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Dispatch from Germany by an American on OkhlaOT, September 24, 2011 IST Jonathan Shifley
I’m writing from Germany, where I have business meetings all week. The place where I am staying is beautiful with rolling green hills, cool weather, and a lot of trees. There’s also a ski lift outside my hotel window going up the hill. There’s no snow, but it seems that people are going up the hill with their bicycles and riding them down at high speeds. The whole area reminds me of my hometown in Ohio and it’s very different from Okhla. One might be tempted to say it is better. But as I sit here in my room, I find myself thinking a lot about Okhla. In the West, people tend to be very independent. The emphasis is on respecting the individual’s rights and personal space. While I must say that I do miss that aspect of my culture, I also have to admit that I have many friends in Okhla who would do anything to help me. Even my neighbours, who I don’t know very well yet, have told me to let them know if I have any problem. In Germany (as in America), things feel a little too isolated. I have the feeling that if something happened to me on the streets of this small town, people would walk right by me and not help. That wouldn’t happen in Okhla—once I lost control of and dropped my Enfield Bullet and at least 10 people stopped to help me! Things are changing in India, though. Families are not quite as close and children are leaving home. Most of the people I know have at least one family member living abroad. My hope and prayer for India is that while embracing progress and the new “global village” India does not lose the sense of community that, as a country, celebrates “unity in diversity.” Yes, Germany is nice. But I think I’d rather live in Okhla. (The author has been working in Zakir Nagar for over 6 years. He is the owner and Executive Director of Dynamic Training Services Pvt. Ltd. which is located on Lane 20 in Zakir Nagar. Jonathan lives in Okhla with is wife, Heather, and two children.)
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