tohdi si lift karade

Are we really that mean as a population? I really don’t know how is it that we get so inconsiderate.

We are raised to believe that Indians are really warm people. We value our family systems, we value our elders, we value our teachers, we treat people with respect etc. Of course then we have the caste system to deal with, which in many ways has been replaced by the class system in Mumbai. we don’t know how to treat our servants and our support system. That also to some extent I can allow. After all 5000 years of prejudice can’t be wished away in 50. That’s not the issue. Here I am talking about something else. I am talking about a big issue I see.

Lifts. We just don’t stop lifts when we see someone rushing in. There is no movement. People will know you are there, coming in but refuse to acknowledge your presence. I guess just quietly they will wish for the lift to close and they will simply head up! Are so hard pressed for time? not likely – it can only make a difference of 30 seconds. They will look at the phone, at the indicator on top, at the floor, anywhere but look at you. Some are exceptions to the rule. They will simply stare at you blankly – rather – stare through you as if you were made of glass. Now this is a real reason why in India we require lift men. Once a foreigner asked me in all earnest if the left men were a part of a government job scheme – because that is the only reason to have one – why on earth will you need liftmen in lifts! At the time I thought it’s because of feudal mindset we need these guys to press the buttons for us. We are too high up on the pecking order to do it ourselves. But I guess this is one more reason – or possibly the real reason. It’s because we need these guys to hold the lift for the lack of consideration we show others. I remember my first internship was in 20^th century Fox and it was in an old heritage building - the Metro building where the Metro theatre also ran. There was a lift man because I don’t think anyone else would be able to operate that lift – or they were worried that someone would screw it up. The lift I am sure would also be a heritage artifact. He would sit outside the lift with the door open on the ground floor. Since the lift was not available for going down the door could be open and not really affect anyone. Sometimes when the director or some level like that pressed the lift button for going down, the lift man would slowly get up and bring the lift to the relevant floor. But really the most irritating thing was when you get into the lift. Then he would look at you and wait for some time and then he would slowly get into the lift, then he would wait as if to look around if there was anyone else to get in. the building must have been three to max four stories and would hardly veer have anyone else in the lift but he would wait nevertheless. I even have some memory of him going and stepping outside the building to look if anyone was coming in and then he would enter the lift slowly closing the doors. This was the old style lift where you had to pull the collapsible doors one by one. He would close the doors himself and press the button himself. You were not to do it. You probably would have spoilt it! But the point is that now I understand the real reason for a lift man. We are asses. We don’t wait for anyone. We slam the door on people and we just don’t wait for people to come into the lift.  And educated high ranking officials working on corporate floors do this. When you go to our huge office at Goregaon you will see lifts with employees going up and down. There also nobody ever holds the lift for you if you are running in. also there may be enough space but no one will try to crunch in allowing that one more person to join in the lift. You have to look at people and they will look right back at you and just wait there. There is always space but as one sales man told me – “dil mein jagah honi chaiye”. I think there is no space left in our hearts at all.

Here is one ad that captured it perfectly! I think any ad is a good that captures something we see everyday and show it back to us on screen with a twist!

Bonus bakwaas video that makes everybody on the internet cry bucketful of tears!