PIOUS/BIASEC EGYPTIANS

PIOUS/BIASED EGYPTIANS

A couple of months back,while in Dubai,we met a young man fromEgypt

It.was soon afterEgypt won the African Football tournament.We congratulated

him on his country’s remarkable performance.No doubt he was very happy and

saidwith full humility that Egyptians are God fearing and pious muslims.They

offerprayers all the five times a day,fast for the whole Ramazan month and are

humble and helpful to others.God too had been kind to them.Well,no doubt,it was

impressive to note that he gave Allah the due credit.

Our 5day tour to Egypt was scheduled to start that very week.

On reaching there,when the subject of football came up,our tour manager also

replied on the same lines that the natives of his country were Allah fearing and

religious minded.They are very helpful to others and it was because of that they

had this victory.During our course of stay there it, was apparent that they are truly

religious.So much so that on the last day of our stay,our guide presented us a

couple of books om Islam.And helpful too,when I had difficulty in climbing the

high step of tour van,our driver carried a stone for me to step on,in his van.

But before that, a few things happened which dampened our

Spirits to some extent.When we reached the hotel,we were quite tired and hungry

After the flight and then a long long drive through the crowded streets of Cairo.

expecting a comfortable and hospital environment in 5-star hotel,we were looking

forward to a cosy room and hearty meal.After spending one hour at the reception

we were led to a room at the ground floor which was not carpeted and corridor

was dimly lit and non air conditioned,leave aside carpeting.

We hunted for a vegetarian meal in all the four restaurants but only

Thai promised to give us a veg meal.After 45 minutes of wait,boiled rice and

Steamed broccoli was served which was hardly a meal,leave aside hearty.

Soon other problems were found in the roomWater only trickled

in the bathroom,so bath was quite impossible and the key of the door did not open

the door.Staff at the reception told us that all the rooms were bare/uncarpeted like

ours and change of room was possible only in the evening of next day.

Room on the second floor,though,turned out to be like any other

Room in a good hotel,fully carpeted.the corridor too was air-condition and

carpetted.

Back home we met an old friend who had been to Egypt,for some

conference,with spouse some time back.Their hotel was on the river Nile and it

gave a beautiful view from the room.During the day when men folks had been

away for the conference ,ladies started socializing.All were shocked to see our

friends” room since it was the only one which gave Nile view.It was embarrncing

situation for both our friend and his wife because this gentle man was lowest in

seniority that group..

Soon he ,along with some of his colleagues,were at reception

requesting other rooms too to be on this side with Nile view.But there were no

other rooms, they were told.If there was only one such room,then all the rooms

might well have been on the wrong side our friend said exasperatedly..

‘But you are a muslim,sir’receptionist replied with pride putting

our friend to shame..No doubt Egyptians are pious muslims,but they are biased

While in India we take pride in being secular,they take pride in favouring

Muslims.May be the choice of room for us in the hotel too had somethinf to do

with our religion(Hinduism)

--subhashini sahore--

Italian Taste

I and my husband went on a tour of Europe for ten days. During the day, we would travel and do sightseeing. By the evening we would retire to a room in some hotel enroute and again be ready to start our journey next morning.

As we were approaching Italy, our tour manager, Arthur cautioned us to be very careful with our belongings in Italy. We were not to leave any of our things unattended. As for the cash particularly, we were advised to carry only the needful amount with us, the rest could be left in the boxes in the coach.

Both, my husband and I were extra careful. While I put my currency safely in the purse which I tucked tightly in my arms, my husband put all the currency which we needed during our 10 day tour, in the sachet which he secured carefully with the belt of his trousers. From time to time, he would touch it to feel if it was there.

For lunch, we stopped at one place, which had laid down their food in a buffet in bowls with the printed cost along side of each portion. At the end of the platform, the accountant was there who evaluated the food one had picked up and charged for that. The place was overcrowded because a number of coaches had opted to stop for lunch there.

