Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2009 06:55:25 -0700 From: Rina Mukherji <rina.mukhe...@gmail.com>
Picking up from what Marshall Mendonza has said about Israelis and Russians cordoning off their property to discourage and keep off local Goans, it reminds me of what was the norm in railway colonies during the British Raj. There were roads earmarked for the natives, Anglo-Indians and the British. While the British and Anglo-Indians could stray into the native section, the natives were never allowed to move into the British or Anglo-Indian sections. Indian officers were allowed into the British section only on special invitation. Do we want this to happen to us again in independent India? That would be a shame! Mario responds: I see some Indians still have a tendency to tell others how they should live. These so called "cordoned off" properties during the British Raj were a tiny percentage of the whole. I grew up as a "native" in a town with a Cantonment and a Railway Colony and never had any problems going wherever I had some business. Besides, what do you think India's gated communities and buildings in virtually every major city are if not exclusive "cordoned off" enclaves? Try getting past the Chowkidars without being stopped and scrutinized to make sure you are a guest. This peculiar xenophobia in an otherwise intelligent country has deprived India of crores of investments that would have helped mostly the Indian poor but created competition for the middle class.
