Keeping up appearances

What will the neighbours think Those five words possibly resonate in the lives of Indians more than any others do Its also the kind of question I imagine the government of India asking itself whenever a world leader decides to drop by for a visitTake Donald Trump for instance who was given a threehour glimpse into what India was like based on a visit to a cricket stadium Mahatma Gandhis ashram and the ubiquitous Taj Mahal If he wanted a snapshot of a country as diverse as ours I wonder who came up with that list I asked myself what I would show a guest who wanted to understand India and couldnt think of a single stadium that fit the bill I understand that world leaders especially not the narcissistic ones dont visit countries to get to know them better of course but the bizarre choice of venues still took me by surpriseWhat didnt cause me to raise an eyebrow was the massive whitewashing exercise that took place before Trump left the United States Streets that ought to have been cleaned years ago were given a makeover trees were planted and a wall was built to create the impression that there was no such thing as poverty in a country that allegedly comprises 100 Smart Cities The fact that this was all documented on social media was amusing because everything the wall tried to hide was easily accessible to anyone armed with a smartphoneWe dont like the truth despite our delusional belief that we have always been a truthful people Everything about ourselves is a lie especially when it comes to how we present Indias story to the world When foreign guests step into our homes we overwhelm them with food and talk about how we are a warm and hospitable people That warmth vanishes in the face of class and caste which is also why we build separate elevators for servants and sometimes indulge in the odd lynching of those who dont share our religious beliefsWhat will our neighbours think What will other countries think Why cant they see that we are a prosperous clean country full of happy people who break into song and dance routines every hour in a neverending celebration of life It is our insistence on drinking this Kool Aid of our own making that prevents us from taking a good hard look at facts even when they stare us in the faceHow are we supposed to tackle problems if we cant acknowledge the fact that they exist Whitewashing poverty or hiding slumdwellers behind a wall doesnt negate the very real presence of both in our lives on a daily basis and statistics about how we fare economically as a thirdworld country have always been available to any outsiders who choose to do a bit of research So what exactly do we hope to accomplish by denying what our country is really like Anyone with access to pictureperfect Instagrammable images of the Taj Mahal can also Google the view from the other side where slums fight for air in the shadow of that glittering monumentThis inability to accept reality also creeps into how we present ourselves to outsiders We simper and bow praise our peaceloving ancestors and propagate the myth of a benign vegetarian country By doing this we refuse to confront the reality of living in a country often described as the most racist on Earth where we struggle with the same issues related to inequality misogyny injustice casteism and religious intolerance that obsessed us when our republic was born We think about ourselves the way we want the world to think of us which is in itself a myth of our own making Our inability to see the risk of such a habit only makes it harder for us to focus on solutionsWhy couldnt we show Donald Trump that there were poor Indians in the places he was visiting anyway How do Indias poor embarrass us by merely existing Why cant visitors see how we live on a daily basis how we struggle with roads that are death traps or how our famous monuments are almost always ignored when there are no famous guests aroundIts sad that visiting dignitaries dont even get access to the kind of food we really eat When was the last time any of us ever prepared let alone consumed something as mysterious and abominable as a Broccoli SamosaWhen he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereiraSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates