Bollywood According to American Diplomats via Wiki Leaks

The Hindu : The world of Bollywood as seen through American diplomatic eyes
Ever wondered the plethora of substandard movies that we churn out in India and you come across a just couple of 'decent' ones in a year. Have you wondered if this industry is really making any money with such a low success rate? Have you wondered where the financing is coming in this industry? Apparently, the US diplomats have done a nice study and are now available to us through Wiki Leaks.
Here are my excerpts of The Hindu's excepts of Wiki Leaks cables on this topic:

- Only 1 in 10 productions are successful. Only 5% of movies released in 2009 made profit (quoted by sources, not scientific survey)

- People continue to make movies in such unprofitable industry for "glamour" (hard to believe)

- Reasons for little or no profitability is because of high production costs, in other words the exorbitant prices of the actors. Actors, it is said command as high as 50% of total budget of a film.

- Unless these unrealistic compensation levels come down by 40%, the business will not sustain for too long. But the industry says that reduction is not going to happen anytime soon. One of the industry VP was quoted to say that unless one of the major production studios fail will the actors not realize the folly of their unrealistic pay packages.

One interesting comment is that until 2000 there was an oversupply of money. Until 2000 the industry did not have access to legitimate commercial financing, as a result the films were financed by collection of investors, many from construction and trade industries who would charge an exorbitant 60-100% interest. Gangsters and politicians too joined in financing the movies to launder their ill-goten gains. After the government opened formal credit to the industry, the situation has improved.

So what is the state of the industry now? Too much money and too many people chasing limited amount of talent thus creating a "price bubble".

Another interesting observation in the cable is that India has far fewer screens per capita (12 screens per million people) than US (117 screen per million people). Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Pictures is advantage of this opportunity to build movie theaters and go global.

Finally, the cables talked about Hollywood-Bollywood joint production business. It seems that Indian film production studios view Hollywood as a competitor. Indian studios felt that Hollywood studios had little to offer than finance. The cable advised the US studios to diversify the production pipeline to include a mix of small-medium-big budget films by renowned and new talent.

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Story of Mewar Rajputs

It is 4:15 AM on June 20th. I just returned from a trip overseas and awake because of jet lag. For last few weeks I have been reading a book that I finally finished few minutes back. At this time of the day, I felt I should capture my thoughts in this blog before I become lazy by morning.

I have been to the state of Rajasthan in India twice. Each time I have explored different regions. I still have one more trip to make to cover rest of Rajasthan. I have been to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chitoor, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, and few other areas. I grew up in India reading Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comics which were the only source of history of various parts of India. Our history books focused only the major events of Indian history and mostly of Delhi and around. One set of ACK comics that fascinated most Indian kids are the stories of the famed Rajputs of Rajasthan - Rana Sangram Singh, Rana Kumbha, Rana Pratap Singh. They were the cowboys of our wild west. They stood up to all invaders of India from Babur, Akbar, Jahengir, etc and continue to survive to this day. My travel to all their major cities piqued my interest about them more.

Coming to the books I read recently, two of them coincidentally told me the story of Babur and Rana Sanga (Rana Sangram Singh) of Mewar in Rajasthan. The first is titled "Warriors of the North" which is a historical fiction about Babur. How he rose from being boy king of Farghana in central Asia, who lost his kingdom while in pursuit of his ancestral city of Samarkhand, eventually becomes king of Kabul only to be drawn to Hindustan (India). After defeating the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, he wages another battle with the Rajputs under the leadership of Rana Sanga and wins the battle against all odds thus establishing his Mogul empire in India.

The second book I just finished is titled "Cuckold". It is a historical fiction narrated by the eldest and heir apparent of Rana Sanga - Maharaj Kumar (Bhojraj). This book enlightened me about the constant wars and battles between Mewar, the region that Rana Sanga ruled in Rajasthan and the Muslim kingdoms of Gujarat and Malwa. More importantly this book talks about the famous female saint of India - Meera Bai - Bhojraj's wife. For those of you who are not aware of Meera Bai, she was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. She wrote many songs, poems about Lord Krishna and considered him to be her husband. According to ACK, she became so famous that Emperor Akbar (grandson of Babur) and his famous court musician, Tansen, visited her in disguise and listened to her in awe. As a parting gift left a jeweled necklace on her feet. This may be very doubtful because she lived during the times of Babur and very unlikely survived that long to be during the time of Akbar.

