. This is something Malaysians can emulate. We pamper our children too much.

4.       They are also very innovative..My handbag zip was broken. I could not fix it in Malaysia. In Surat, I got it done for Rs 100, about RM5.They do not throw away. They repair. They are resourceful. This is something Malaysians should learn — not to throw away so easily.

5.        If You Are Meek, You Can Be Taken For A Ride If you are meek, sorry for you.One trishaw chap charged me Rs 400 for a ride which ordinarily costs only Rs 50. Almost 8 times. Especially if they know you are a foreigner, they will try.You must be firm. You must bargain. If you are not, you will be taken for a ride.

6.        They Are Notorious For Not Keeping Time They are notorious for not keeping appointments. They tell you 10am, and until 12 noon, no sign. Then they profusely apologise and try to fix another appointment. This is one thing Malaysia should  not emulate. We must keep time.

7.        But They Are Very Friendly and Helpful Generally, people are very friendly and many go out of their way to help you.For example, I had gone out by myself to town and did not know how to come back to the flat I was staying. I hired a trishaw and we made no less than 10 stops asking people for direction. Many were enthusiastic to help, even though they too did not know the address. It was a long ride. Normally the trip is about 10 minutes, but that day it took me almost one and a half hours. Thank God, I managed to reach safely.That helpful spirit is beautiful.

8.        What Malaysia Can Learn — Language and Technology One observation: Children are bilingual and some are trilingual. They speak their mother tongue, Gujrati,  Hindi, and English. Many schools are in English medium. They speak Queen’s English. They are also competent in science and maths. I understand this is emphasised in schools.This is what we should aim for in Malaysia.As for technology, it is high. I noticed both young and old could easily use handheld tablets and desktop computers. The mobile phone is their lifeline — like in Malaysia. The Indians are also absorbed in their mobile at all times — in buses, trains, on the road, in shops, walking.

9.       So, what is my takeaway? India has taught me that resilience, hard work, innovation, multilingualism and a strong emphasis on science and maths are strengths we in Malaysia can learn from. But we must keep our discipline on time, our cleanliness, and our order .If you can survive in India, you can survive anywhere. That is my Surat notebook.