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Showing posts from June, 2013

Teflon coated Indians - nothing seems to effect them (part 1/3)

I have heard this phrase in many forms from a variety of people. Teachers, executives, housewives, writers and many more : Indians seem to be comfortable in any circumstances and environments. Is it evolution or constitution (physical and mental) that they are so? I have delved into this over last many a years and often not believing the words. Is it true? Must be, as so many people of a diverse background are saying. But I do not see it as such! Then it strikes. Most of the times, something that we are used to turns us into a blind. We do not realise what we are. I have a hypothesis that perhaps throws some light to it. I can broadly classify the reasons of my hypothesis into three parts as effects of - food - surroundings/micro society, and - faith I would touch these three in 3 different posts. First, my favorite, FOOD. Each society is proud of its food. Italians have Pizza and pasta, Chinese have noodles, middle east has biryani, Germans have potato and beer, Scots hav

More thirsty than others

Having flown on more than 2,500 flights in India and overseas, there is one thing that has amazed me. The first thing that Indians (irrespective of gender, age, regionality and presumable religiosity as well) ask for the flight steward is a glass of water followed by .... another glass of water. I find it so different even in the meetings held across the globe, it is Indians who are more likely to go for water (still and unflavoured) than their western couterparts. Also interesting is the way Indians (including me) drink water - never sipping but kind of gulping. One could say that this could be because we live in warm weather but that is not so. This habit is equally prevalent in the hill states of India. Yes, they would drink more warm water and even tea than normal water but the amount of still unflavoured water consumption is many times over any French or German. No wonder India's bottled water business is the largest in volume terms globally. I must hasten to add that t