As we had queued up in the serpentine line for our turn, my husband touched his wallet to feel if it was there. Suddenly he felt that the zip of his satchet was open. He spoke loudly for people around to note that someone has tried to fiddle with the zip. He opened his purse and found that all his money was safe. So he kept quite and looked around.

Close by, there was a woman clad in a colorful skirt and a head gear. Obviously she was a gypsy. At a short distance a child of 7-8 was standing. The line was long and and we had hardly moved a yard or two, when my husband announced that his zip was again open and this time all his foreign currency was also missing. People around got alert. The woman was there and he alleged that she had stolen the money. There was an uproar. I ran to call the tour manager, who was furious that despite his so many warnings, we had managed to get our money stolen.

When we came back, my husband was shouting in English to the lady to return his cash, while she was showing her purse and blabbering something in her language. Suddenly that woman pointed towards the floor, where our money was lying. We heaved a sigh of relief. For a few moments our attention had diverted to the floor and we bent down to pick up our money. That time was enough for that woman and the child to escape.

Our tour manager told us that their modus operendi was for the adults to pickpocket the cash of the guillible tourists and hand over to the child who would disappear with it. Meanwhile if the victim realised about the theft before the thieves could extricate themselves from the crowd, she could show that there was no money on her.

In our case my husband had not given her enough time to hand over the money to the child. Back home we cannot think of Italy without that bitter taste.

Sweet and Sour-Global Warming

Well! Well! Well! Do you hear of Global warming? India is warming up too. It is visible. Can be noticed. I am not talking of the heating of the Universe. That is for the department of Meteorology to see. It is the progress which India is making. People do notice India now.

First Beauty Queens made an impact. Both Sushmita Sen and Aishwaraya Rai made it in the beauty pageants in one go. People started saying that Indians are truly beautiful, as well as intelligent. They have beautiful features, complexion is right, hair thick and long, teeth milky white and so on.

Then the broad roads, flyovers and malls came up. Skyscraping buildings also mushroomed. In fact arrival of computers made things move faster. Now the difference between Western countries and India is narrowing. There is a visual difference in banking too with ATM, a common feature.

The latest is return of Indians back home.That has happened slowly but gradually. First there were people who were working abroad. Once they started getting pension, they came back to India, going back periodically to sustain their pension. Slowly that charm of pension too is vanishing.

One woman, when asked as to why she came back to India, she said that she wanted to be with her extended family like brothers & sisters etc. She said there was enough money for the rainy days but her heart was in India.

Then there was another couple with growing children. They claimed that they wanted their children to have proper values in life. People are too money minded there. Children ask for a tip for making a cup of tea for their parents.

Another family landed back in Delhi because their, not yet a teenager son called the police because the parents took him to task for misbehaving.

Another one returned to their native land because they wanted their children to be exposed to Indian culture. Back home their participation in all the festivals is overwhelming.

Another one said what with the narrowing gap between the salaries here and there and much lower cost of living back home with the same parameters, India is after all their own country and there is no racism.

Lately there is another person who is a computer wizard who came back with bag and baggage to India. The wife said there was a lot of work to be done with a kid in USA. Extra help is very expensive. In India the house is always much neater and the grandmom is too happy to baby sit when the mother wants to go out. But what with the 'Interference of the in-laws'? Oh a happy family, neater house and relaxed lifestyle makes up for that larger family.

There is a case of yet another young family sent to England on deputation. I was amazed when she came over after one and a half years. ‘What happened? Your lease with the company is over?’ I asked.

‘No, but we asked for posting back to India again’. She said everything was satisfactory but their medical health is hopeless, she complained. Once her daughter injured herself while playing. So the mom took her to see the doctor in the hospital. But the appointment could be possible only after 4 days. So she wondered what was the idea of meeting the doctor after 4 days when she needed the medication right then.

Well they made up their mind to return to India. She enjoys the free time here. Life is so much easier in India.

So is not India hotting up? More and more Indians now come back to their own country.