Some differences between America and India
Some differences between America and India
By Justice Katju
I am presently in California, and have been in America and Canada several times. I would like to mention some differences between America and India.
1. A friend of mine who has lived in America since 1985 recently sent me this message :
I immigrated here in 1985, and have not paid a single penny by corruption to anyone.
I was once driving my car beyond the speed limit, and a policeman followed me on a motorcycle. I kept on driving, and he put his siren on. I stopped and he gave me a ticket.
I asked him what I was going to do with this. He said you have to appear in the court and the judge will decide. I said just for a little ticket ? I then asked him whether we could settle the matter here ( implying whether he could overlook the offence if I paid him some money ) ? He looked straight at my face and said ” Sir this is USA, not India “.
I feel proud of this country.
The above story illustrates that at the level of the common man there is no corruption in American. One cannot bribe a policeman or income tax officer or other official here.
Yes, corruption does exist here, but at very high levels e.g. a multinational corporation may give a bribe to a Minister or senior official of a third world country to get a contract.
In India, on the other hand, corruption exists at every level, high or low.
2. There are laws in both America and India e.g. against air and river pollution, building rules, traffic rules, etc. But in India often these laws exist only on paper, whereas in America they are strictly enforced.
For instance, the air and rivers in America are free of pollution, and even the tap water is safe to drink. In India, on the other hand, everything is polluted, and it is highly unsafe to drink tap water without aquaguard. Foodstuffs are also polluted.
There are laws in India against air pollution, but they are usually ignored, and even the capital Delhi often becomes a gas chamber, causing millions, particularly children, to suffer from asthma and other bronchial diseases.
As regards rivers in India they are all highly polluted despite the Environment Protection Act, 1986
The rules made under the above Act require anyone having a factory discharging toxic effluents to first get them treated in an effluent treatment plant, before discharging it into a river. But effluent treatment plants are expensive, so the owner of the factory usually pays some bribe to the pollution inspector, who turns a blind eye, and allows the toxic effluents to be discharged into the river without treatment.
The Kumbh Mela is presently going on in Allahabad, India, but one wonders whether those taking a holy dip in the Sangam ( the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Jamuna ) to wash away their sins know how highly polluted these ‘holy’ rivers are ? Their sins may be absolved, but in the process they may contract some disease.
Similarly, buildings are often built in Indian cities in violation of the municipal building rules and bye-laws, by paying some bribe to the municipal officials. One can’t do this in America.
For traffic violations in India one can usually get off by paying some bribe to the police. Again, that can’t be done in America
In other words, while there are laws both in America and India, the difference is that in the former they are strictly enforced, but in India they can usually be avoided by paying a bribe to the concerned official.
3. In America one will seldom find garbage on the road. In fact since childhood one is taught by his parents that garbage must be put in the garbage bin, and not just thrown anywhere. In every home in America there is a small garbage bin, and outside every home there are big garbage bins in which the contents of the small bin are thrown by the house owner at night. The garbage from the big bins are collected by the Municipality truck and taken away and disposed off somewhere in a scientific manner.
No one throws litter on the road, park, or other public places in America
In India, on the other hand, one can see mounds and piles of garbage everywhere in all cities, spreading diseases. There is no civic sense among most Indians. If there is garbage or litter in the house, they will just throw it outside. While travelling in a car, one will just toss any discarded material out of the window.
4. Americans are very strict about punctuality. That is because they are usually very busy people, and have no time to waste. The whole day’s program is fixed beforehand, and one is regularly attending ‘calls’. If one is late for an appointment ( without informing the other person) one may cause great inconvenience to the latter, as he may not be able to keep his next appointment.
Indians, on the other hand, are often easygoing and casual in this regard, and they have yet to learn the virtue of punctuality, that it means giving respect to others. There are other differences too, but these were the ones which came to my mind
There are other differences too, but these were the ones which came to my mind
