I was going to Rourkela in train when I grabbed a copy of Reader’s Digest (July edition) and turned to read the article about politeness and according to Reader’s Digest (RD), Mumbai is the rudest city in the world! It had conducted a survey in some of the major cities in the world and had concluded that Mumbai is the rudest city.
It tested about politeness in three different aspects- a “thank you” said by the shopkeepers when they bought something, helped by someone on dropping a folder of papers and keeping a door open for someone entering a shop by the workers. And they complained about everything in Mumbai.
When being asked by a sales-man why he didn’t say a “thank you” when the man bought something, he had replied that he smiled and asked if that was not enough? Not enough for RD. For you? For me a smile is worth more than a “thank you”- a person giving you a smile is more polite than someone saying “thank you” without feeling it-at least for me this holds true. I have encountered both the situations and I am likely to visit the shop again which returns me with a smile- I do so! But RD has “strict rules” and doesn’t count it for politeness. But RD doesn’t report how many people in New York (labelled as the most polite city) said “thank you” with actually meaning it!
RD doesn’t stop here. It went on. More on labeling Mumbai the rudest city with all sorts of examples.
Now after the Mumbai blasts, I think RD should re-consider what it had written. The way people helped others was really awe-inspiring. After the blasts instead of being in their homes in safety, the people were geared up to help in any way possible. Now this is what is the spirit, the real picture of Mumbai- not what the RD had portrayed and put into words.
Then after this, RD had also written about the brighter side of Mumbai- and had written that the young were found to be more polite than the elders and so the future is bright. RD claims that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world and why can't it take as it had written? What does writing about the brighter side mean? Just to appease the people? No need of that, RD! You have done much favour. Thank you. I was just polite.
I think that RD instead of publishing an article has done more a “lawyer” kind of job and “played” with words.
5 comments:
Among other places, I have stayed in Mumbai for a couple of years and I would certainly not consider Mumbai a rude city- leave aside rudest! Even after leaving Mumbai, I have always told people how simple, down to earth and helpful people are in Mumbai and with hardly any pomp and show which I have found so prevalent in Delhi or most northern India. Yes, Mumbai is busy, people hardly have time to waste as they do not have time for themselves - but that's why they have the no-nonsence attitude. Girls don't have to face the incidents like eve-teasing, etc. in common day to day life like in Delhi, etc.
Considering everything, how can Mumbai be called a rude city ??
Seema- from your comment,it's now proved that the study of RD was a total crap thing.I had also been to Mumbai but at that time I was very young(I think I was 10) so don't remember anything about it but certainly Mumabai can't be the rudest city!
aww u r hurt.. well am also hurt by RD's such rude comments. but chill sid.. its just a survey.. and i stay in NY.. ppl here consider everything rude if not accompanied by a sorry/thankyou.. a smile is enough for Indians.. but for the standards by which the survey mite have been conducted, it must hv been rude. Coz every day in my school at NYIT, ppl hold doors and wish u gud morning and blah blah wot not.. though its not always accompanied by a smile (the emotion that is very well pointed in ur post).. btw i liked ur post and I am feeling exactly the same bad feeling that they rated mumbai as rudest in d world! I dont have a complain about it, but I SERIOUSLY think wots their point in conducting such childish surveys and discouraging mumbaikars.. atleast they smile dont they!
hey sid
i am livin in mumbai from the time i was born . and u know that article was really a waste of money and manpower so u get my full support in crappin such articles man.
Sorry Sid..I have never visited Mumbai, so I don’t know whether it really is as rude as the RD article made it out to be..and what purpose do these survey serves?? The standards they might have adopted to measure the "Rudeness" might not apply to us Indians..Certainly saying Thank You n Sorry is not a definite measurement of politeness:-)
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