A silver lining from Mumbai

I begin with my following comment published yesterday (Sept 26) on the NDTV website on a news item:

Salute to Vaishali Mhaskar, Rahul Rai and seven other Mumbaikars for living up to the high morals for which India is traditionally respected. Hope we the masses and our politicians learn from these selfless souls and start giving importance to morality, which we direly need to cleanse public life.

The news was about a Reader’s Digest a survey conducted in 16 cities worldwide to measure the level of people’s honesty in these cities. While Finnish capital Helsinki came out as the world's most honest city, our own Mumbai was declared second-most honest city in the world. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, proved to be the least honest.

For the survey, researchers left 192 wallets in parks, near shopping malls and on sidewalks, in 16 cities in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Each wallet contained a cell phone number, a family photo, coupons, business cards and the equivalent of 50 dollars in cash.

Overall 90 (47 per cent) of 192 wallets were returned. In Helsinki, 11 out of 12 wallets were returned, and Mumbaikars returned 9 of the 12 wallets. Two of these Mumbaikars, as mentioned in my comment, were Vaishali Mhaskar and Rahul Rai.

However, some of my fellow netizens did not find anything great in this survey and made fun of it through these comments: 

• Good joke!
• Ha ha ha , 1st April is still far away , Indians and honest , i say NEVER ....
• When people are busy making money through corruption, where is the necessity to steal wallets!!!!!!
• If you lose your wallet don't expect it back by this survey, Indians and honesty are two opposite poles. If you don't believe it leave your wallet in one of the locals.

Despite the above comments, I feel common Indians try to behave honestly and are ready to help each other if they are able to keep themselves aloof from the political and bureaucratic machinations. I give two personal examples:

1. Sometimes I travel in a normal auto-turned-into a passenger share auto for a short distance, with each passenger paying Rs 10. One day I was sitting alone in that auto, and the young driver was waiting for two more passengers. Then a child came and wanted to travel by that auto. The driver thought he won’t be able to pay Rs 10, so he refused to take him. A little later when the two remaining passengers got into the auto, the driver rued refusing  the child. So he went looking for the child to whom he now seemed giving a ride for less fare or even for free. However, he could not find the child. So, he started the auto but on the way he expressed his regret for refusing the child. Then one of my fellow passengers, a youth in his mid 20s, consoled the driver, 'Yeh ahmiyat ki baat hai ke tumhe tumhari galti ka ehsaas ho gaya’. (It’s important that you have realized your mistake.) Since both the driver and my fellow co-passenger were young, I think for India not all has been lost yet. 
2. For the last 15 years, a physically challenged lady is a regular fixture on the pavement in our colony in the morning. I often extend her small monetary help. Sometimes it happens that she doesn’t turn up for days together. So, when I meet her after the interlude, I give a little more money than my usual daily offering. And, the next day when I try to give her some money, she refuses to take it, saying “Kal apne diya  tha” (You helped me yesterday.)  Doesn’t this physically challenged lady, with nobody to look after her, have a honest realization that as she has already received  a lump sum amount, so she is not entitled to get more money from me for the next few days? 

     Wish our politicians and bureaucrats also have such honest  realization about caring for the money which the masses earn  the hard way and of which they are the custodians.

   

    The NDTV news is available on the following link:

    http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mumbai-named-world-s-  second-most-honest-city-study-424053