It was a Saturday. We had reached Pondicherry early in the morning and had been successful to find a place to stay after some search. Luckily this place was very near to the professor's place we had plans to visit the next day. Rested for a while before getting ready for the day. Visited the Aurobindo Ashram, had breakfast and hired a rickshaw for the whole day.
The driver doubled as the guide too. Went to the botanical garden and some churches before going to the Auroville. Fabulous place. Calm, serene, beautiful. Worth spending the whole day there. After seeing the sphere (only from the outside) we decided to go to the beach. Auroville beach.
Ah, here was the resort where we had originally planned to stay. Beautiful. Right on the beach. It was a typical Indian beach. People playing in the water, swimming. Sitting by the sea. Hawkers everywhere. We also got in the water. After some time a foreigner couple came out of the resort for a swim. The changed into their swimsuits before getting into the water. The woman was in a blue 2-piece suit, and I must say that she looked gorgeous.
Suddenly they came out of the water. While the woman put her clothes back on, the man went to a group of people standing at a distance. Some discussion followed. The man was going back when the woman too reached. By this time a beach constable had also come. The woman complained that one of the guys in the group was taking her pictures. She scolded the guy and wanted the constable to take him away. The constable obliged and all dispersed. The couple back in the resort and the constable & the guy with the camera away from the beach.
I felt bad. Is this how we treat our guests? Is this our culture? Why do people behave this way? I had no answers. I was about to get the whole episode out of my mind and get back into water when another thought struck me ...
What if this was a beach in Rio? What if the guy with camera was not Indian? Would the couple have reacted the same way as they did here? The sun was setting. It was getting dark.
4 comments:
Hmmm.. actually indians do act funnily when they see such otherwise unavailable stuff. Had the ogler been a firang, she would have reacted differently, as 'they' wud have had a comradery, ppl in an alien and potentially unsafe region ;).
Rio, well the locals there must be blase with such scenes. Little chance of such action.
I can bet my a$$ the guy with the camera in Rio would also be an Indian. Indians can be pretty obnoxious most times.
:D
Finally, read all your posts. Interesting to read - terse still lucid, as usual!
I think its time to post some new entries...your Mumbai experience to begin with! :P
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