Negotiating India
Should you pay attention to global politics (not always fun, but somebody has to do it) you may have noticed some belligerent behaviour on the part of the Prime Minister of India, who at this time happens to be Narenda Modi. India is a democracy, so they change Prime Ministers from time to time through elections, although Mr. Modi seems to be following the lead of other global leaders like autocrats Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Xi Jinping (China) who like to arrange events to their own benefit and thereby stay in power as long as they can. Mr. Modi stands accusing of ordering a “hit” on Sikh political leader Hardeep Niijar who has been taking refuge in Canada.
To avoid confusion, a “hit” can be better described as a murder, which is not only unethical but illegal in many countries as well, even if you are a Prime Minister with a rocket in your pocket. Putin prefers poison or having his opponents fall accidently out of windows, which is bad for their health. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has perfected a form of magic where his enemies, or anyone who questions his own non-existent ethics, simply disappear. The victim in the Niijar case is not just the Sikh politician but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who has taken rather a bad fall himself in the polls, largely because he had already made a fool of himself.
The handsome Canadian PM has a poor history and relationship with India. A few years ago he made a state visit there to drum up trade, but the former high school drama teacher made the tragic error of dressing up as a medieval princeling, complete with dancing slippers, which the Indian media considered to be something of a “howler.” This can be better described as a fall-down laughing moment for all concerned except Mr. Trudeau, who has sadly compiled something of a resume of other political howlers based on what can best be described as Canadian naiveite.
Canada, like India, suffered through an era of British colonialism, which included such quaint British concepts as a “level playing field,” also described as “fair play.” India long ago threw off the yoke of colonialism, exemplified by the fact that Sikh nationalists, perturbed by former Prime Minister Indira Ghandi’s attack on their holy shrine the Golden Temple in the Punjab, arranged to have her own Sikh bodyguards practice their machine gun prowess to her ultimate detriment. Now the tables have been turned.
Canadians and other naïve westerners still suffer from the delusion that everyone wants to play cricket, abide by the rules, and never attack the referee. “Travel broadens the mind,” wrote American humorist Mark Twain after his own journey around the planet a century ago. It broadens other things as well, including the rule book and the size of the targets. Hopefully Mr. Trudeau, on future ventures, doesn’t get dressed up in a Chairman Mao outfit in order to do business with Jinping.
There is a lesson to be learned in the Hardeep Niijar tragedy. No matter where you travel it is always best never to assume that other cultures are the same as your own. People in other countries may even take offence at your naivete. Make the effort to learn that what is fine and acceptable at home may be offensive in the country where you travel. Patting a child on the head is a mortal offense in some parts of Asia. Expecting to be allowed entry to a fine restaurant in France wearing sneakers is delusional thinking. Wearing a bikini in a Muslim country may raise more than just a few eyebrows.
My vastly amusing travel narrative Negotiating India; Never Drive in Countries Where they Believe in Reincarnation is a guidebook that points the way to success with any trip to that ancient country. You will discover that there are two currencies in circulation, not just rupees and dollars but both local and tourist prices. Prices for many goods are seldom listed. You must bargain. You must not become annoyed when you discover that you have been bested by a rickshaw driver on the price of a pedal ride around the palace. If prices were so important to you, you should have done your homework back at home before you left.
In all negotiations with trips to all countries, its best to understand that you are merely a guest, not a maharajah, even if you are wearing dancing slippers or a silk suit. Treating the people you meet as equals, no matter their financial situation or social status, will go a long way towards creating a level playing field. Naivete is never a good excuse for bad manners.
Changing your behavior or attitude in trips to “developing” countries may not change the people in the countries you visit, but it will certainly change you, and that’s the only change you can guarantee will happen. Meanwhile, you don’t have to wear a seatbelt while driving in an Indian rickshaw, but beware the cultural speed bumps along the way.