This books, narrated by Bhojraj, tells the battles between Mewar and other two warring kingdoms, how Rana Sanga was the last Rajput king to form a coalition of Rajput kings to fight Babur at battle of Khanua. Apparently, if they had moved quickly, they would have grabbed Delhi before Babur could have and may have staved off the invasion and eventual establishing of Islamic Mogul rule in India. They missed the boat and when they tried to dislodge Babur they lose the battle in spite of superior numbers and also the treachery from one of the coalition ruler (so common in our history). More interesting while these historical battles were being fought in North India, Vijayanagar empire in the south was watching cautiously under the rule of Krishnadevaraya. It appears all these Hindu-Muslim rulers watched with caution the coming of Babur from Kabul even though he ruled the puny kingdom of Kabul.

Rana Sanga is a heroic figure in Indian history. He is a one-eyed, battle scarred Rajput hero. Against many odds and betrayal by his brothers he becomes the king of Mewar. His defeat in the hands of Babur eventually leads to his assassination. Mewar falls into the hands of his incompetent son Vikramaditya. In this book, the heir apparent, Bhojraj just disappears but history says the he died in battle.

Even more interesting about this book is that through out the novel, the wife of Bhojraj is referred to as the "little saint" who is in love with Lord Krishna but her name, Meera bai, is never mentioned. Even though I had an inkling that this character sounds and behaved like Meera Bai, I dismissed that thought because I thought Meera Bai belonged to much earlier times.

It is fascinating for me to know that 16th century India (1500s) had some of the most fascinating people, rulers, and events that molded India's future. Babur was able to defeat the Lodis to become the king of North India. It is explained in both these books that Babur had superior technology against the Indians in form of matchlock guns (or rifles) and canons. Rajputs, who are famous for infighting among themselves were united by Rana Sanga but failed to dislodge Babur. Around the same time the Vijayanagara empire, which came into existence to prevent the march of Islamic rule into South India was at its zenith under the rule of the famous Krishnadevaraya but eventually succumbed to the united Muslim army in 1562 in the battle of Tallikota. Meera Bai was singing and composing poetry about Lord Krishna at the same time all these events were happening. Vasco da gama discovered sea route from Europe to India in late 1490s and so at the start of the 1500s the Portuguese were making attempts to establish in India. So, believe it or not, both the Europeans and Moguls started around the same time to establish themselves in India. The later were successful but were soon replaced about 250 years later by the former.

So what did I learn out of this? Fate is a strange thing. I don't know if it is predetermined or not. Given the history of India's constant friction with its Muslim populace, would India been better off had it stopped the first Islamic invasions from Persia and Afghanistan if Prithviraj Chauhan was supported by his father-in-law? Would we have been better off had Rana Sanga captured the tottering Delhi before Babur did?

When I visited Chittor in early 2000s with my family I was shown the palace of Rani Padmini (another legendary beautiful queen of Chittor who committed suicide (Jowhar) rather than be taken prison by a Muslim conqueror who lusted for her), the temple where Mera Bai sang and danced for Lord Krishna, the unscathed Victory Tower built by Rana Kumbha, the first of famous Ranas of Mewar. They showed the location where Rani Padmini and the ladies of palace were supposed to have lit pyre and committed Jowhar. They also told story of Rani Karmavati who, ironically, pleaded for help from the son of Babur, Humayun when Chittor was under siege of Sultan of Malwa. This event did not get my attention until I read "Cuckold" today. Here is the twist of fate and irony.

According to this book, Rani Karmavati, was behind the assassination of her husband Rana Sanga so that her debauched son Vikramaditya can become the king of Mewar. Rana Sanga was supposedly assassinated on his way back to Chittor after the defeat at battle of Khanua. Her son was so incompetent that very soon the vast kingdom of Mewar shrunk in size and the very Sultan who was defeated by Rana Sanga laid siege to Chittor. To save his son and Chittor, Rani Karmavati, request for help from then king of Delhi, Humayun, son of Babur. It is the same Moghuls against whom her husband fought and lost. The tourist guide said that Humayun's help came late and Chittor fell to Malwa. In tradition of the Rajputs, Rani Karmavati committed suicide by Jowhar (jumping into pyre). What a fate for a queen who constantly plotted and assassinated her own husband for her son. According to the history I read, Humayun never responded to her plea.

