Tera Kya hoga Singapore?

Strange going ons in Singapore-that which are out of the extraordinary.

I saw the traffic so ruly and perfect that I wondered if there could ever be accidents on the streets of Singapore.

This myth got shattered on the second day itself when the Mercedes Taxicab carrying Rajashree and her mom and a guest met with a massive accident. Though the occupants got saved, the taxi was a complete write off.

Mustafa is a great shopping centre and is open 24/7 and never closes for customers.

This myth got shattered when I visited with Deepika and her family.

They refused us entry since the mall was overly crowded and there was no space to enter so all new entrants were told to buzz off!

The shopping experience is the greatest in Singapore with the prices of goods being far cheaper than any other parts of the world.

I was in for a shock when I visited the Levi's showroom. 517 was priced way above S$140 which would translate into about 40% more pricier than in India.

India is a manufacturing base for all the upper end garments unlike China which is more concentrated on mass produced goods.

The quality of the jeans was also very suspect since I had worn the same when I visited that store.

Similarly other upper end and middle end brands were nowhere near a bargain price.

Mango,Calvin,Triumph and other such brands are too costly compared to what we get here in India.

Visit to a Buddhist and Hindu temple proved another theory wrong.

The temples were a virtual stronghold of fake deities and symbols.

Even the shops which lined the temples were selling goods without any true religious content. I searched in vain for my initiate Buddha of the Lapis Lazuli but could not find it anywhere.

The places are so clean and neat and the constant security in the background is a reminder of colonial past.

I was told that you couldn't litter anywhere in Singapore unlike India.

I visited the beach one morning and found to my utter horror the whole beach strewn with refuse worst than Dahisar khadi in Mumbai.

I took photographs of the same to remind myself that it is good for the story books.

Now I asked myself why did this happen?

Why were the hapless victims left high and dry for a full 30 minutes after the accident without even an ambulance or a police van coming in sight when the Taxi met with an accident. Remember it was very much within the proper city!

I am proud of my country and the way we live in it.

We in India do not boast of an efficient system at all.

Our mul mantra is "Chalta Hai"! Sabh kuch thik hai!

You can cut a line, jaywalk in the streets,catch a running train, go without ticket,bunk lectures, write exams for another person, wait for an ambulance that never comes, carry the victim on the back or a hand cart and so much of indiscipline that we wonder how this country survives!

We have a culture and ethnic origins which we are proud of.

So my suggestion to Namma Bengaluru is not to become another Singapore but retain its original flavor and identity. Long live chaos , indiscipline and humanity and love the way we are!