MARINE DRIVE... INDIA

Marine drive is the most beautiful place in Mumbai. Me and my four friends decided to visit it for the first time. Yes hard to believe but yes for the first time though we are studying in Mumbai.  We went to CST from our college, asked a traffic police the way to marine drive. Beautiful Saturday evening in mid October month. We were marching towards our destination. Sun had worked for whole day and he was ready to see off.  We reached marine drive at around 7.15pm. The sight was just serendipity for all of us. We stopped all our jokes, gossips abruptly and enjoyed the sight. The silver necklace was beautifying the concrete road and buildings.

                Sound of sea waves, traffic, hawkers and also the sound of peace you find there in all such noise. You feel calm between the vast sky and humongous sea. Though the sea is touching our Indian soil but its mother tongue should consists Al habiba. Just a thought.  Between all such perfect, conventional environment we heard some shouting from a distance. A toongawala and a tall white guy were having some quarrel between them. Prior we ignored as it’s so usual in our country. But after a while we couldn’t stop ourself from knowing what was actually happening.

                We waited there for a minute and heard the conversation which was funny at that moment. Toongawala was shouting in some English that “charges is 300, I give you 200 vapas , as u give 500.I told you this very much .” His hands were also explaining with his words. The foreigner in some English accent was saying “You told us 200 and now you are not ready to return me my 100 note back. I will sue you.” It was astonishing to see a foreigner bargaining as rare scene it was. Both were so much adamant on the matter that even after our intervening them didn’t solve the problem. The toongawala was not ready to give 100 back to white guy. 

                I thought for a while. I checked my wallet and took a 100rs note and gave to the white guy. He astonished and asked why you are giving? I just asked him to take and asked Toongawala to go and gave a 1 min speech to him that these people are our guest; we should show the positive side of our country. Please be truthful atleast to them. (“blah blah”- for him ofcourse)

                Then I turned to the white guy he was still in the surprised emoji expression. I asked him from where did u come from?  He answered he is a British. At that moment I felt i shouldn’t have helped this guy, they robbed my country for so long. But again I controlled my patriotism and started explaining why I helped him. I told him that “God didn’t give privilege to the Toongawala to think beyond himself as he lives hand to mouth. He can only think of getting more money and keep himself and his family living. But God made me efficient that I can think of my country and I don’t want anybody to go out of my motherland and tell anything bad about India. Even I want you to see me as representative of this country and not the poor Toonga guy.”  

                 Englishman liked my answer. My friends are stilling in surprising emoji mode. ;)

Author's Note

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Reviews

[Solar]

An interesting story. It showed the nobility of India and the meanness of the foreigner - something for which India suffered but also survived over the centuries. A good write-up of an incident.