Indian mothers love for their children is legendary. They go to extent of discarding their parents, siblings, even their spouse for their children. When their children are in danger these once mild mothers turn into tigresses. This should explain the legendary friction between an Indian mothers and their daughters-in-law.

Sex, Lies & Homework .... in India

I have so far been blogging about benign topics about India - traffic, climate, behavior, etc. Deep inside all of us who returned to India and those planning to return to India there lurks the topic that is talked only in whispers but never openly - Are Indian children as sexually active as the American/European kids are in their schools? How safe are the kids in our schools in India?

I tried to find this out from my kids' school teachers, tutors and other parents. The topic is a taboo. They avoid the topic or talk in hush - "Indian schools and school children are no longer innocent as your generation", "Indian school kids may not be too far from US school kids". One teacher went to the extent of saying that teen pregnancy is prevalent in Indian schools too.

Unlike American media, this topic is not openly discussed in magazines or Talk shows. There are articles about sexuality among adults (India Today had one issue on it which sounded so pathetically fake) but never about sexuality among children. Tehelka came up with a cover story on this topic in its recent issue. As I read through it I realized Indian schools are in the same state as any western developed countries' schools. We are finally on par with the developed nations in this matter.

Among the India diaspora there is a myth that if their kids misbehave they can always pack them back to India and bring up them up with traditional Indian values and that inspite of underdevelopment, India is a morally safe place to bring up the kids (I bet my wife had the same vision too when she agreed to move back to India 4 years back with our two boys). 

This only tells that humans will be humans where ever they are. We have to learn to live with it. It doesn't mean that after reading this article you should change your India move plans. At least in India you will have hundred pairs of eyes watching your child while there will be none in US.

It reminds me of an incident in my life in India in 80s. I was 18 or 19 and I went to purchase a packet of cigarattes for my brother-in-law. By the time I returned home in 10 minutes, my parents already knew what I was purchasing.

Tehelka: Sex, Lies & Homework 

Driving in India

If you understand what driving is in India, then you will understand India. I know many of us are critical of how India drives. But believe me just like you can explain every idiosyncracies of a nation, you can do that too about Indian driving. This blog is an attempt to draw parallel between Indian driving and Indian way of life.

Blow Horn Please OK?

India likes noise. I lived in US for 19 years in a secluded suburb with woods in the back. It is as silent as any typical American suburban house can be. Now every time I visit US, I find myself depressed because of the silence and lack of noise. Children file into their school bus silently, you don't hear your neighbor's kid taking vocal music, rarely to you hear kids playing outside and making lot of noise, you don't hear your neighbor's daughter calling out for her grandmother from their balcony.  Indians like sound while driving just to tell the person on the road that he is there and not to make a stupid move. Even the stray dog on the road will not move unless you honk at it. Just like Decartes said "I think so I am", Indians believe "I honk so I am alive". That is why the trucks/lorries in India boldly write at the back "Horn Please". They want to know you are there ... only to ignore you!

Why do Indians have to drive slowly?

First the roads don't allow them to speed up. Secondly, while making any turns or merging you have to do it slowly so that the speeding vehicle sees you and slows down for you (there are no right or left turn only lanes in India - all for one and one for all). Finally, every few meters there is a speed bump (or speed breaker). In life too, you are expected to move slowly in India. Sudden moves, unexpected turns are frowned upon because it confuses them. Just like the speed bumps the society puts up artificial speed bumps in our lives (don't sneeze at the doorsteps, don't walk over others legs, you should do pooja sitting not standing).

Why do Indians merge the roads without yielding or looking?

It is the confidence in them that a fellow Indian will never run him down when he is coming from smaller lane (small towns) to larger roads (cities). The other Indians driving on the main roads are always looking out for those merging and never fret about it. They don't wave the 'birdie' at you or take out a shotgun to shoot at you. They patiently slowly down and let the person merge and move on. It comes from long history of letting people of many cultures merge into the Indian mainstream - The Persians (Parsis), the Kushans, The Moghuls, the Afghans, the Greeks, and many more.

Why do Indians gangup at the traffic light?

In a country of over billion people there is no way you will get a fare chance unless you push yourself to the front of the line. Whether it is getting seat in a bus or getting a seat in an college or a job. Beware of Indians in corporate world! There is no exception, even the women at a buffet table, executives at airport check-in lines, well-dressed at coffee shop, they will go right past you without a shred of guilt and cut the line. So what is wrong in doing the same at the traffic light? The only people who stand in line in India are the foreigners and the NRIs.They never reach the head of the line.

