Don’t Go to the Bathroom in India!

In the days when you couldn`t count on a public toilet facility, an English woman was planning a trip to India. She was registered to stay in a small guesthouse owned by the local schoolmaster. She was concerned as to whether the guesthouse contained a WC.
In England, a bathroom is commonly called a WC that stands for ``Water Closet``. She wrote to the schoolmaster inquiring of the facilities about the WC. The schoolmaster, not fluent in English, asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC. Together they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was ``Wayside Chapel`` near the house . . . a bathroom never entered their minds. So the schoolmaster wrote the following reply:

Dear Madam,

I take great pleasure in informing you that the WC is located 9 miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and

Thursdays. As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early.
There is, however, plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly.

It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC as it was there that she met her husband. It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the ex-pressions on their faces. My wife, sadly, has been ill and unable to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly. You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of
it. Others prefer to wait till the last minute and arrive just in time!

I would recommend your ladyship plan to go on a Thursday as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere. The newest addition is a bell that rings every time a person enters. We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all.

With deepest regards, The Schoolmaster

Hey mother fuker how dare you talk about india this way, who the fuk do you think you are; Mr. Clean. You have no fcking right to say what you did, India is a great country. Residents are very happy with india, they are not shlt like your mother fcking ass!

bohat aala jaffer sahab..achi tehreer hai

aadab arz hai!

Blacks sometimes refer to each other as ``nigger`` in close conversation, no problem; but when a white man says the word ``nigger``, his intentions are malicious, all hell breaks loose!

if south asian caricatures are the order of the day, the best have not hit the US air waves yet. if you can get your hands on it, take a look at ``Goodness Gracious Me`` out of England. Four brilliant performers with an absolutely out-of-this-world sense of humour. it is one of the most interesting, intelligent tongue-in-cheek satire shows i`ve seen in a long time.

the four are south asians who have, like me, learnt to laugh at themselves and take caricatures with a pinch of salt. lighten up -caricaturing is the first step towards acceptance.

I like the way you intelligently express your views in your article. People, let`s not forget Indian culture is GREAT no matter how economically challenged the motherland may be. What the hell is money worth? Our history, our traditions, and our people give us a beautiful heritage that no ``first world`` nation can match! I was brought up in America myself so I guess I`m an ABCD. But the more I learn about India, the prouder I am of my rich background! I just wish everyone could see that being Indian is great because India is great!

Ramya Anita Narayanan

Dear Chowk Staff,

I actually saw it POSTED a few hours after I submitted it, but it is no longer there. I`ll do u guys one better, instead of posting it, i`ll write what is now definitely more than just a germ of an idea for a new article.

cheers

Omar Mirza

Ref: ``... why is my my reply #18 got deleted?``

Your reply was neither deleted nor censored. Please resubmit the reply.

Thanks

CHOWK CENSORSHIP

Now I wonder if my honest comments made some people at chowk a trifle uncomfortable, why is my my reply #18 got deleted?

OMAR1974

Don`t go to the bathroom in Pakistan, either. I work in the Dawn building and last Thursday someone had planted a small bomb which destroyed the toilets and blew a hole in the wall. Two people suffered cuts and bruises and everyone was scared to death. There is no better way to ensure constipation than this.

At first I also was quite offended by this show, but I quickly realized, that it was just a comedy. Seinfeld tends to ridicule anyone and anything, including his own parents. There is no reason for us to take it so personally. It`s just a tv sitcom! I was entirely raised outside Pakistan, but I have seen the `public` bathrooms there. They are just plain awful, but does that mean I don`t like my country? I still love visiting Pakistan. A show like this will not make me change my views.

I do agree with you, that we cannot blame the youth for having lost their touch with their culture. For example, parents think that by speaking only english with their children, they will give them an advantage over others. They do not realize, that by doing so they are actually alienating them from their heritage. Young people become ABCD`s not by their own doing.

Although I follow up on Sienfeld shown quite regulary, somehow I have not seen this episode yet!

The guys who are portraying these problems are comedians. Quite frankly, they do not even spare their mothers and fathers. They have their own way of presenting their views. As there is no such thing as the perfect way, or else the problems would have been ironed out a long time ago.

The bottom line is that sanitation and hygiene is not given the serious attention that it deserves. I would thank Jerry & company for bringing this aspect into limelight. Unfortunately `we` see better when somebody `outside our house` takes notice!

I bet those that are objecting to the stereo-typing of the subcontinenet had a good laugh when similar things were done to others (latin americans, bald people, jews, etc., etc.,). Heck the show doesn`t `pick` on any one group - it makes fun of everyone and everything it can.

Shahid

I think we should all give ourselves a break.

In the ``Sienfeld`` episode that is under limelight - the [BACD as someone says] Indian couple not only mock Indian bathrooms, but leave a tailpiece saying the same about the bathrooms in Manhattan. So there`s no question of ``Sienfeld`` being a mockery show of South Asians.

Let`s face it: How many people agree w/ me that most Americans DO NOT flush the pot after taking a leak? Sometimes the bathroom stinks of ammonia to the heavens! Goodness gracious.

In India, what is bad looks bad. In the US, whatever is bad, is under the carpet!

So it is all about stereotyping. Funny, how pedestrian are my fellow countrymen(women).

Meeting some friends at UIC, african americans suddenly became ``Kalla`s`` and ``Asian`` people became ``Chapta`s`` and so on. How can we object or blame any one for stereo typing when our ethnicity does it themselves. Think about it, desis in US flock together and stereotype others. Also, a majority own seven elevens, gas stations, and cabs. A lot of them speak a certain dialect too.(I don`t have an accent but i make one jsut ot entertain my friends some time, coz they think it is funny) that si no insult.

For all who have a problem with Sienfeld, deal with it. It depicts America as we see it, specifically NYC, and don`t tell me you don`t hear accents in Jakson heights NY.

Take Care

Correction noted -- Fisher Stevens was in Short Circuit. Also, the actors in the Seinfeld show are indeed of South Asian extraction.