We Indians are awesome. We are extremely touchy about anything and everything. We can easily create a mountain out of a mole. We can find reasons to defend or denounce anyone without any deliberation. We celebrate our victories with aplomb and don’t shy away from blackening peoples’ faces or burning their effigies when we feel offended. These are so stereotypical that without them we might find ourselves robbed of our identity! 😀

The funny thing is that we are peculiar and unaccommodating even for each other, or possibly even more for each other. We know there are certain things that inconvenience people and are inexcusable, that are harmful for that silly thing called the environment, that can be done away with if we’re willing to compromise, yet unflinchingly we walk our way to personal gratification and public misdemeanour.

There can be umpteen examples but I’m tempted to share the one that rings true (pun unintended) with almost all of us. Loud music that essentially accompanies baaraats, religious processions, electoral successes, cricket victories, or any kind of celebration that assumingly deserves public attention and disturbance, is one of the most debated upon but equally ignored concept that we come across quite frequently. :-/

Living next to a marriage hall for the past six years, I probably don’t need to elaborate the constant assault my ears have endured day in and day out. Marriages are happy occasions, agreed, and as much cacophonous as the live band playing ear-splitting music might be, the merrily dancing people in wedding finery are pretty much oblivious to the sniggers and condemning glances of passers by and nearby residents.

Thankfully, we shifted from the marriage hall neighbourhood. Sadly, the apartment complex we live in now has ten wings and there’s some or the other event happening here often. As I understand, the terraces are available to the residents at some meagre charge for celebrations. Can you guess where this is going? *rolling eyes*

Just the other day, there was a function in my building. For lack of interest and information, let’s assume it was some ladies function since there wasn’t a man in sight. There were some eight to ten ladies in heavy shiny sarees and garish makeup dancing away on songs a live band (having more performers than the ladies!) was playing, walking behind them.

It was quite a sight. Hell bent on showing off their dangerous moves yet mindful of their slipping sarees and the flaking layer of cake on their faces, these ladies didn’t shy away from looking around to ensure they indeed had an audience! They literally dragged some unwilling women on the floor and even did the Nagin dance routine! Women are such lovely creatures, I tell you. 😛

Me and the lady living in the apartment in front of us simply looked at each other and sneered, while Angel was having the time of her life dancing away to glory. My attempts at closing her ears with my palms to lessen the effect of the harsh sound were met with prompt jerking off of my hands. Another difficult woman in the making, I’m afraid. 🙁

I wonder, is maintaining decibels levels at a permissible limit really that difficult? Shouldn’t the fact that in a residential complex there are infants, children or senior citizens who need calm and quiet influence peoples’ actions? Doesn’t this involve flaunting more than celebrating?