Why is there no "road rage" in India?

Indians believe in "Live and let Live" Philosophy. Which means, you live your way and let me live mine. So they don't set rules how the other person lives or drives. If the other person breaks road rules, they patiently wait and let the person move on. That is why they make space for so many religions and cultures without offending each other. A Hindu reverently touches his chest while passing a mosque or a church, and a muslim does the same while passing a temple (such idealistic co-existence is not necessarily true in some cities these days but it is true in most of India). 
Most Indians are not sure whose God is the true God. So they don't take chances and follow all religions implicitly. Look into a cab or an auto rickshaw to understand this better - they usually have pictures of a Hindu deity, Mother Teresa or Mary with baby Jesus, and a picture of the mosque in Mecca or the Sikh Golden temple. Another reason they don't curse at fellow drivers is because they don't know who that person could be - if he is son of local politician, their hand or leg would go missing next day. So they don't take chances and curse.

Why do so many people pile into Share-Autos?

This is because it is not possible to provide affordable transportation to everybody by the govt. covering the entire city. So the slack is taken over by enterprising auto drivers who break laws but nobody complains. If we stick with laws then lot of people will be stranded and start walking in roads causing congestion and possible accidents to pedestrians. In real life too, Indians have to share limited housing, water, produce, etc with billion plus population. So they learn to use every bit of what they have. Long before west wanted to recycle and have composts, Indians were doing it. I recollect my childhood days when my mother would not sell old newspapers but grind them to paste use it as sealant. Every onion skin, egg shell went into plants. Every shirt or trouser had to be worn till it was worn to bare threads.

Why do Indians walk on the road and not sidewalks or pavements?

In India, sidewalks are not for pedestrians but for "entrepreneurs" who end up setting up stalls selling vegetables, fruits or serving meals and dosas for the professionals working in the AC offices. If you take these vendors out then the govt. has to get them jobs. In life too, most Indians don't have good enough education to get a decent paying job and most are not eligible for bank loans to start a business. So they look for a tree shade to start a cycle repair shop or shoe repair or selling potted plants or tea stall or food stall selling "chineese nodules". I call them mom-and-pop shops of India. 

Of course the other reason sidewalks are not used is when they are converted into public toilets. Again, Indians believe that only their house should be clean and won't think twice to dump their garbage into their neighbor's yard or on the street in front of their house. The same is true with the sidewalk.

Finally, why are Indian roads full of potholes?

Indians believe that life is full of potholes and they are there because of their previous life karma. So they learn to navigate around them just like they do on the roads. Such a patience, such deep understanding of life can only be found on the Indian roads. 

Indian roads reminds you that life is not a bed of roses and to move forward in life you have to take small steps, walk slowly, jump lines, navigate around potholes, and finally announce yourself with a honk.

  [Disclaimer: This blog is meant to be on a lighter vein. Don't take my analysis seriously but there is an iota of truth in each of the above. Read the following article from NY Times for better understanding about driving in India]

Demise of Satellite Radio in India

Listening to a podcast recently from BBC, I heard a person who started JAM tell the correspondent that there is now a Pan-Indian culture  in India where people from various parts of India enjoy the same music whether they understand the lyrics or not. That is very true with the advent of TV but universal appreciation of Hindi filmi music (Bollywood Music as they started calling it now) all over India has been happening since my parents generation (1950s onwards). So it is not true that this trend started recently.

I, for one, have been enjoying this 'pan-Indian' music through a satellite radio service from Worldspace since my return to Indian in 2006. Just like in US, you purchase a receiver and pay a yearly subscription fee of about Rs 1,800 and you get separate channels for almost every major language in India - Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, separate channels for old and new Hindi film songs, and in addition western music (classic, jazz, rap, pop, rock), Indian classic (Hindustani and Carnatic), BBC and other news channels. I once told one of my Indian friends back in US, that one of the best thing of returning to India is this service.

Through out the day and night, while I work on my laptop I would listen to songs of my childhood and classics. There were many times I would become very nostalgic listening to songs of yesteryears. I have recorded many songs that I never would have found on CDs. They had some of the best collection of new and old songs that I could never get on regular FM/AM radios in India. By playing this radio in the background in my house, my sons have slowly started to appreciate the old songs of Rafi, Ghantasala (Telugu), the 70s and the 80s songs, and many more. I even had special cable wiring installed in my new house to play this radio in the family/dining room of my new house in Hyderabad.

