From where I come (I name it not for I intend to preserve the identity of these ladies and Gentlemen for as long as I can), it is almost natural to have people curious about what you do… where you’re going… what are you doing…. Why are you walking… Why is the sky so high…? :D
Now so that would have to mean I’m used to it by now, right? Well… let me think about this natural corollary… So how used would you get to people watching your every move?
Some co-passengers today, for instance show determined interest in your activities. (And I was doing stunningly different things like board the bus, purchase my ticket… I actually shifted in my seat….) and all of a sudden, I find a pair of eyes watching me… much like Uncle Sam only they’ve no spying equipment save beady little eyes that catch you unawares when you’re busy letting your mind wander. Disconcerting? Now, lets put things in perspective, Im a frequent public-speaker and a performer, so Im not new to being ‘watched’ , but this transcends realms of normal observation…this constitutes what we girls often snort about as ‘staring!’ Well… 22 Years of experience have taught me not glaring back, laughter or irritation can ever diltue their intention, so I was incredbly ingenuous and blocked line of sight with my free arm. I think if I was in the Land of the Free and Brave I would be a billionaire by sheer lawsuits that claim ‘mental distress’ and ‘infringement of privacy’ from leering civilians. :D
Now if I ever thought only girls were subject to this polite treatment, I find that even my Dad is not spared from the unerring eye of the public, and most people he meets ask him (odds hundred to one) ‘So where are you actually from?’….. Asking a man that when he’s not moved residence in the previous 25 years… No wonder he’s a little less than amused when they start speaking with him in Hind before he answers… :P
You know the veil I offer this sect of polite observers is thin, for everyone in campus who knows me will figure out who I allude to… But I am polite enough to respect them even in the written word. I do so wish, it would be returned in a little ‘letting-be’ when in places accepted as ‘public’ so everyone has equal right to be there and do their own thing.
But even as I write, I think the sophistication I speak of is something that comes with a degree of distance and separation… that these people do not believe in… It is the sign of civilised society…but who ever said it is the best way to be? These are also some of the most helpful and informed people in this world… A punctured tyre or a missed bus? ‘Have no fear, for ‘they’ are here’… Im guessing it comes a package… Combine that with a willingness to help, that makes a great Samaritan… :) I’ve enjoyed the benefit of this many a time… very many a time…So then, let me conclude saying ‘Hail the Malayalee’!!! :D
Now so that would have to mean I’m used to it by now, right? Well… let me think about this natural corollary… So how used would you get to people watching your every move?
Some co-passengers today, for instance show determined interest in your activities. (And I was doing stunningly different things like board the bus, purchase my ticket… I actually shifted in my seat….) and all of a sudden, I find a pair of eyes watching me… much like Uncle Sam only they’ve no spying equipment save beady little eyes that catch you unawares when you’re busy letting your mind wander. Disconcerting? Now, lets put things in perspective, Im a frequent public-speaker and a performer, so Im not new to being ‘watched’ , but this transcends realms of normal observation…this constitutes what we girls often snort about as ‘staring!’ Well… 22 Years of experience have taught me not glaring back, laughter or irritation can ever diltue their intention, so I was incredbly ingenuous and blocked line of sight with my free arm. I think if I was in the Land of the Free and Brave I would be a billionaire by sheer lawsuits that claim ‘mental distress’ and ‘infringement of privacy’ from leering civilians. :D
Now if I ever thought only girls were subject to this polite treatment, I find that even my Dad is not spared from the unerring eye of the public, and most people he meets ask him (odds hundred to one) ‘So where are you actually from?’….. Asking a man that when he’s not moved residence in the previous 25 years… No wonder he’s a little less than amused when they start speaking with him in Hind before he answers… :P
You know the veil I offer this sect of polite observers is thin, for everyone in campus who knows me will figure out who I allude to… But I am polite enough to respect them even in the written word. I do so wish, it would be returned in a little ‘letting-be’ when in places accepted as ‘public’ so everyone has equal right to be there and do their own thing.
But even as I write, I think the sophistication I speak of is something that comes with a degree of distance and separation… that these people do not believe in… It is the sign of civilised society…but who ever said it is the best way to be? These are also some of the most helpful and informed people in this world… A punctured tyre or a missed bus? ‘Have no fear, for ‘they’ are here’… Im guessing it comes a package… Combine that with a willingness to help, that makes a great Samaritan… :) I’ve enjoyed the benefit of this many a time… very many a time…So then, let me conclude saying ‘Hail the Malayalee’!!! :D
