It is impossible not to eavesdrop when people are having a loud conversation on the phone in Mumbai’s lifeline – the local train.
Unlike other days, this morning was a special one, worth describing.
A guy gets in, stands next to me, elbows me to make his room, and starts chatting over the mobile (so here’s how it goes…).
“Sorry yaar (friend), had to switch off the mobile as the train was coming in; you know how much rush there is nowadays.”
As if there was less rush in the last 20 years in Mumbai locals. Well, from his conversation, I figured out that on the other side will be another mid-life, middle-class male on the call. After a few lines of small chit-chat, the big one comes (which inspired me to write this blog).
“Oh, he (some friend)! He is still in the hospital on dialysis, and the doctor says it will take another two weeks to recover.”
Oh God! That is alarming, that friend can be just like me, another middle-aged, middle-class individual. And now you read and hear every day about people in their twenties getting heart attacks. Well, no doubt life is stressful, but we Indians make it even harder with our own karma, as we poke our nose in every matter, as well as in others’ matters; worrying about them and giving a constant stream of unsolicited advice is part of our nature.
“Not sure what went wrong, the doctor says due to his high blood pressure his kidney is not functioning properly. He is having heavy loss of protein in the urine.”
Indeed, a sad conversation. But then he admits, “What more to say, even we don’t know 2% of our body and how it works; we only go to the hospital when sick.”
Not sure how to say how true it is. In India, there is no conception of the prevention of diseases. People get really sick, spend money (according to their capacity) as most don’t even have medical insurance, and then one final day all is over. And worst of all, relatives, friends, and bystanders never try to take precautions on the same for themselves, as all think that it will not happen to them, it only happens to others.
Now, the sunny side of the conversation.
“I forgot to tell you, I got a Toyota Corolla recently; a good bargain for a perfect second hand. You must come one weekend; we will go for a long drive to Pune.”
It is mandatory to announce you got a good deal to show your acumen as a buyer. I love to hear this stuff, as I am sure both guys will never make it in their life, as their wives will never allow that bachelor party to happen. Unlike the west or even the far-east, where it is common to have guys having an evening-out after work; it virtually doesn’t exist in India yet, as Indian guys have too many balls to juggle with. If you think I am making it sound too boring, the reason is very simple – I haven’t yet met a person like that.
Well, then the conversation continued with natural stuff like kids’ education, stock market, weather, and the boss at work. By that time, his stop was coming, so he cuts the call quite abruptly. For 90% of Indians, phone etiquette does not require a formal hello or bye; the conversation starts and ends – cradles down – that’s simple.
Maybe just like writing, no concluding paragraph. Well, this is a good link on our kidney; I will encourage you to read the same. Maybe it increases that 2% knowledge on the human body; high time to take care of ourselves with less medication and have more of a stress-free life.