Now this is service is being shutdown on Dec/31. I will sorely miss this service. There is no other places to turn to listen to this kind of music. I sincerely hope that some 'angel' investor would buy this company and keep this service going. I hope some IIM graduate is reading this blog and think of a way to provide this service. Growing up as a child in 1970s and 80s, many of us used to listen to 'All India Radio' and 'Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corp' (SLBC) listening to old songs during hurried morning rush to school or on lazy Sunday afternoons. I missed that yesteryear style of enjoying songs in a leisurely fashion until I discovered this satellite radio. Those radio stations are gone, now this satellite radio is going away too. Are we doomed to listen to those lousy FM stations or gaudy TV channels to get our music?

On a different note, you need to be aware of the fraud this satellite radio company has committed to its subscribers. This company has never made a profit since its inception in 1999. It was in bankruptcy for last 2 years or so. They were aware that they would soon be shutdown. So they have started a big drive few months back to get existing subscribers to renew their subscription. In my case I am not up for renewal till Jan/2010 but they  harangued us since October to renew ahead of time. Now they sent me an email announcing the bankruptcy and closure and apologizing that they will not be able to return the subscription fee.

Should I lament the loss of the service or be happy at the demise of such an unethical company?

Schools & Education in India

[Disclaimer: These are my ramblings of my opinion about education system in India versus USA. This blog is not structured. There is lot more information to share but the posting was already getting too long. I will give more info in subsequent postings]

There is no ethnic group as obssessed with education of their children as Indians (and Asians in general are). While living in US, one reason why I never wanted to return to India is because of education. Now that I live in India, one reason I may return to US will education. That should summarize what I have to say about schools and education in India.

In my opinion, there is very prevalent myth that Indian education is better than what US has. That is a myth. In this article I compare between Indian, American and UK syllabuses. In these days, you can get both Indian and UK syllabuses in Indian schools. In most metro cities you have these 'International' schools that have started offering Cambridge syllabuses for a whopping price. In my opinion, US seems to have to have the better of all three. US text books are collectables. The way they introduce the topic, with graphics, and the wide range of topics. UK syllabus follow a similar philosophy as the American system (practical approach rather than rot learning) but they lack the dept of other two syllabuses. Indian syllabus and way of teaching is only good with Math and none other subjects. Even that is questionable.

So if you are planning to return to India and join your kids in Indian schools you need to learn few things:

• Know the acronym jargon - CBSE, ICSE, ISC, IGCS, SSC, IB are the syllabuses in vogue in India. CBSE and ICSE/ISC are from central government. The myth about them is CBSE is easier and most schools follow this syllabus. ICSE is difficult and few schools offer them. IGCSE is British curriculum from Cambridge. Similar to US style of teaching. State syllabus is called SSC and IB is one of those 'International way of teaching' syllabus.
• There is myth among Indians and surprisingly among some of the NRIs that the standard of education is low in America as compared to India. On the contrary, I find, American text books, mode of teaching, and their priorities far better than British or Indian.
• Indian education system is good in teaching how to solve text book problems NOT how to solve practical problems. What is the difference? Indian schools will teach how to solve academic problems and therefore your kid will zip through all entrance exams and impress the professors in US Universities, and get your first job. American schools will teach you how to solve practical problems which will make you flunk Indian entrance exams but make your respect at work and grow for rest of your career and life. You choose.
• IGCSE is supposed to break from that traditional approach and introduce western style of teaching. The teachers are trained to teach differently but I am not yet impressed with their progress in that direction . So don't expect your child to be taught the western way by joining him/her in an IGCSE syllabus. It will take time. Also, I am not impressed with IGCSE math syllabus. It is way below both American and Indian standards. History and Social Studies does not teach a thing about India. (Your kid will grow up knowing more about Henry VIII than Asoka or Akbar)
• International versus traditional schools - If you opt for International schools, plan to head back to US for your children's undergraduate studies. they will never pass Indian entrance exams. They may not be ready for grueling American style of education (research, writing papers, presentations, problem solving skills). If you opt for traditional schools that follow state syllabus or ICSE or CBSE, then you don't have to contribute towards your 529 plan (US tax shelter for college education savings), your kid will have a good chance of making it to one of the Indian colleges.

