A few years ago, Ken Livingston, Mayor (Greater London) and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had agreed to make London and New Delhi twin cities. It was a symbolic gesture that at best recognised the importance of the two capitals and to some extent, the links between them, both on people and governmental levels.
But I am amazed at the similarity in many things that make people in respective cities love and hate, grumble, groan and yet, praise the two. Both the cities have traffic problem, soaring crime, rising cost of living and neighbourhood noise pollution. Power cuts are not experienced but I have, in the last one year, seen taps go dry suddenly, making life very difficult.
Crime is of different kind here. Gang wars in China Town, where it is said dead bodies disappear before the police arrive. Unlicensed mini cab drivers rape and molest unsuspecting women returning late from parties or stage shows. Mugging has increased in local neighbourhood markets, since the police drive in central London.
Even bus drivers, who were the most disciplined lot, have taken to ignoring and violating traffic rules. I have seen drivers overtaking and driving outside bus lanes and not stopping for old people.
True, I must rather embarrassingly admit that most of such drivers are from outside -- India, Pakistan or Africa and West Indies. It is always a pleasure to find an old conductor seeped in the old culture and full of British wit. But they are a dying race.
The commuters are also not as well behaved as they used to be a decade or so ago. It is not as bad as what one witnesses in the Delhi buses but the very fact that more buses are now carrying notices that assault on the staff would not be tolerated, make one realise that some commuters are becoming violent.
The one thing that really is different from Delhi is the attitude towards women. There is hardly any teasing or misconduct in tubes or buses. Another thing I like is the attitude of the people. There is not much class distinction.
{{/usCountry}}The one thing that really is different from Delhi is the attitude towards women. There is hardly any teasing or misconduct in tubes or buses. Another thing I like is the attitude of the people. There is not much class distinction.
{{/usCountry}}The bartender will talk to you in familiar tone; the doorkeeper will say a word or two about the weather. I always say that London is a great equaliser. Those with turned-up noses back home do submit to be non-VIP familiarity, and wait to be served at various counters in major stores like Selfridges or Harrods.
I have noticed some great and mighty Indian visitors quietly waiting their turn to be able to speak to a beautician or sales persons in cosmetic section or in men's readymade garments department. I think, in some ways, they too enjoy such "normal" treatment.
But, reports of rapes and assaults in parks and isolated lane are becoming more frequent. Also, crime in hitherto safe areas is on the increase. People do not feel safe in their houses for the reason that most houses here do not have grill on windows, unlike in Delhi. But I find that shutters and grills are now becoming more common. What a tragedy!
Otherwise like Delhi now, London is indeed a happening city, some thing or the other is always on for different age groups and social strata. You do not have to worry about a lonely evening. There will be some play, concert or movie you may like and if not, you can go and sit in your local bar with a pint. Some other regular will surely wave at you and if invited, join you for a little chat.
For us Indians, London is, of course, a city we seem to integrate effortlessly and do not feel strange within hours of landing. It all starts from Heathrow itself where, most probably, you will be screened by an Indian immigration officer and attended to by an Indian girl at the Information Counter or find yourself picked up by a Hindustani-speaking mini-cab driver. It's all so home-like. It is fitting that London and Delhi are twin cities.
Beware of the old
We had heard of prosecutions for sexual and racial discrimination. Now, prosecution could follow if you joke about someone's joke. For instance, if you send a card on the 50th birthday of a colleague and add jokingly, enjoy your Viagra, you might find yourself spending a night in a police cell. The European Union (EU) is drafting a law to outlaw ageism in the workplace.
Once enforced, it would be politically incorrect to joke about someone's getting on in age, and might land you in a whole lot of trouble. So, signing a birthday card to the "grumpy, old git", who sits next to you at work, would no longer be a laughing matter.
Bosses will have to be careful at parties not only to remark about some lady employee's contours or dress but also about some male or female worker's expanding girth due to age. Legal experts have warned that bosses could have to fork out hefty compensation packets.
Advertisements seeking "young, dynamic individuals" could make some "old" jobseeker allege discrimination. The new advertisements would have be age-neutral.
A word of wisdom
From Mick Jagger: People want you to be like you were in 1969. They want you to be, because their youth goes with you.