International schools don't give as much home works as traditional schools. There are lot more extra-curricular activities in these International schools - music, sports, yoga, drama, dance, swimming, debate clubs, chess, etc. Don't expect your child to learn much from these activities in school. If you want your child to become good in one of these, say music, then you still need get private tutoring at home.

The same is true with subjects too. In spite of paying lakhs of rupees to get this International syllabus, you may still end up getting highly paid tutors to re-teach the subject at home (so why send the kids these schools paying exorbitant fees? I plan to ask the principal next time I meet him).

In Hyderabad, tutor fees range from Rs 1.5k to 5K/month depending on how good they are. School tuition fees could range between Rs 80k to Rs 4 Lakhs per annum depending on where you send them. In my opinion the best schools in Hyderabad are International School of Hyderabad (ISH) and Indus Global or International school based on few visits I made to schools around. ISH is a typical European school with European teachers offering well rounded education (their arts & craft program is impressive). The majority of the students are non-Indian here. I believe the child has to hold non-Indian passport to get admission here. It is so international that they don't teach anything Indian (history or languages or geography) here. So if you are coming back to introduce your kid to Indian culture, this school may not be appropriate.

So what do you gain by Indian education - nothing from the school syllabus but a lot from the society and environment. There are very good chances that your child will realize the competition out in the world and how hard working Indian kids are. They may get serious with their academics much faster than if they were in US. You may not have to give long lectures to them about importance of education, the society will. With respect to Math I have an inkling that the depth of Math syllabus in India will eventually help the kids. Yes, there is not much thinking that goes into teaching and learning Math in Indian schools but by spending so much time on it, kids may lose the inhibitions and start feeling comfortable with the subject.

With Indian education value system and good NRI parenting, you may get the best of both the western education and Indian 'awareness' in India.

Why do Indians Jump Lines!

Few days back, my wife and I attended an event conducted by our younger son's school - Oakridge International School in Hyderabad. The topic is about generation gap. The gap between parents/grandparents and their children. The event was not conducted as a seminar but as a 'mela' in the school lawns. There was a large gathering, there were snacks and games before the start of the event. The event had two emcees who walked with mikes chatting with parents and kids asking questions about their children/parents. Some kids, parents, and grandparents were invited to sit on the dais to participate in the discussions.

The children talked about how the parents' generation, during their young days, had nothing to do in their spare time so they grew up to be what they are whereas their generation has many distractions such as video games, TV, computers, Internet that keeps them busy. Parents on other hand talked about importance of teaching values to their children. The parents point of view is that values such as showing respect to elders, following civic rules such as not jumping queues/lines, breaking traffic rules, public littering are the same irrespective what generation a person belongs.
After the event, there was a buffet for dinner and that is where we can find where the kids were learning their values. The parents started crowding near the serving points. There was no queue and there was a rush to get served first. The worst are the woman, not the children. They simple walk past those in line to the front of the line. One lady, when she got her turn, stood there and called rest of her family to her and got them all served. One person was politely reminded not to cut the line, she gave the look that could burn you to cinder then she proceeded to cut the line right behind me - not a squeak of protest from anybody in the line. (See the picture I took after I extricated myself from the mob!)

This brings me to another experience I had at the world class newly constructed airport in Hyderabad. While I was standing in the queue waiting for my turn to check-in, a middle-aged gentleman in a suit and tie, walked right past me to the counter. When the lady at the counter told him to wait for his turn, he simply shifted to next counter without hesitation!! While I stared at him to show my displeasure he looked back at me innocently as if he has unaware of what he did. In another incident in the same airport, while waiting in a line for coffee, I found my fellow desis jumping queues all over. When I finally get to the front of the line, I find a guy jumping the line and I reminded him politely about the line. He apologized and stood aside. I asked him to join at the end of the line. He politely asked me not to worry. After I bought my coffee and left the counter, this guy cut the line and was standing at the front to of the queue ordering coffee while the rest in the line looked bewildered.

So if you ever wondered why nobody stops at red lights in India, even if they do why they all want to be in the front at the traffic junction. Why nobody sticks to their lanes in India. Why we don't understand the concept of queue or line. Ask the grownups and the educated elite. They are the main offenders.

"How do you identify NRIs in India - They are the only ones with the ghoras standing in a line"